Section 2: Your First Few Hours
when the associated control tower is in operation.
Airspace at an airport with a part-time control tower is classified as Class D airspace only
that weather at the airport located in Class D airspace is below basic VFR weather minimums.
An airport's rotating beacon operated during daylight hours indicates
10 miles.
As standard operating practice, all inbound traffic to an airport without a control tower should continuously monitor the appropriate facility from a distance of
1200 ft AGL
At what altitude do Federal Airways start?
pulsating red light.
A below glide slope indication from a pulsating approach slope indicator is a
return to the starting point on the airport.
A flashing white light signal from the control tower to a taxiing aircraft is an indication to
two quick, white flashes between green flashes.
A military air station can be identified by a rotating beacon that emits
three white lights and one red light.
A slightly high glide slope indication from a precision approach path indicator (PAPI) is
18,000 feet MSL.
Class A airspace starts at
14,500 feet MSL
Class E exists everywhere in the United States at what altitude?
60 minutes
For latitude and longitude, 1 degree is subdivided into
large blue numbers
How is the maximum elevation figure indicated in each quadrangle?
N39°01', W 95°13'
How would you write 39 degrees, one minute north and 95 degrees, 13 minutes west?
Observe the traffic flow, enter the pattern, and look for a light signal from the tower.
If the aircraft's radio fails, what is the recommended procedure when landing at a controlled airport?
Class A
In which type of airspace is VFR flight prohibited?
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, Xray, Yankee, Zulu
Phonetic Alphabet
090° and 270° magnetic.
The number 9 and 27 on a runway indicate that the runway is oriented approximately
The pilot must contact ATC as soon as practicable after takeoff.
Under what condition may an aircraft operate from a satellite airport within Class C airspace?
250 knots.
Unless otherwise authorized, what is the maximum indicated airspeed at which a person may operate an aircraft below 10,000 feet MSL?
Class E airspace
What airspace is indicated by dashed magenta outlines?
Class G
What airspace is uncontrolled and has no special symbols?
isogonic lines
What are the dashed magenta lines, running roughly north-south on a sectional chart called?
Class E airspace extends to the surface. (starts at the surface up to 1200ft)
What does a dashed magenta outline indicate on a sectional chart?
Class E airspace begins at 700 feet AGL.
What does a shaded magenta line indicate?
Class E airspace begins at 700 feet AGL
What does a shaded magenta outline indicate on a sectional chart?
IFR training flights above 1,500ft AGL at speeds in excess of 250 knots
What does route IR644.649 indicate along a grey line?
a magenta circle with 30 nm radius around a Class B airport is the Mode C veil. An altitude encoding transponder with ADS-B Out is required for operation within this circle, even if the aircraft is not inside of the Class B airspace
What indicates a Mode C Veil and what does it mean?
a Military Operations Area. On sectional charts, MOAs are surrounded by magenta hatched outlines. VFR flight is allowed inside of a MOA, but it is a good practice to avoid these areas when there is ongoing military activity
What is an MOA?
You should contact the Class C approach controller via 2-way radio.
What is the first action you should take before entering Class C airspace?
250 kts, 200kts in VFR corridors and below Class B
What is the speed limit in Class B? What are the exceptions?
maintain an altitude at or above the glide slope.
When approaching to land on a runway served by a visual approach slope indicator (VASI), the pilot shall
200 knots.
When flying in a VFR corridor designated through Class B airspace, the maximum speed authorized is
Left aileron up, elevator neutral.
When taxiing a tricycle-gear airplane into a left quartering headwind, how should the flight controls be positioned?
Left aileron down, elevator down.
When taxiing a tricycle-gear airplane with a left quartering tailwind, how should the flight controls be positioned?
Aileron should be down on the side from which the wind is blowing.
When taxiing with strong quartering tailwinds, which aileron position should be used?
Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) section of the Chart Supplement publication.
Where is the "Available Landing Distance" (ALD) data published for an airport that utilizes Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO)?
the Chart Supplement publication
Where would you look for information about glider operations at the Crawford Airport? Where would you look to find info on parachuting operations at the Lincoln Regional Airport?
exercise extreme caution and abandon the approach, realizing the airport is unsafe for landing.
While on final approach for landing, an alternating green and red light followed by a flashing red light is received from the control tower. Under these circumstances, the pilot should
18,000 feet MSL.
With certain exceptions, Class E airspace extends upward from either 700 feet or 1,200 feet AGL to, but does not include,
The top of the Class C stops where the bottom of the Class B begins.
Within the Oakland Class C airspace, the airspace limits show a "T". What does this mean?
Class E extending to 700 AGL
what airspace and altitude does a shaded magenta outline indicate?
towered - blue, untowered - magenta
what are the colors that towered vs. untowered airports are shown in?
