Navigation and Radio Aids

Question 0

What is pilotage?

Answer 0

Navigation solely using landmarks as a reference to determine course and position.

Question 1

The sun takes 24 hours to travel 360 degrees around the world. How many degrees of longitude does it travel in an hour?

Answer 1

15 degrees

Question 2

What is dead reckoning?

Answer 2

Navigation using precomputed heading, ground speed, ETA, wind drift and true airspeed.

Question 3

What is radio navigation?

Answer 3

Navigation using radio aids, which are stations that transmit signals either from the ground or from satellites.

Question 4

What is inertial navigation?

Answer 4

Navigation using on board computers or self-contained gyroscopic equipment that provides a continuous display of position.

Question 5

What is GPS navigation?

Answer 5

Navigation using Global Positioning System transmitters and receivers that provide positioning information from orbiting satellites.

Question 6

Isogonic lines on an aeronautical chart represent what?

Answer 6

Isogonic lines connect points of equal magnetic variation.

Question 7

What is an agonic line?

Answer 7

A line connecting points in which there is no variation between true north and magnetic north.

Question 8

What is a Meridian of Longitude and how is it measured?

Answer 8

Meridians of Longitude are semi-great circles that join the geographic poles of the earth. Longitude is measured from 0 degrees to 180 degrees east and west of the prime meridian. Lines of longitude are further measured in degrees (o), minutes (‘) and seconds (“).

Question 9

What is the Prime Meridian and what is its opposite?

Answer 9

The Prime Meridian represents 0 degrees of Longitude and passes through Greenwich, England. Its opposite is the international date line and is 180 degrees of longitude.

Question 10

What is a Parallel of Latitude and how is it measured?

Answer 10

Parallels of Latitude are circles on the Earth’s surface that run parallel to the equator. The equator is a great circle and measures 0 degrees of Latitude. Latitude is measured from 0 to 90 degrees North and South of the equator. It is further measured in degrees (o), minutes (‘) and seconds (“).

Question 11

What is a mean solar day and how is it divided?

Answer 11

A mean solar day is the interval between two successive transits of the mean sun. The mean sun is an imaginary sun created to assume a uniform rate of speed the sun transits throughout the year. A mean solar day is divided into 24 equal hours.

Question 12

How often does the mean sun travel around the earth and how may this be divided into longitude and time?

Answer 12

The mean sun travels around the earth once a day which means it travels 360 degrees of longitude. These degrees of longitude may be used to express mean time and mean time may be used to express degrees of longitude. For example:

• 24 hours = 360 degrees of longitude
• 360 degrees of longitude = 24 hours
• 1 hour = 15 degrees of longitude
• 1 degree of longitude = 4 minutes
• 1 minute = 15’ Long.
• 1’ Long. = 4 sec.
• 1 second = 15” Long.
• 1” Long. = 1/15 sec.

Question 13

What is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and Local Mean Time (LMT)?

Answer 13

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Zulu Time (Z) is the Local Mean Time of the Prime Meridian and is used as a mean value in order to have a universal standard time for the earth.

Local Mean Time (LMT) is the time on any given meridian as time will vary along the meridians and may be anywhere from 0 to 24 hours.

Question 14

Is the Local Mean Time of any place east of the Prime Meridian ahead or behind UTC?

Answer 14

Any place east of the Prime Meridian is ahead of UTC.

Question 15

Is the LMT of any place west of the Prime Meridian ahead or behind UTC?

Answer 15

Any place west of the prime meridian is behind UTC.

Question 16

How many time zones east and west of the prime meridian are there?

Answer 16

There are 1 to 12 time zones east and west of the prime meridian. If they are east, they are minus (-) 1 to 12; if they are west, they are plus (+) 1 to 12.

Question 17

If it is noon at the Prime Meridian, what time is it at the 180th meridian?

Answer 17

It would be midnight on the 180th meridian.

Question 18

What is a great circle and give an example?

Answer 18

A great circle is a circle on a sphere that cuts the sphere into two equal parts as its plane passes through the centre of the sphere. The equator is a great circle and the meridians are semi-great circles as they only cut along half the earth.

Question 19

What are the advantages and disadvantages to using great circles in navigation?

Answer 19

Two points along a great circle will represent the shortest distance between them. However, a great circle will not cut all meridians along its route at the same angle, so a navigator would have to frequently change heading along the route.

Question 20

What is a rhumb line and give an example?

Answer 20

A rhumb line is a curved line along the surface of the earth that cuts all meridians at the same angle. All parallels of latitude are rhumb lines. Any rhumb line that is not a parallel of latitude will spiral into the poles.

Question 21

What are the advantages/disadvantages to a rhumb line in navigation?

Answer 21

Rhumb lines are useful to navigation in that they allow a navigator to follow a constant heading. However, a rhumb line will not be the shortest distance between two points.

Question 22

Direction is measured how and what are the measurements for North, South, East and West?

Answer 22

Direction is measured in degrees clockwise from North which is 0 degrees or 360 degrees, east which is 90 degrees, south which is 180 degrees and west 270 degrees.

