PPL Safety and Emergency Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: After a total electrical failure in VFR conditions, what should the pilot do to reach the airport?
- Continue navigating visually and use light gun signals at the tower (Correct answer)
- Immediately bail out of the aircraft
- Squawk 7500 and land anywhere
- Turn off the master switch and glide
Correct answer: Continue navigating visually and use light gun signals at the tower
With no radio, the pilot navigates visually and watches for tower light gun signals.
Question 2: What transponder code indicates a general emergency?
- 7700 (Correct answer)
- 7600
- 7500
- 1200
Correct answer: 7700
Squawk 7700 alerts ATC to a general in-flight emergency.
Question 3: During an aborted takeoff, what is the most important immediate action after reducing power?
- Apply brakes and maintain directional control (Correct answer)
- Retract the flaps fully
- Turn off the fuel selector
- Raise the landing gear
Correct answer: Apply brakes and maintain directional control
After closing the throttle, braking while keeping the aircraft straight stops it safely on the runway.
Question 4: If a door pops open shortly after takeoff, what is the recommended pilot response?
- Fly the airplane and land normally before securing the door (Correct answer)
- Immediately reach over to close it while climbing
- Enter a steep dive to close it with airflow
- Shut down the engine and glide back
Correct answer: Fly the airplane and land normally before securing the door
An open door is a distraction, not a control emergency, so continue flying and land to fix it.
Question 5: What is the correct recovery from an unintentional spin?
- Power idle, ailerons neutral, opposite rudder, then elevator forward (Correct answer)
- Full power and pull back on the yoke
- Apply rudder in the direction of rotation
- Hold the yoke fully aft and wait
Correct answer: Power idle, ailerons neutral, opposite rudder, then elevator forward
The PARE technique—power, ailerons, rudder, elevator—breaks the autorotation of a spin.
Question 6: When ditching an aircraft over water, how should the touchdown be made relative to swells?
- Parallel to the swell crests along a swell top (Correct answer)
- Directly into the face of the swell
- Perpendicular across the swells
- Downwind regardless of swell direction
Correct answer: Parallel to the swell crests along a swell top
Landing parallel to the swells along a crest avoids digging into a swell face.
Question 7: What is the purpose of an ELT in an aircraft?
- To transmit a signal that helps locate the aircraft after a crash (Correct answer)
- To provide backup engine ignition
- To measure cabin oxygen levels
- To display terrain warnings
Correct answer: To transmit a signal that helps locate the aircraft after a crash
The Emergency Locator Transmitter broadcasts a distress signal for search and rescue.
PPL Safety and Emergency Procedures 3
After a total electrical failure in VFR conditions, what should the pilot do to reach the airport?