Worst flight test questions ever?

[NeedMoreHFMnemonics]

There are some really dumb flight test questions which continue to be asked at flight test after flight test. Ill get the ball rolling with the classic...

"whats the difference between an A and B notam?"

Does anyone know of any good reasons why we need to know the answer to this (other than the obvious need to pass the flight test!)?

[Weekend_Warrior]

I got asked this at a BFR for a PPL.
No knowlege is useless but I thought there were a few more relevant things to ask. Like anything about weather would be more useful.
I don't think anyone has died due to not knowing about a and b notams, but more than a few have died due to not knowing enough about met.

[NeedMoreHFMnemonics]

Actually what you have stated is not a question at all, just a statement... and as statements go, id say it was not a dumb one. Met is useful! Wow, whomever conducted your BFR is a real einstein! And ill tell you what dies everytime we have to learn more useless knowledge... precious minutes of our lives hunting through the vol 1 for more answers to time wasting questions!

[Capn Bloggs]

Checking your CAO knowledge:

"Bloggs, what is the diameter of the small end of a windsock?"

or

"Bloggs, you reckon you're hot on maths, what is the volumetric capacity of a cone marker?".

:{

[the wizard of auz]

"Bloggs, you reckon you're hot on maths, what is the volumetric capacity of a cone marker?".
the volumetric capacity of a marker is from the top of the marker to the bottom of the marker.......... anything extra is overflow, so therefore beyond the markers capacity. Snappy answer will get you a smile or a harder question....... but is alway miles ahead of "D'oh......dunno that one". :}

[VFRIMC]

How about "What is the tip speed of your a/c's propeller"?

Possibly the most useless piece of trivia I have ever encountered.

[SmokingHole]

How about "What is the tip speed of your a/c's propeller"?

Possibly the most useless piece of trivia I have ever encountered.

Not really, C210's get pretty noisy as the prop tips approach Mach1.

The volume of a cone marker is approximately 1/3 of the height multiplied by the area of the base (approx 3.14159 x radius squared ):8

[Fred Gassit]

Keep em coming guys I'm taking notes.

Gonna use them on my next lot of victims...we'll see who's a soft touch....

[the wizard of auz]

The volume of a cone marker is approximately 1/3 of the height multiplied by the area of the base (approx 3.14159 x radius squared )
Dude........... why would you even retain that stuff in your memory??.......... those areas in ones head used to retain that sort of information are far more useful to apply the effects of too much bourbon.

[EPIRB]

How many blades on the fan of a CFM56?

[poteroo]

Had a very well known FOI, (later ATO), for checks many years ago, and his forte was in asking for rule-of-thumb or guesstimates for such questions as:

1. what does each 5 kts of tailwind do to your landing or takeoff distance ?

2. what does flying at 45% power instead of 65% do for your endurance ?

3. what does each 1000 ft elevation add to your take-off distance ?

4. if your tyres are leaving obvious tracks in the surface - what % extra distance will be required for take-off ?

I reckon it's a sign of experience and common sense for a testing officer to ask this sort of stuff because the student is going to learn from it.

happy days,

[SmokingHole]

Dude........... why would you even retain that stuff in your memory??..........

Been smoking the peace pipe with TQ............dude

Reminds me of an ex co-worker who claimed that remembering figures such as BEW's, MAUW's etc was dangerous because it uses up too much valuable memory. Maybe he just needed a RAM, or CPU upgrade.:confused:

[the wizard of auz]

hehe :D , No worry's Dude. I seem to remember something back in the hazy days of training about MAUW, MTOW and the like. :}
I think I have reached a level that is about saturation level. I have to forget something to be able to put new info in. :eek: as for all that maths stuff you retained.............do you use it often?, or is it something you can discard later for a space to put new useful stuff? (like where the best bourbon/cigars are at). :E

[Howard Hughes]

How many blades on the fan of a CFM56?
32, I think!:ok:

[XRNZAF]

"Show me the forces acting on a glider in the climb..."

or

"What are the forces acting on a golf ball in flight?"

The day I start flying a :mad:ing golf ball will be the day I'll figure that out...

[400ER]

I'll go with 37 blades on the cfm56-3

[PA39]

Question from FOI. Do you mind if i smoke..........after he has lit up.

[PA39]

Q. If I decide to take my nav bag, how will that affect the CoG? As we're about to board a Shrike Commander...........with 2 up and full fuel.

[PA39]

Q.Exactly how many flashes are there on a Whelen Comet wing tip Strobe if installed in alternate flashing mode?

[1723KG]

PA 39,

That wouldn't happen to be a certain DG from Western Australian fame would it?? Never forget the burn marks in the carpet of the 172 and the tobacco all over cockpit!

[PA39]

1723kg

No, but they all did it. It used to be solid IMC inside the cockpit.

