Technical Flashcards
What is viscous hydroplaning?
Hydroplaning that required a very smooth surface (new pavement, rubber coated pavement). Thin layer of water, low tire speed
Anything more than gentle braking can cause tires to lock
Max speed in class C within 4nm from an airport?
200kts
What is your clearance limit when cleared for the approach and then you lose comms?
Clearance limit does not change it is still destination airport
What is Mach tuck?
Mach tuck is the nose down pitching movement an aircraft experiences as the wing reaches supersonic speeds
What is most dangerous type of precip?
Supercooled water droplets
What is the width and navigation coverage of the MOCA?
4nm each side of centerline
Obstacle clearance
navigation only up to 22nm of the VOR
Define V1
Takeoff decision speed
What is CRM?
Crew Resource Management
Using the skills, judgements, and strengths of all cabin, cockpit personnel, ATC and all other available resources to achieve safe flight and efficient operations
When is ILS critical area in effect?
When instrument approaches are being conducted and the vis is 2 miles or less and/or ceiling 800 feet or less
Runway edge lights are what color? (End of runway)
White. Except on instrument runways where amber replaces white with the last 2,000ft or half the runway length whichever is less
What does pressing the fire button do?
Activates shut off valves for fuel and hydraulics, trips generator relay, arms fire bottles
What is max takeoff weight? CRJ 900 & 700
CRJ 900 - 84,500
CRJ 700 - 75,000
What would you do if you hear a loud bang and lose power after v1 with over half an 11,000ft runway left?
Continue takeoff and treat it as in air emergency
What while you do if Captain continued below minimums?
If nothing in sight, call the missed approach so he has to go around
What is exemption 3585?
Allows operation when forecasts conditional remarks (BCMG, PROBXX, TEMPO) are below dispatch minimums
Main body of forecast must be above dispatch minimums
Other requirements are a second alternate
Centerline lights are what colors?
White with the last 3,000’ alternating red and white and last 1,000’ they are red
How do you counteract Dutch roll?
Yaw damper or opposite control inputs to counteract
What type of aircraft is susceptible to Dutch roll?
Swept wing
Where would you find the T/O minimums ?
Typically in the back of airport diagram in Jep charts
What is TDZE?
Highest point of first 3,000’ of runway
Which type of ice is most dangerous and why?
Clear ice because it can often form well beyond the protected area or the wing
Types of de-icing/anti-icing fluids?
Type I - de ice
Type IV - anti ice
Swept wing advantages
Wing sweep allows a faster airfoil speed before critical Mach is reached compared to a straight wing
Swept wing stall characteristics?
Tendency to stall tip first due to strong spanwise flow at high angles of attack
This can cause a pitch up at the stall as the CP moves forwards and in
What is critical Mach?
It is the lowest Mach number at which airflow over some point on the aircraft reaches the speed of sound
Why doesn’t stall speed increase with altitude?
Your TAS will increase as altitude increases
Stall speed based on your IAS will stay the same
VMC decreases with altitude
As altitude increases, performance on the operative engine (normally aspirated) decreases, eventually VMC and stall speed will converge
What is low speed buffet?
Caused by airflow separation as the aircraft approaches the stall angle of attack
What is high speed buffet?
Caused by airflow separation from the wings as occurs behind a shockwave at high altitudes and/or Mach numbers
What is V2?
Takeoff safety speed: minimum speed that needs to be maintained up to acceleration altitude, in the event of engine failure after v1
Flight at v2 ensures that the minimum required climb gradient is achieved, and that the aircraft is controllable
Minimum altitude for turbine aircraft to enter traffic pattern in Class D?
1,500’ AGL
Can intercepting the glide slope at any altitude be considered the FAF?
The FAF on an ILS approach is the published glide slope intercept altitude. When ATC assigns lower than a published altitude for glide slope intercept, the new FAF is the glide slope intercept
What is holdover time?
The estimated time for which anti icing fluid will prevent the formation of frost or ice and accumulation of snow on an airplane
When does holdover time start?
