Test your aviation knowledge… Answers revealed at the bottom of the page – no cheating!

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By James Allan (Pictures: Philip Whiteman)1 In relation to possible danger from wake turbulence caused by an earlier aircraft, which of these wind conditions demands maximum caution?a wind calmb stiff (10 knots or more) crosswind componentc slight (3 to 5 knots) crosswind componentd slight (3 to 5 knots) tailwind componente stiff (10 knots or more) headwind component2 If, while night flying, a pilot observes ground beacons or strobe lights producing red flashes, what are these telling him?a he is approaching the end of the active runwayb these mark an obstruction or area considered hazardous to aviationc he should remain clear of the aerodrome circuitd he is approaching the runway at too low a height and is below the glide path3 In order to make use of a VDF (VHF/Direction Finding) service what serviceable airborne equipment must be available to a pilot?a an ADF receiverb VHF COM transmitter/receiverc VHF COM transmitter/receiver and VORd Mode C transponder and VHF COM transmitter/receiver4 A pilot departing from a private airstrip on a three-hour daylight cross-country flight with Cardiff as the destination has chosen to file a VFR flight plan although this was not mandatory. What will happen if he fails to activate the flight plan?

a it will eventually time out and that will be the end of itb no LARS will be available to the pilotc the FSS with whom the FPL was filed will, 30 minutes after EOBT, start a telephone search to try to establish whether the aircraft has departedd the aircraft will be refused entry to the Cardiff CTR5 When approaching the destination aerodrome in rainy conditions what optical illusion effects are these conditions liable to have on the pilot?a the runway will look farther away than it is, so the pilot is liable to fly a higher than normal approachb the rain may mislead the pilot into believing the horizon is below where it actually is, possibly resulting in too low an approachc the runway will look closer than it is, so the pilot is liable to fly a lower than normal approach 6 In which of the following cases is the atmospheric air driest?a temperature 8�C, dew point 4�Cb spread 3�Cc spread 7�Cd temperature 18�C, dew point 9�C7 Which of these factors is it that normally governs the depth and rapidity of a pilot’s breathing?a an excess of carbon monoxide in the bloodstreamb an excess of oxygen in the bloodstreamc an excess of nitrogen in the bloodstreamd an excess of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream8 When you pull your aircraft out of the hangar one morning you see that the altimeter reads 150 feet more than when you put it away the previous evening. By how much has the atmospheric pressure changed overnight?a it has risen by 15 millibarsb it has risen by 5 millibarsc it has fallen by 5 millibarsd it has fallen by 10 millibarsANSWERS: 1c, 2b, 3b, 4a, 5b, 6d, 7d, 8c