@2unlimited: I do know the correct answer and its even got a lengthy explanation with over a page. And there are comments from the students that they appealed and got through with it because the answer from CAA was wrong. As for the questionbank... well ask anyone doing exams today if Bristol got real questions..... Everyone use Aviation Exam and Atpl Questions, honestly I have not met any question that I saw in Bristol on the real exam. So I use it to check how I do with unusual questions.

No instructor can answer me about the CAA did or did it not correct the wrong question. Students get points for the correct answer first after contesting the question at least it happened before and its commented upon in the Aviation Exam explanation. And the EASA was going to look at the question but no one know if they already fixed it so correct answer is correct. If the question was not wrong students would not get through contesting it.....

So what is the exact question? And what are the 4 answers available?

The question is like this in Aviation Exam (slightly different worded in atpl questions but the same comment about it being wrong in the CAA because wrong answer is marked as good):

Consider maximum range speed and speed for maximum angle of climb. How will headwind affect those speeds (everything else remain the same).

A. Maximum range speed increases and speed for maximum angle of climb remains the same (correct according to theory, both question banks and student comments)

B. Maximum range speed remain the same and speed for maximum angle of climb remain the same (expected by the CAA at least until 2018 according to the question banks)

and 2x more answers like

C. Maximum range speed increases and speed for maximum angle of climb increase

D. Maximum range speed decreases and speed for maximum angle of climb remains the same.

PS. Something happened to my profile (some kind of bug probably) so I have to wait before what I post is published and can get only one PM.....

KT - It would appear that the reference for that question is the FAA's Pilot's Handbook Of Aeronautical Knowledge, and there is only one obvious answer. No-one knows what individual CAAs do with it.

@paco: Thanks for the reply. Do you know if in case of encountering this question on the exam, giving the obvious correct answer not getting points for it but still passing the exam. If I contest the question to get the extra point will my exam result be put on hold until they solve it or will I be able to get my ATPL(A) pass either way when all exams are passed, and just get the extra point for the average (plus maybe it help with the CAA fixing the problem for next student who encounter it) when they solve the issue? Because if I can not get my theory passed document until they solve the case then I will just live with the lost point.

In the UK nothing would be suspended - you would just get an improved pass later

Phil

Great replies from everyone thanks. An interesting spectrum of comments.

They will not be correcting this question because there is nothing to be corrected. The very definition of those 2 speeds is that they will give you the max range possible and best climb angle possible. You can increase the max range speed in a headwind, but then you'll burn fuel a lot faster -> original calculated max range speed must stay the same.

On the subject of performance, at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging i found it one of the most pleasurable exams and scored 95. It taught me a lot more than performance though, it taught me to not listen to anyone who tries to put fear into you. All I heard leading up to the exam was horror stories of people failing it 4 times and impossible graph questions etc ... but it turned out to be one of my best exams and there was a lesson in that.

Finally i should add that I agree there are many ambiguous questions in the EASA database, however there really are not very many questions that are actually wrong. 99% of the time the answer is absolutely correct, students are just phased by how the question is worded etc.

A320LGW, not entirely correct. As there is a difference between Max Endurance and Max Range.
With headwind, you would need to increase your speed slightly, to get the Max Range, but it would have to be calculated against the extra fuel burn. Compared to real life situation, it's a slightly nonsense question, as nobody would be sitting there calculating the Max Range speed with winds, and also in real life I haven't seen any performance graphs that have the wind as a factor, at least not in the Airbus FCOM / QRH
However Max Endurance would be to continue flying at minimum drag/lift ratio speed.

Depends what you want, stay longest possible time in air or longest distance.

Having instructed this high class rubbish for over 20 years & using a razor sharp pencil the CURRENT graph gives you 26000. However these graphs are not the original ones from Boeing when the original questions were set back in 1999. They were digitised back in 2006 and a few of these simplified planning questions no longer gave the original correct answer. As to what they want these days who knows, the list of approved equipment should include a crystal ball. I am not aware of any students having a problem with these in exams, probably as they don't seem to ask many of these questions as they are busy making their money on all the fuel definition & monitoring questions.

How do you know that's the answer they want?

It is a fact that some questions have been changed and the previously right answer would now be the wrong answer, particularly in Navigation - but in a situation like this I would answer the question correctly (26K in this case) and make a comment as you are allowed to do explaining why.

How very true.

Welcome to the world of EASA exams, nothing to do with flight safety but out to trick you along revenue generation for the numerous aviation authorities.
Rightly or wrongly just accept it and get on with it as best you can, get a job then you can forget most of this useless rubbish.