It starts at the beginning of the anti ice operation. If a two step operation is used, it begins at the start of the final anti icing step
Understand RVR, when it is reported, when is it controlling (approach plate)
RVR is only reported at airports that have RVR sensing equipment, when the visibility is 1 statue mile or less, or when RVR for an instrument runway is 6,000 feet or less
What are effects of ice on a wing?
Reduces stall angle, reduced maximum lift capability, increased stall speed, increased drag, reduced lift
What would you do if your destination airport closed and you hadn’t filed an alternate (good weather) ?
Talk to crew members, dispatch, ATC, to get a better idea of what to do. Using CRM. Be honest to passengers
What is carb ice?
Rapid pressure change in the carburetor Venturi. Moisture of fuel vaporization freezes inside the carburetor
What is a VFR corridor?
An area where VFR traffic is allowed without ATC communications surrounded on 4 sides by class B airspace
What is ground effect?
Decreasing of induced drag due to close proximity (one wingspan) of the ground. The vortices cannot reach the top of the wing due to the ground interfering with them
Explain what Alternating Current is ?
AC is an electric current in which the flow of the electric charge periodically reverses direction
DC only flows in one direction
Speed limit in Class A?
Mach 1 or speed of sound
Cons for an airplane without dihedral?
Lack of stability on the longitudinal axis
What type of fire extinguisher do you have on board your aircraft?
Small HALON fire extinguisher
How much runway remains when runway side lights turn yellow?
2,000ft or last half of runway whichever is less
What if the DME is out of service on an ILS. How do you identify the FAF?
Glide slope intercept
Why is it bad for wing to stall at the wingtip first?
Because they will lack airflow on the aileron surface for controllability
What is the purpose of a squat switch?
Disable or enable a certain equipment on the airplane
How would you proceed around or thru a hole in a thunderstorm with consideration to a marginal fuel situation coupled with late arriving to destination and how would I address passengers?
Diversion is a better way to deal with low fuel. Late arrivals should not lead to compromising safety
What is Dutch roll?
Combination of yawing and rolling oscillations that the aircraft experienced when the dihedral effects of an aircraft are more powerful than directional stability
What does altimeter do if the static port becomes clogged?
Holds the last altitude
What happens to the altimeter if the static port ices over?
Freezes where it is
How long before entering hold do you slow down?
3 minutes
What is the difference between a swept wing and a straight wing ?
Swept wing: higher critical Mach number, designed for high speed flight with poor slow flight characteristics, stalls at wing tip first
Straight wing: better at slow speeds. Stalls at wing root first
What does “T” in the black triangle mean in the notes section?
Non standard takeoff minimums
What is considered mountainous terrain?
Change in elevation of 3,000’ within 10nm
What is a vortex generator and what does it do?
Small vane attached to a lifting surface that energizes air passing over it to delay airflow separation over that section of the wing
What is the purpose of static wicks?
As an airplane moves through the atmosphere it can pick up a charge because the airplane is electrically isolated. Charge build up can create interference with radios and nav systems
Static wicks draw off the static charge build up on the airplane
Mandatory reports to ATC
Missed approach Airspeed change 10% or 5kts Reaching a fix Vacating an altitude ETA change +- 2 minutes Leaving a fix Outer marker *** Unforecasted weather Safety of flight VFR on too FAF *** Radio/nav equipment failure Compulsory Reporting points *** Unable to climb 500fpm
*** only required in non radar environment
What is wind shear?
Sudden shift in direction or velocity of winds
What would you do if you got an acars bomb threat?
Immediately coordinate with dispatch to find a diversion airport. Inform cabin crew
What factors affect turn radius?
Bank angle and speed
What is a servo tab?
A small hinged device installed on a control surface to assist the movement of the control surfaces
It moves in the opposite direction of the surface, reducing the control force required by the pilot to move the controls
Anti servo tab moves in same direction of the surface
How do you know you are in a microburst?
The performance of the aircraft will suddenly increase and then suddenly decrease as winds shift
What is a microburst and how do you know that you’ve encountered one?
Rapid increase in airspeed and aircraft performance followed by a sever downdraft and rapid decrease in airspeed and aircraft performance
How do you recover from a compressor stall?
Lower AOA
Increase airspeed
Reduce thrust
What does MEA provide you?
