Strange Air Law Exam Question

[Orville The Duck]

I sat my PPL Air Law exam yesterday and came up against a really strange question. Well, I didn't think it was strange until my instructor marked the paper and told me the answer I had chosen was wrong.

The question asked for the meaning of a double unbroken yellow line with a double broken yellow line across a taxiway. Answers c and d were obviously total rubbish, leaving me with the following 2 options - can't remember the exact wording, something like this............

a) Last possible holding point before entering the runway.
b) Section of taxiway which can be passed by any aircraft or vehicle without ATC permission.

I went for answer a, which seemed sensible to me, but the answer on the CAA answer sheet was actually b! I questioned it with my instructor and he couldn't offer an explanation as to why the answer was b. He is going to look into it and see if he can find an explanation.

Either I have completely misunderstood the meaning of the taxiway markings, or the answer sheet is wrong, or the question should actually say "cannot be passed by any aircraft or vehicle without ATC permission".

If answer b is truly correct, next time I am at the airfield and I see the Cessna about to take-off, I might blast up the taxiway in my little Micra, handbrake turn onto the runway and see if I can out-drag the aeroplane to the end of the runway (it must be legal according to the question).

Has anyone else who has sat an Air Law exam come across this? I think the code number of the exam I sat was 013/05, paper 3.

Far be it from me to question the mighty CAA, but had that question meant the difference between a pass and a fail, I would be feeling pretty sick today.

Cheers,
Orville.

[Darth_Bovine]

I think you're right clearfinalsno1 in your reasoning, but I think you have the order of the lines wrong (unless I have misread your post). AFAIR the solid lines will be on the taxiway side and the broken lines on the runway side. You can cross a broken line before a solid line (when vacating runway for example), but you can't cross a solid line without permission (when you are taxiing to take off position).
http://www.nappf.com/F0203016.gif
I think the question needs to be clearer on the order of the lines. Without knowing the order the question is a 50/50 guess!
Cheers,
DB.

[Orville The Duck]

D'oh, never thought of coming off the runway - was thinking strictly inside the box under exam conditions. I guess this means the race is off after all.

Annoyingly I can't remember exactly how it was worded, and which line, broken or unbroken, came first. I will ask my instructor next time I go and see if this explanation makes sense now.

Either way the CAA are crafty devils.

[BEagle]

The question seems designed to trap, not test.

How many people will now think that it's OK to cross any double solid/double broken line without clearance - it's unlikely they'll remember whether the solids come before the brokens.

To be of any use, the question should state "When taxying to the RW....."

Not the first daft question to have been written by Gatwick, I'm afraid.

[robdesbois]

It's not entirely impossible (believe it or not!) that the answer sheet could be wrong. I had a question marked wrong on my RTF written exam recently, which I challenged, and it turned out the answer sheet was incorrect.

[JP1]

I took my exam, last week and failed on 3 questions.

Having put in a lot of effort to study the material, I found I could pass the airqiz.com example papers in around 10 minutes (maximum) with pretty much a 100% pass rate.

The real exam took the whole hour!!

I found all the questions were worded in such a way that the correct answer was not immediately obvious and in general the wording of the answers was deliberately degined to obfuscate.

One question I got wrong was what are your course of actions in the event of a potential collision when you are on the right. Ok not phrased that way. I was expecting to see maintain "course and speed".. I did not.

I saw "maintain heading and speed" and "maintain heading, speed and height". I incorrectly selected the latter.

Now I believe both answer are correct. If you were in level flight you would do the latter, if in a climb or descent the former.

Anyway just my views, typical of the end result, when things are designed by committees. No attempt to use clear unambigious language...

My driving licence allows me to drive a vehicle on the public highway (road)

I have never heard anyone use the term "exercise the prividleges of my license" in regard to driving a car, I have with flying....

[Orville The Duck]

What about this one then (another I got wrong)........

According to a General Aviation Safety Leaflet, what should be done when flying over water?

a) Carry lifejackets for all on board (I went for this one - sounded right and agreed with the stuff I'd revised).
b) All on board should wear lifejackets (this was the right answer).
c) and d) can't remember - some rubbish.

I'd never heard of a General Aviation Safety Leaflet - apparently they are advice leaflets. No mention of them in the Air law book or other stuff I've read. Don't know if they actually have any basis in law (if not, why is it in the exam)?

[waldopepper42]

In terms of the original question, the only way that I can make it fit is to interpret the answer as "defining the limit of taxiways that can be used without permission"

i.e. it tells you where such sections of taxiway end!

A bit forced I know, but what a pig of a question. Thank goodness I passed mine in 1989, before all this USA and Canada stuff appeared!!

[cirrus01]

Orville........ link to the CAA Safety sense leaflets here... http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?categoryid=33&pagetype=65&applicationid=11&mode=list&type=sercat&id=21
Excerpt from No. 21b "c. In many cases, the deceased persons did not have lifejackets, either worn or available to them. It is vital TO WEAR a suitable lifejacket whilst flying in a single engined aircraft over water beyond gliding range from land."
Lots of useful advice contained in these leaflets .....I am surprised that your instructor or school have not at least mentioned these.
Have to agree that asking questions on AIR LAW and baseing answers on ADVICE is sneaky.......( but there again the CAA are masters at this sort of thing....that's all part of the learning process :ooh: )

[Darth_Bovine]

Typical CAA.
This is an Air Law exam not an Air Advice exam! :ugh:

[BillieBob]

No, it isn't. It is an examination in Air Law and Operational Procedures. To be fair, anyone who gets as far as taking the PPL theoretical knowledge examinations without having been made aware of the existence of Safety Sense Leaflets should seriously consider whether they are paying their money to a responsible training organisation.

[proplover]

Orville - your flying school\instructor appear to of been somewhat remiss, I was given a complete set of the leaflets within 3 months. There is some very good advice for the learner in them and they cover a large range of issues.

Re the lifebelts question, the CAA answer is quite correct although they shouldnt be inflatted whilst your enjoying the flight! Trying to put one on correctly whilst your carrying out an emergency ditching is quite a feat as is trying to put one if there is more than 1 person in the plane.