Performance ATPL(A)

[Brian304]

Just Wondered if anyone took the Performance ATPL(A) exam today. There was a question worth 3 marks using a twin engine graph. I read the instructions and followed only the graph. But it sounds fishy to me, that a 3 marker would be as easy as that. Hope someone from the exam could help me out.

[bjkeates]

As far as I could see, and having spoken to my mates, it was a simple as drawing a line on the graph. An absolute give-away 3 marks. I kept reading it over and over again to see if I was missing something.

[Rene Pedersen]

I took the same exam today and it can easily trick you out I think. The graph was on figure 3.7 in cap 698. Outside -20, PA 18000, 4000lb and mixture leaned to 25F of peak so it came out as 1050pfm but if you used the full rich curve it came out at some less and 1370 if you used the one on the far right. So that's the only reason I can think of making it worth 3 marks.

[Brian304]

I got the answer that was something like 1375 (there was only 1 answer over a thousand). But to be very honest, the CAA wouldn't give away a 3 marker for something as easy as reading off a graph. There must be somthing else towards it, I wonder what?:confused:

[Rene Pedersen]

I've tried to recreate the solution (I hope) given the data i remember as posted earlier here: http://www.pedersen.la/mep.png

René

[JUST-local]

This question comes up a lot, I have disscussed it before with friends after they saw it and it was in the perf. paper I sat last year.

Nice work putting the graph up :ok:

Good luck everybody, performance is not that straight forward when the clock is ticking!

JL.........

[Brian304]

Well the answer they gave this time, which was the only answer over 1000 was 1350, all of the rest were under 1000, and most of us I think, well the ones that I asked when they came out was 1350 aswell. So is this the closest answer that the CAA can give us?, or would you go for an answer under 1000, such as 900?

[bjkeates]

Brian - 1050 was there, was it not? That was the answer I put anyway...

[Curvature]

Sat the same exam yesterday and am pretty sure the question was as follows:

(Use Performance Manual MEP Figure 3.7)
What is the two engine rate of climb given the following conditions:
OAT -20 C , PA 18000 ft, Gross mass 4000lbs. Mixture leaned to 25 F rich of peak EGT, other conditions as given in header.

a) 1370 ft/min
b) 700 ft/min
c) 550 ft/min
d 1050 ft/min

As posted by Rene and bjkeates, I also went for 1050 ft/min.
I guess they were looking for the inclusion of the Lean mixture for the extra points.:}

[Flaperon75]

I agree - 1050 was definately there as an option and I went for it - as did most of the others I chatted to after the exam...

[Brian304]

I'm not very sure what I got now, But i'm very sure that its in the regions of over 1000, but I know I did the same thing as what the instructions on the other side of the booklet told me to, and used the lean mixture (which i'm v.sure of) so hopefully I got it right. But reading a graph for 3 marks?.
The bad things about these CAA exams are that you never know what you got right or wrong, so just wondered if it was as easy as 1,2,3?.

[Flaperon75]

I think that the mistake that could have been made was to have used the lean mixture line on the right hand side. This is the one with the 'lean mixture' comment and the arrow pointing to it. If you used this line, then you would have arrived at an answer of 1375. You had to use the one that was in the middle alongside the 4000lb line. This would lead you to an answer of 1050. If you look at the link earlier in this post you will see what I mean.

But I do agree that it seemed relatively for 3 points (especially as compared to one of the other CAP questions that required quite a lot of working for only 2 points)