Airplane: How Much You Know About Precautionary Landing? Quiz

2.

What do you say on the radio to declare an urgency situation on board?

PAN, PAN, PAN
MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY
URGENCY, URGENCY, URGENCY
PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN

Correct Answer

A. PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN

Explanation

A. A common error. It is the words "PAN PAN" that you say three times, not just the word "PAN". B. MAYDAY is used to declare an emergency -- a situation in which there is a serious threat to someone's life. An urgency situation is less critical, but still requires special measures and priority handling. For example, an engine failure necessitating a forced landing is typically an emergency situation, as is a heart attack on board. However, a flat tire or an engine failure in a multiengine plane is more of an urgency situation. Of course, you may be doing a precautionary landing for either urgency or an emergency situation -- or it could be in perfectly ordinary circumstances (e.g., you are inspecting a grass strip to make sure it does not have a huge puddle in the middle :-). C. As with "PAN PAN PAN", you will probably be understood just fine if you say this, but it's not standard terminology. D. Correct answer.

Rate this question:

3.

You are about to put a plane down in a remote area due to a sputtering engine, as well as rising oil temperature and dropping oil pressure indications. Out of the things listed below which three are most critical to mention during your radio call? Obviously, there are other important things to state, depending on the circumstances; however, let's see if you can distinguish between three important and three not-as-important items below. (Yes, we know this was not in the PowerPoint presentation. Use your judgment! Judgment and decision-making is, without doubt, the most critical area for a pilot to develop!)

Your location
Your airspeed
Your heading
Number of people on board
The colour of your plane
Amount of fuel remaining on board

Correct Answer(s)

A. Your location
A. Number of people on board
A. The colour of your plane

Explanation

A. Your location -- YES! Probably the MOST important thing to mention in such a situation. You want people to come and find you. Tell them where to look for you!!! Many students tend to do poorly in this regard on the flight test, since they are unsure of their position or of how to best describe it. To practice, frequently ask yourself when flying: "Where am I with respect to major landmarks, and how would I report my position now over the radio?" Making frequent traffic updates lets you hone this skill, while contributing to safety. B and C. Because they are included in the Study Guide for the Restricted Operator Certificate With Aeronautical Qualification, many student pilots spout them out, while omitting far more important info. The truth is, your heading and airspeed will rapidly change several times in this particular scenario, so they are not extremely useful to mention. D. Again, YES!! When Search and Rescue comes to save you, they need to know how many people they are looking for. If you hit your head and lose consciousness, and your passenger wanders off in search of help and gets lost in the woods, how will the SAR personnel know to look for her? E. Also a good thing to mention! From above, a plane is a tiny speck on the ground. Make it easier for the rescuers to spot your tiny speck, by letting them know what colour speck to look for! F. This may be critical information in some scenarios (e.g., diversion with low fuel), but not as important to mention here, since the temperature/pressure indications imply an imminent engine failure, so you have to land the plane ASAP. While amount of fuel on board may provide somewhat of a clue about the likelihood of post-landing fire, it is probably not the most critical information for the Search and Rescue crews.

Rate this question:

4.

When flying at 70 knots (slow cruise) into an approximately 10 knot headwind what formula can you use to estimate the length of the field you're overflying?

1 second in flight = 100 meters
1 second in flight = 100 feet
1 second in flight = 10 metres
1 second in flight = 10 feet

Correct Answer

A. 1 second in flight = 100 feet

Explanation

If you are flying at 70 knots into a 10 knot headwind, your ground speed is 70 - 10 = 60 knots.

60 knots = 60 nautical miles per hour, i.e. 60 nautical miles in 60 minutes, so it's 1 nautical mile a minute.

1 nautical mile is about 6000 feet. So you're flying at 6000' per minute or 6000/60 = 100 feet per second.

Rate this question:

5.

What does the COWLS check stand for? (To answer the question, type in the words below separated by spaces only, no punctuation, one word per letter!)

Correct Answer
civilization obstacles wind length surface
civilization obstacle wind length surface
civilisation obstacle wind length surface
civilisation obstacles wind lenth surface
civilization obstruction wind length surface
civilization obstructions wind length surface
civilisation obstruction wind length surface
civilisation obstructions wind length surface

Explanation
The correct answer is "civilization obstacles wind length surface". This is the only option that includes all the correct words and is spelled correctly.

Rate this question:

6.

Which landing technique would you use if landing on a 3000'-long farmer's field?

Normal landing
Short field landing
Soft field landing
Balked landing

Correct Answer

A. Soft field landing

Explanation

3000' is plenty for a typical training plane, so the use of a short field technique is not warranted. In fact, using the brakes may lead to the plane's nose wheel getting stuck in the mud! So use a soft field technique, since farmers' fields are soft! For your information, balked landing is a synonym for "overshoot".

Rate this question:

7.

Which check do you use during a field inspection when conducting a precautionary landing?

HASEL
COWLS
GUMPS
TICS

Correct Answer

A. COWLS

Explanation

A. HASEL - Height Area Security Engine Lookout -- should be familiar to you from upper airwork exercises such as stalls.

B. Correct answer. Do you remember what the letters stand for?

C. GUMPS -- Gas Undercarriage Mixture Prop Security & Switches-- typical pre-landing check for complex aircraft

D. TICS -- Tune Identify Course-Select -- is used with radio navigation equipment.

Rate this question:

8.

What is the lowest altitude you are allowed decend to when practicing solo precautionary landings over farmland?

1000 feet above ground level
500 feet above ground level
1000 feet above sea level
500 feet above sea level

Correct Answer

A. 500 feet above ground level

Explanation

Generally, when flying over non-built-up areas, you are not supposed to come closer than 500 feet to "any person, vessel, vehicle or structure". This means you should stay 500 feet above ground when practicing precautionary landings over farmland, since it's otherwise impossible to ensure that you remain 500 from every silo, tractor, or person. However, you may descend lower with an instructor on board. (Reference: CARs 602.14 and 602.15)

Rate this question:

9.

What are some of the reasons to use partial flaps when inspecting the field in a slow cruise?

Steeper descent angle
Better forward visibility
Greater buffer from stall

Correct Answer(s)

A. Better forward visibility
A. Greater buffer from stall

Explanation

A. While flaps do allow for a steeper descent angle, a field inspection is done at a constant altitude, with no climbing or descending. B. and C. Yes, extending flaps necessitates lowering the nose somewhat to maintain selected airspeed, which leads to better forward visibility. It also decreases stall speed, providing a greater airspeed safety margin.

Rate this question:

Airplane: How Much You Know About Precautionary Landing? Quiz

As a rule of thumb, how should you set up the plane for a field inspection during a precautionary landing?

Quiz Preview

What do you say on the radio to declare an urgency situation on board?

When flying at 70 knots (slow cruise) into an approximately 10 knot headwind what formula can you use to estimate the length of the field you're overflying?

What does the COWLS check stand for? (To answer the question, type in the words below separated by spaces only, no punctuation, one word per letter!)

Which landing technique would you use if landing on a 3000'-long farmer's field?

Which check do you use during a field inspection when conducting a precautionary landing?

What is the lowest altitude you are allowed decend to when practicing solo precautionary landings over farmland?

What are some of the reasons to use partial flaps when inspecting the field in a slow cruise?