Funny thing was that one of my favourite questions as an ATO was: If there was smoke filling the cockpit, would you open the storm window?? 99% didn't know so i asked them to read the flight manual or POH from start to finish and then tell me the answer. Fun days.

[Howard Hughes]

I'll go with 37 blades on the cfm56-3
Has to be an even number, aren't they in pairs?

Seem to recall an engineer telling me once that you can change an individual blade, but need to change the one directly opposite also, as they are in weighted pairs!:ok:

[the wizard of auz]

Bwaaaaaahaha. old Dave smoking in an airplane???? nah, never. :E

[6080ft]

Testing officer to candidate - ' Can i take my lighter with me?'
Candidate - ' Yes sure but you can't use it, no smoking flight'
Testing officer - ' Can I take a whole bag of lighters?'

and from everyone favourite ASL testing officer (of the waikato auckland region) - 'prove the kinematic equations'. What a load of useless cr*p. yeah sure, I regulary think about the kinematic equations while on the takeoff roll!

[Atlas Shrugged]

Who invented the axial flow compressor? :suspect:

[polyfly]

Is that windsock direction degrees true or magnetic?

[NeedMoreHFMnemonics]

I think alot of these questions are from a particular FTO in NZ, especially the "how fast are your prop tips spinning?" and "how many lighters can i take?". Heres another couple of left field ones from the same suspected FTO. Does anyone else know who this is?

"Whats the force of gravity acting on us now? What would this force be if you are in a rising elevator and you jump up?"

"Im gliding in my ag plane with 1 tonne of crap on board and an engine failure. If I dump the load am i able to glide further?" (actually, the answer to this was very interesting if totally impractical for non ag pilots).

[plucka]

As an Ag. pilot doing a BFR with a young chap in a 172 I was asked what I would do if I had an engine failure at 3000ft? I said I wouldn't know I have never flown that high. Then he said lets pretend you do fly that high what would you do? Single engine aircraft with an engine failure...hmm... I guess I will have to land, I don't think they have left one up there yet.

[-_HowUdoiN_-]

IR intitial test, high workload environment

Ato: Where are we and what are we doing? If you don't know you fail and were going back home.

Student: We are conducting the missed approach off the ils and the tower instructed us to do a left turn, intercept *** radial and climb to ***

Ato: carry on

[Mr. Hat]

PLUCKA love it.

[Towering Q]

1723KG,
rumour has it that DG (no, not the one you're thinking of SmokingHole) used to ash his durrie out the storm window of the Trilander.

Much to the horror of the pax looking out the left side as the embers mixed in with the leaking contents of the mains.:eek:

[cloudhigh]

I got asked about the emergency proceedures from the flight manual. Think that was a good one cause if your going for a licence you should actually read that thing you fly around with you. Umm I got asked what would I do on a start up with an engine fire.... other potential one is engine fire or electrical fire in flight proceedures. Another good one is "are you nervous" lol

[Dubya]

24 blades for the cfm.... I was asked on a check flight one day (tongue in cheek from the checkie) and it just so happened that I had just done the walk-a-round, and each blade was numbered.... 24 for sure...

and what is the airspeed of an unladen swallow.....

... an African or European Swallow???........


If temperature decreases with increase of altitiude.. which one would assume would benefit performance, and pressure decreases the same way which reduces aerodynamic performance, why don't they cancel each other out, and performance remain the same as we ascend???

[Barkly1992]

There was a Victorian Examiner of AirMEN (Now FOI) back in the 1980s who used to give pilots a bad time during tests including one day during a Class 1 renewal.

The pilot was using his on A36 and they landed for a break at Mangalore whilst the EoA went to take some presuure of his brian.

The pilot decided he had had enough and flew back to Melbourne and left him there to find his own way back.

Serves the pr##k right. :ugh:

[5qu14t]

I know of a student that got asked in his IFR F/T What are the requirements to cancel IFR and proceed VFR by Night. Well the student answered you need to have VFR Met Minima by Night (Fair Enough). However Mr F/t officer did not like this answer. He wanted to hear have the runway lights in sight. Well isn't that what we call a visual approach??? and arn't we still on a IFR Flight Plan when we do a visual Approach. I think so.

[6080ft]

well squirt the said testing is wrong yet again! no doubt this is the same guy who has been asking other stupid questions.... is it?

from what i hear he has no ifr ato exp!

[Hugh Jarse]

"Jarse, the windscreens have an Iridium coating... What is its atomic weight?" :E

[mrs nomer]

HH, Dubya -

My guess is 38. The only reason I say that is I flew an aircraft fresh out of maintenance and all the blades had been numbered. 38 in total.

[Dookie on Drums]

Heard the same question asked from a Checkie to a 737 Capt as to how many blades were on the CFM-56.

His answer?

" I wouldn't have a feckin idea but if one is missing on the walk around you can bet your ass I will spot it " :ok:

:E