Question 23

What is the angle between a meridian a plane is over and the line in the direction the airplane’s nose is pointing?

Answer 23

This angle would be the aircraft’s true heading.

Question 24

What are the four basic elements in map construction and what are the limitations to these elements when creating a map?

Answer 24

The four basic elements of map construction are areas, shapes, bearings and distances. The limitations to these elements when constructing a map are that one or more of these elements is preserved as closely as possible with consequent unavoidable distortion to the remaining elements.

Question 25

There are two principal types of chart projections in aviation, what are they?

Answer 25

Lambert Conformal Conic Projection and Transverse Mercator Projection.

Question 26

What type of aeronautical charts would be Lambert Conformal Conic Projections?

Answer 26

VFR Navigation Charts (VNC series) and World Aeronautical Charts (WAC series) would be Lambert Conformal Conic Projections.

Question 27

Would a straight line drawn on a Lambert Conformal Conic Projection be a great circle or a rhumb line?

Answer 27

A great circle.

Question 28

Since a straight line on a Lambert Conformal Conic Projection chart would not cut all meridians at the same angle and heading changes would be necessary, how would you make good a given track?

Answer 28

To make good a given track (or straight line) on these types of charts, it would be necessary to change heading 2 degrees for every 3 degrees of longitude. Flying east, the 2 degrees is added. Flying west, it is subtracted.

Question 29

What would be an example of a Transverse Mercator Projection Chart?

Answer 29

A VFR Terminal Area Chart (VTA Series).

Question 30

A straight line drawn on a Mercator Projection would be a great circle or a rhumb line?

Answer 30

A rhumb line.

Question 31

What is the scale of a VFR Navigation Chart and what type of flight is it best used for?

Answer 31

The scale of a VNC chart (or sectional) is 1:500 000 where 1 inch represents 8 miles. VNC charts are best suited for visual navigation at lower altitude and lower speeds.

Question 32

What is the scale of a World Area Chart and what types of flights are they best used for?

Answer 32

World Area Charts are scaled 1:1 000 000 where 1 inch represents 16 miles. WAC charts are most suited to visual navigation at high altitudes and high air speeds.

Question 33

What is the scale of a VTA chart and what is its purpose?

Answer 33

VTA charts are designed at a scale of 1:250 000. VTA charts are designed for airports where there is a high volume of air traffic and a mix of controlled airspace.

Question 34

What types of en route charts are there and what altitude are they designed for?

Answer 34

There are En Route Low Altitude Charts (LO) designed for use up to but not including 18,000 feet ASL.

There are also En Route High Altitude Charts (HI) designed for use at 18,000 feet ASL and above.

Question 35

What are some characteristics of En Route charts and what are their purposes?

Answer 35

En Route charts do not portray cities, towns or topographical features, but depict all radio navigation aids, airways, beacons, reporting points, comm frequencies, etc…

En Route charts are designed to provide information for radio navigation over designated airway systems.

Question 36

What is the Canada Flight Supplement, what does it depict and how often is it updated?

Answer 36

The Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) is a joint civil/military publication that provides information on North Atlantic and Canadian Aerodromes. It is updated and reissued every 56 days.

Question 37

The CFS is made up of six sections. What are they?

Answer 37

(1) General, (2) Aerodromes and Facility Directory, (3) Planning, (4) Radio Navigation and Communications, (5) Military Flight Data and Procedures and (6) Emergency.

Question 38

What is the Airport/Facility Directory?

Answer 38

The Airport/Facility Directory is an American publication issued every 56 days and is comparable to the CFS. Information provided includes airports, seaplane bases, heliports, comma data, nav procedures, special procedures and so forth.

Question 39

What is the Water Aerodrome Supplement?

Answer 39

The Water Aerodrome Supplement (WAS) serves the same purpose as the CFS but provides information on all water aerodromes.

Question 40

Are airway courses depicted on aeronautical charts in degrees True or Magnetic?

Answer 40

Airway courses are depicted in degrees Magnetic except when labelled “T” for degrees True.

Question 41

A compass rose over a navigation facility (such as a VOR) depicted on a chart will be oriented to magnetic or true north?

Answer 41

Magnetic north.

Question 42

What are three methods for regaining your required track in flight after discovering you are off course?

Answer 42

The Double Track Error Method, the Visual Alteration Method and the Opening and Closing Angles Method.

Question 43

What is wind?

Answer 43

Wind is air in motion, especially a mass of air having a common direction of motion. Wind moves horizontally.

Question 44

What is air that moves vertically called?

Answer 44

A current.

Question 45

What is indicated airspeed?

Answer 45

The airplane’s speed as indicated by the airspeed indicator.

Question 46

What is true airspeed?

Answer 46

The airplane’s speed relative to the air. It is calibrated airspeed corrected for the airspeed indicator error due to density and temperature.

Question 47

What is ground speed?

Answer 47

It is the speed of the airplane relative to the ground. In effect, it is true airspeed corrected for wind. If the wind were zero, ground speed would equal true airspeed. A headwind or a tailwind will either reduce or increase ground speed.