Fundamentals of Air Navigation

Question 1

What shape is the earth?

Answer 1

Oblate Spheroid

Question 2

To what degrees is the earth’s axis inclined to its plane of rotation around the sun?

Answer 2

23.5 deg

Question 3

What direction does the earth rotate?

Answer 3

Anti-clockwise

Question 4

What is the graticule?

Answer 4

It is the grid formed by parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude.

Question 5

What is the graticule measured in?

Answer 5

Degrees, minutes and seconds.

Question 6

What latitude position is the equator at?

Answer 6

Zero latitude

Question 7

What latitude position is the north pole at?

Answer 7

90 degrees North = North pole

90 degrees south = South pole

Question 8

How is the latitude of a point on the earth’s surface calculated?

Answer 8

The angle of inclination between the Equator and the point on the earth’s surface.

Question 9

What is the prime meridian of longitude?

Answer 9

Runs through the Royal Observatoy in Greenwich, England.

Question 10

What are meridians east and west of the prime meridian named? How many are there?

Answer 10

• Meridian is either degrees east or west of the prime meridian.
• 180 to the east, 180 to the west.

Question 11

What is the antemeridian of greenwish?

Answer 11

The 180 E meridian which is the same as the 180 W meridian.

Question 12

How is the longitude of a place measured?

Answer 12

The angle between its meridian of longitude and the prime meridian, measured in E or W of the prime meridian.

Question 13

What are the units of latitude and longitude?

Answer 13

Degrees, minutes and seconds.

Question 14

How many NM are a degree?

Answer 14

60NM

Question 15

How many nautical miles are one minute, expressed as ‘ ?

Answer 15

1 NM

Question 16

How many metres are one second, expressed as “ ?

Answer 16

31 metres

Question 17

What is A Great Circle (GC)? What does it represent?

Answer 17

• The largest circle that can be drawn on a sphere. Cutting it in two equal halves
• Its path represents the shortest distance between two points on the surface of the Earth

Question 18

What are some examples of GCs?

Answer 18

• Meridians of longitude

- The equator.

Question 19

How many GC can be drawn between two points on the earth?

Answer 19

Only 1, UNLESS the points are diametrically opposed, such as geographic poles

Question 20

What is a Rhumb Line (RL)?

Answer 20

A curved line along the Earth’s surface that meets all meridians at the same angle.

Question 21

What would a pilot have to do to fly a Rhumb Line?

Answer 21

Constant heading

Question 22

When does a Rhumb line represent the shortest distance between two points?

Answer 22

Only if it is directly along the equator or a meridian of longitude –> It dollows a GC track

Question 23

How does a GC track cross successive meridans? How will this effect the pilots heading?

Answer 23

At a gradually changing angle, will change the pilots heading.

Question 24

Over what distances are the rhumb line and GC tracks the same?

Answer 24

Over short distances (<200 nm).

Question 25

What is the usual unit of measurement for horizontal distances in aviation?

Answer 25

Nautical mile (NM)

Question 26

What aviation purposes are the km or m used ?

Answer 26

• Visibility
• Horizontal distance from cloud
• Short distances

Question 27

How many metres and feet is a nautical mile?

Answer 27

• 1852 m

- 6076 ft

Question 28

What does a knot mean?

Answer 28

1 NM/hr

Question 29

How many minutes of latitude is a NM?

Answer 29

1 minute

Question 30

What is altitude measured in?

Answer 30

Feet above MSL or flight level in feet

Question 31

What is height ?

Answer 31

Vertical distance of an object above a datum

Question 32

What is elevation?

Answer 32

The vertical distance of a position above mean sea level

Question 33

What is the arc time rate of rotation of the earth?

Answer 33

15 deg of longitude per hour

Question 34

What are the three main datums for classifying time?

Answer 34

1) Local Mean Time (LMT)
2) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
3) Local Standard Time (LST)

Question 35

What is Local Mean Time (LMT)?

Answer 35

• Uses the sun as its celestial reference point, and the local meridian of longitude as its terrestrial reference point.
• When sun is at its highest point in the sky, it is 1200.

Question 36

What is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)?

Answer 36

It is the local mean time at the meridian of longitude that runs through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in London.

Question 37

What is Local Standard Time (LST)?

Answer 37

• It is used to ensure that the population in a given region is using the same time datum as using LMT is not practical as it would different for every meridian of longitude.
• This give the world timezones.

Question 38

What are the three Australian Time Zones and what are their UTC times?

Answer 38

1) AWST = UTC + 8
2) ACST = UTC + 10.5
3) AEST = UTC + 11

Question 39

What is the International Date Line?

Answer 39

Is is an imaginary line of demarcation on the Earth’s surface that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole

• Travelling East, subject 1 day.
• Travelling west, add 1 day

Question 40

When does sunlight occur between?

Answer 40

Sunrise = the upper edge of the sun rises above the eastern horizon
Sunset = the upper edge of the sun descends below the west horizon

Question 41

When is the beginning of morning civil twilight and what is it known as?

Answer 41

1) First Light

2) Begins when the centre of the sun is displaced 6 degrees below the eastern ideal horizon.

Question 42

When does civil twilight end and what is it known as?

Answer 42

1) Last light

3) Ends when the centre of hte sun is displaced 6 deg below the western horizon

Question 43

When is the period of daylight between?

Answer 43

First light and last light