Navigation
Obstacle clearance 1,000’ and 2,000’ in mountainous
How does a jet engine start?
Starter spins the compressor/fan. Ignition is turned on. Air starts to flow through the engine. Oil pressure verified. At pre-determined fan speed, fuel is introduced, combustion begins
Starter cuts out at pre-determined fan speed. Ignition is turned off
L/D max gives you what?
Best glide speed
How do you identify MAP if DME fails?
Timing
How do you know when a cold front has passed?
Wind shift and change of temperature
If you have a hung start, what would you do?
Hung start is when a normal light off occurs, but the engine fails to reach idle RPM. Indicated by rising EGT, but no rise in RPM. Shutoff the fuel and continue dry monitoring (20-30 sec) to clear unburnt fuel
What do Vortex Generators do?
Energize boundary layer and reduce stall speed
What are the disadvantages of a T-tail?
Susceptible to deep stall and does not get the thrust over the horizontal stabilizer and elevator from the engines so takes a higher airspeed to have same control effectiveness as a non t - tail
What is pneumatic air and what is its purpose?
Bleed air taken off the compressor section to be used for multiple different things: starting if aircraft has a pneumatic starter, anti/deicing, pressurization, air conditioning
What are slats and what do they do?
Slats are leading edge devices, helps with high stall speed associated with a swept wing aircraft, energizes the boundary layer and changes the camber or the wing to lower stall speed
What is Bernoulli’s principle and Newton’s third law?
Bernoulli’s: increase in the velocity of a steam of fluid results in a decrease in pressure
Newtons 3rd law: every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Wings are tilted pushing air downwards, so the wings get pushed upwards
How are critical Mach, stall speed, and altitude related?
As you climb in altitude your stall speed is increasing, your critical Mach and stall speed will eventually converge creating coffins corner
What is the ratio of critical Mach to altitude?
Higher the altitude the lower the critical Mach
What is potentially hazardous about wingtips stalling first instead of the root?
You lose roll control first
What does critical Mach have to do with Mach tuck?
Mach tuck is an aerodynamic effect whereby the nose of an aircraft tends to pitch downward as the airflow around the wing reaches supersonic speeds. The diving tendency is also known as tuck under. The aircraft will first experience this effect at significantly below Mach 1 or close to its critical Mach number
DME is required. If you don’t have DME is there any other possible way to shoot this approach?
GPS in lieu of DME
What is a hot start?
A hot start refers to the circumstance where the manufacturer defined limiting temperature for start has been exceeded
The most common reasons for a hot start includes insufficient airflow through the compressor, incorrect fuel scheduling and slow engine acceleration
What do the spoilers do on the CRJ?
Maximize wheel brake efficacy by spoiling or dumping the lift generated by the wing and thus forcing the full weight of the aircraft onto the landing gear
Also helps slow the aircraft by producing aerodynamic drag
What happens to Mach number as altitude increases?
When temp and pressure/density decrease the speed of sound also decreases. As air pressure, density and temp all decrease with altitude, we fly at a constant IAS or constant Mach number. While climbing or descending, the aircraft constantly accelerates or slows relative to the air mass
What is the definition of a stabilized approach?
The pilot establishes and maintains constant angle glide path toward a predetermined point on the runway
Why are compressor blades more prone to FOD damage than turbine blades?
Compressor blades are at the front of the nacelle and stand between FOD and turbine blades
What does CPDLC mean on the frequency strip of an approach chart ?
Controller - pilot datalink communications
What conditions are conducive to hydroplaning ?
Contamination of runway such as rain or snow
Other than anti ice, what other purpose does the windshield heating serve?
Provides thermal conditioning for acrylic windshields and makes them more playable in case of FOD or bird strike impact
Where can you find declared distances?
The appropriate chart supplement for the airport
What do winglets do?
Decrease wingtip vortices, thereby decreasing drag and increasing efficiency/performance
How does cabin pressurization work?
- A source of bleed air or compressed air is required. Usually from the compressor section of the turbine engine
- The compressed air is very hot. So it must go through some kind of cooling before going into the cabin
- The cooler, compressed air goes into the cabin to pressurize it
- An outflow valve in the rear of the plane will open and close to let out the pressurized air in order to regulate a specific cabin altitude
What is the advantage of a continuous combustion engine?
