Fundamentals of Navigation and Flight Planning - ATP Flight School Flashcards
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What are the time zones in the contiguous 48 US states?
From east to west:
- Eastern (UTC-8)
- Central (UTC-7)
- Mountain (UTC-6)
- Pacific (UTC-5)
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Suppose you need to finish a long flight before sunset. Do you need to leave earlier when flying eastbound or westbound?
Eastbound. The sun moves east-to-west in the sky, so you lose time while flying east and gain it flying west.
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What is UTC?
- Universal Coordinated Time, also called Zulu time.
- The time at the 0° line of longitude in Greenwich, England (the Prime Meridian).
- The standard time system used by pilots to avoid any confusion due to time zone changes.
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When Daylight Savings Time is in effect, how does that affect times?
It moves them one hour later, e.g., 6 am standard time becomes 7 am DST.
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Define lines of latitude and lines of longitude.
- Lines of latitude: circles parallel to the Equator, running east-west, used to measure distance north or south of the Equator.
- Lines of longitude: lines running from the North Pole to the South Pole, running north-south perpendicular to the Equator, used to measure distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.
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Where is the Prime Meridian located?
It runs through Greenwich, England (part of London).
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Define magnetic variation and isogonic lines.
- Magnetic variation: the angle between true north and magnetic north at a given location.
- Isogonic line: a line connecting points with the same magnetic variation.
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Why aren’t magnetic north and true north the same?
Because the North Magnetic Pole (where compasses point to) isn’t located at the (Geographic) North Pole, but about 1300 miles away in the northern part of Canada.
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In the western US, is magnetic north east or west of true north? In the eastern US?
- In the western US, magnetic north is east of true north.
- In the eastern US, magnetic north is west of true north.
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What is magnetic deviation?
Deflections of the compass needle caused by magnetic influences inside the aircraft (electrical circuits, magnetized metal parts, etc.).
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How does a pilot determine the magnetic deviation for a particular aircraft?
Check the compass deviation card, where the mechanics will have noted down the deviation on several different headings.
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How do you determine magnetic deviation on a heading that isn’t listed on the compass deviation card?
Interpolate between the next higher and next lower headings that are listed on the card.
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What is the basic relationship betwen time, speed, and distance?
Distance equals speed multiplied by time.
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What is the conversion factor between statute miles and nautical miles?
Nautical miles times 1.15 equals statue miles. (Equivalently, knots times 1.15 equals miles per hour.)
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Define heading, course, and track.
- Heading: the direction in which the nose of the aircraft points during flight.
- Course: the intended direction of movement of the airplane over the ground.
- Track: the actual path made over the ground during flight. (Track and course are identical if proper wind correction is used.)
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Define drift angle and wind correction angle.
- Drift angle: the angle between heading and track.
- Wind correction angle: the correction applied to heading so that the track follows the desired course.
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Define airspeed and groundspeed.
- Airspeed: rate of the aircraft’s progress through the air.
- Groundspeed: rate of the aircraft’s progress over the ground. Groundspeed equals airspeed in still air but otherwise is affected by wind.
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For flights not in the vicinity of an airport, what information is a pilot legally required to familiarize themself with before flight?
- Weather reports and forecasts
- Fuel requirements
- Alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed
- Known traffic delays
- Runway lengths at airports of intended use
- Takeoff and landing distance information
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Once you have chosen a destination for the flight, what aspect of flight planning should be considered first?
A basic check of the weather to see if the flight is feasible and, if it is, which route is best.
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What are some reasons you might choose to fly something other than a direct course from departure to destination airport?
- Airspace considerations - avoiding Class B airspace, active special use airspace, etc.
- Terrain considerations - avoiding high terrain, tall obstructions, rugged terrain (with no emergency landing sites), open water, etc.
- Navigation considerations - choosing route segments to/from VORs to make navigation easier / back up pilotage and dead reckoning with radio navigation
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What are some things to consider when choosing an altitude for a VFR flight?
- Terrain and obstacles.
- Hemispheric altitude rules, when above 3,000’ AGL.
- Airspace.
- Winds aloft.
- Altitude of cloud layers.
- Aircraft performance.
