Unit 3 Flashcards
Destination & directional signs
Black text on yellow background
Location signs
yellow text on black background
What color are runway markings?
white
What color are taxiway markings?
yellow
Nonmovement area boundary marking: under ATC
Vehicle roadway markings
Runway holding
location where you have to stop and don’t have clearance to proceed
Holding position markings for ILS critical areas
What color are mandatory instruction signs?
white characters on red background
Runway edge lights
Taxiway edge lights
Pilot control of lighting (PCL)
radio controlled lighting system
no operating control tower of FSS
What are airport rotating beacons used for?
identify location of airports at night
Airport rotating beacons:
- White & green:
- 2 white & 1 green:
- Green, yellow, & white:
- White & green: lighted land airport for civil use
- 2 white & 1 green: military airport
- Green, yellow, & white: heliport
What is the basic pattern elevation?
1,000ft above airport elevation
What is the recommended entry into pattern?
45º to downwind leg at approx runway midpoint
What should you do when landing at an airport with no control tower?
- observe other aircrafts and conform to their pattern
- overfly airport 500 - 1000ft above traffic pattern altitude to oberseve wind sock
What is a landing stip indicator
- Long leg: runway direction
- Short leg: direction of turn from base
When are Visual approach slope indicator (VASI) visible?
3-5 miles day
+20miles at night
Precision approach path indicator (PAPI)
single row of 2 or 4 lights
Tri-color approach indicator
single light (3 diff colors)
Pulsating visual approach slope indicator
single light (red & white)
Visual approach slope indicator (VASI)
Wake turbulence
phenomenon due to passage of aircraft through atmosphere
When do wingtip vortices occur?
when plane develops lift
(pressure diff between upper & lower wing surface)
What increases the strength of wingtip vortices?
greater AOA →
(greater weight, retracted flaps, lower airspeed)
What are trailing vortices?
by-product of wing lift during rotating (ie. takeoff)
Vortex avoidance tips
landing/taking off with other bigger planes
- land farther away than larger plane
- cross above large plane’s path
- at least 2min seperation
Any plane that appears to have no relative motion & stays in one quadrant is likely to be ____
Any plane that appears to have no relative motion & stays in one quadrant is likely to be on collision course.
Near midair collisions (NMAC)
accidents that occur during good VFR weather conditions
(ie. clear daylight)
What do navigation lights consist of?
red, green, and white light
Navigation lights
Red light:
plane is crossing in front of you from right → left
Navigation lights
Green light:
plane is crossing in front of you from left → right
Navigation lights
White light:
plane flying away from you
Navigation lights
Red & green:
plane is approaching you head on
Active traffic detection system
emits interrogation signals & doesn’t need ground radar
Passive traffic detection system
relies on transponder replied triggered by ground & airborne components
ADS-B
technology allows air traffic controllers to precisely see traffic using GPS signals
What are the benefits of ADS-B?
- works where radars cannot
- works at low altitude
- provides weather info
Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS)
continuous broadcast of weather
Airspaces
Class A:
from 18,000 ft MSL up to FL 600, including airspace over water within 12 NM of coast
IFR
Airspaces
Class B:
airspace from surface to 10,000 ft MSL surrounding nation’s busiest airports