B - solid blue, C - solid magenta, D - dashed blue
what are the controlled airspace classes and what are they indicated by?
greenwich mean time (GMT), universal time coordinated (UTC)
what are the two things zulu time is based on?
outer area (10 mile outside of class c where you need to get acknowledgement to enter class C), 20nm radius NOT part of class C
what area extends 20 nautical miles outside of the area of the airport
begins at the surface
what can always be said of the Class D airspace beginning?
student pilots must decline the LAHSO landing clearance
what can student pilots do with LAHSO
light blue
what color on a chart shows federal airways?
grey
what color on a chart shows military training routes?
transponder (all require two-way communications radio)
what do Class B and C airspaces require in terms of equipment that class D does not
Observe the traffic flow, enter the pattern, and look for a light signal from the tower
what do you do when you're inbound to a towered airport with failed communications radios?
precision approach path indicator
what does PAPI stand for
visual approach slope indicator
what does VASI stand for
current taxiway
what does a black taxiway sign indicate?
white green
what does a civilian airport beacon flash?
yellow white green
what does a lighted heliport flash?
white white green
what does a military airport beacon flash?
underlying airspace stops at explicit altitude below the indicated MSL number
what does a negative number / minus sign in the brackets mean?
directional
what does a yellow taxiway sign indicate?
underlying airspace stops where overlying airspace begins
what does the T mean in airspace notation
VFR checkpoint location (visual checkpoint used to identify position for initial callup)
what does the flag on a chart designate?
x'/60 = y degrees
what formula can be used to show the relationship between minutes and degrees?
reverts to E or G airspace, noted in the chart supplement publication
what happens when the class D airspace tower closes at night (if it does) and where can you find info about this?
solid blue line
what indicates a class B airspace?
solid magenta line
what indicates a class C airspace?
dashed blue line
what indicates a class D airspace?
three lines around airport circle indicator
what indicates that an airport has fuel on a chart?
1 nautical mile (1nm)
what is 1' latitude (up a longitudinal line) equal to on a sectional chart?
Temporary Flight Restriction. These are locations where flight is either severely restricted or prohibited altogether. Because of their temporary nature, they do not appear on any charts. You can get this info from Flight Service
what is TFR?
a Terminal Radar Services Area. This is an area, generally surrounding a busy Class D airport that is under control of an approach controller. On sectional charts, TRSAs are surrounded by concentric dark gray circles. VFR flight is allowed inside of a TRSA, and communication with the controller is recommended, but not required.
what is a TRSA?
restricted areas (R)/ prohibited areas (P)
what is identified on sectional charts by blue hatched outlines and labeled with a bold letter R (or P) followed by identifying numbers?
private airport
what is indicated by an R within a circle on a chart?
airspace top in MSL
what is indicated by numbers inside of a blue rectangular bracket
an explicit ATC clearance
what is required to enter Class B airspace?
maximum elevation figure - shows feet above sea level with trailing zeroes omitted, indicates the highest structure or terrain feature within the quadrangle
what is the MEF and what does it show?
surface to 10,000ft MSL
what is the altitude of a class B airspace?
surface to 4000ft AGL
what is the altitude of a class C airspace?
surface to 2500ft AGL
what is the altitude of a class D airspace?
four digits: all segments below 1,500 feet AGL three digits: some segments above 1,500 feet AGL
what is the ceiling of the military training route if it is denoted by four digits vs. three digits?
approach controlled must say "cleared into the class bravo"
what is the communications requirements for class B?
communications must be established with approach control - he/she must say your tail # or call sign
what is the communications requirements for class C?
communications must be established with the tower - he/she must say your tail # or call sign
what is the communications requirements for class D?
Class G & E airspace are always shown in AGL
what is the exception to the airspace rules?
1,200 ft AGL
what is the floor of federal airways?
two whites and two reds
what is the ideal color distribution of PAPI lights that you would see on landing
two far reds, two near whites
what is the ideal color distribution of VASI lights that you would see on landing?
quartering tailwinds
what is the most critical taxi situation regarding wind?
Class G
what is the only uncontrolled airspace?
10 miles
what is the radius of the shelf of a class C airspace
5 miles
what is the radius of the surface area of a class C airspace
250 kts
what is the speed limit below 10,000ft MSL when not in class B, C, or D airspace?
200 knots, below 2,500ft AGL within four miles of the primary airport
what is the speed limit in class C and D airspaces?
10000ft MSL, but it varies from airport to airport
what is the standard height of Class B airspace?
4,000 feet AGL
what is the standard height of Class C airspace
2,500 feet AGL
what is the standard height of a class D airspace?
4nm
what is the standard radius of a class D airspace?
South
ATC issues the following advisory to a pilot flying on a heading of 090°: "TRAFFIC 3 O'CLOCK, 2 MILES, WESTBOUND..." Where should the pilot look for this traffic?
When advised by the tower to do so.
After landing at a tower-controlled airport, when should the pilot contact ground control?
to the next intersecting runway where further clearance is required.
If instructed by ground control to taxi to Runway 9, the pilot may proceed