Flameouts are less likely
What would happen to the airspeed indicator if the pitot inlet hole and drain became blocked?
Turn into an altimeter
What is the difference between a generator and an alternator?
Generator can be used as starter since it has permanent magnet. Heavy and relatively unstable on electricity production in low RPM
Alternator uses electric magnet, it produces more stable electricity in low RPM
What is Vref?
1.3 times the stalling speed in the stated landing configuration and at the prevailing aircraft weight. This is the speed required as the landing runway threshold is crossed at a height of 50 feet in landing configuration if the calculated aircraft performance is to be achieved
You are on initial climb after take off and there is a thunderstorm 5 miles out, your airspeed indicator stops working, what happened ?
Potential low level wind shear
What does N1 and N2 indicate?
N1 is the low pressure turbine also referred to as “fan” and N2 is the high pressure turbine referred to as “turbine”
How is oil cooled on the CRJ?
Fuel/oil heat exchanger
What is continuous ignition?
Igniters are constantly firing. Should be set during heavy precip, maybe takeoff and landing, turbulence depending on ops
What is the power curve?
More power required below L/D max to maintain same airspeed/altitude
What are weather minimums for LAHSO?
1,000’ ceiling and vis at least 3sm
What is required to hold short of the ILS critical area ?
When outside weather is below 800 ceiling or 2 miles vis
What anti ice system is on the CRJ 900?
Cowl, leading edge, pitot probe, tat, static
Describe the wing anti ice on the CRJ 900
Leading edges heated by bleed air
Why is TAT warmer than SAT?
Total air temp is warmer than Static air temp due to the kinetic energy of the wing and or OAT probe moving through the air causing compression to take place thus heating the air molecules moving around these surfaces as opposed to SAT which is simply just ambient (stationary air) temp
Where would you find a squall line?
Along or ahead of cold front
What type of precipitation is freezing rain?
Super cooled water droplets
What are part 121 derived minimums?
Basically if you have one straight in instrument approach available at your alternate, you have to add 400/1 to the minimums on the approach
Why does the turbine fan get damaged more often than the compressor fan blade?
The turbine fan is continually exposed to high temperatures while the compressor fan blades are cold
How many yaw dampers must be functional for autopilot use?
1
What is occurring above you when you have freezing rain?
Warm air above you
What do trough lines mean and look like on a chart?
Troughs are orange dashed lines. Line of low pressure
What happens to the speed of sound as altitude increases?
Decreases with decreased temp and pressure
Walk me through a diversion?
Fly in the direction of the airport, use GPS if available to give you distance and time en route, calculate fuel needed, listen to weather and make appropriate radio call. If IFR, let approach know you need to divert
What is an isobar?
Connecting area of low pressure
How does air move in low pressure system?
Counterclockwise
What do we do at transition altitude?
Switch from standard altimeter setting to local or vice versa
What is transition altitude in the U.S?
18,000
What systems are controlled by hydraulics on modern turbine fixed wing aircraft ?
Flight controls and landing gear
What is the ridge symbol on a WX prog chart?
High pressure - yellow zig zag on chart
What minimum altitude are you allowed to fly over congested area?
1,000 AGL
What causes all weather?
Uneven heating of earths surface
What is coffin corner and what causes it?
Altitude where critical Mach and stall speed become equal. Aircraft very difficult to control
Twin Comanche landing gear
Fully retractable, air/oil, oleo strut type and is electrically operated
Retraction of gear is accomplished by electric motor and transition assembly under the floorboard, activating push pull cables
A squat switch is on the left main landing gear to prevent inadvertent retraction of gear
Skyhawk electrical system
Power is supplied to most general electrical circuits through a split primary bus bar, with an essential bus wired between the two primaries to provide power to the master switch, annunciation circuits, and interior lighting
Each primary bus bar is connected to an avionics bus bar through an avionics switch
Primary buses are on anytime the master switch is on, and not effected by starter or external power usage
Avionics buses are on when master switch is on and avionics is on
