Basic Aviation Knowledge Quiz

Basic Aviation Knowledge

• Track: The point on the magnetic compass where your aircraft nose is pointed.
• Heading: The path taken over the ground by the aircraft. Measured clockwise from magnetic North.
• True Heading: Measured with a reference to True North.
• Magnetic Heading: True heading minus magnetic variation. East is least variation, West is greatest.
• Magnetic Variation: The difference between true and magnetic north.
• Wind Velocity: Direction and speed of the wind. Always the direction from which the wind is blowing. Ex. 27010kt
• UTC: Coordinated Universal Time. Add 10 hours for QLD, 11 hours for East Coast during daylight saving to calculate local times.
• Height: Vertical distance above ground level (AGL).
• Elevation: Vertical distance of a point on the Earth's surface above mean sea level (AMSL)
• Altitude: Vertical distance of an object measured above mean sea level (AMSL). 1 Nautical Mile = 1.852 Kilometres = 1 minute of latitude
• OKTAS: A measurement of sky cloud cover as reported in METAR and TAF reports. (Ex: 0 OKTAS=SKC; 5-6 OKTAS=BKN).
• Lift: Force acting perpendicular to airflow over wings/propellers. Difference in high and low pressure causes air to move from high to low pressure areas .
• Drag: Force opposing motion through an air mass.
• Parasite Drag: Drag caused by the shape (form) of the aircraft and skin friction.

Aeronautical Regs, Resources & Documents

• Form 101-09: Used by ReOC holders to apply for flight authorisations.
• AIP: Aeronautical Information Publication. A package of documents containing operational information. Updated every three months.
• CAO: Civil Aviation Orders that give further detail on application of aviation regulations to RPAs.
• CAAP: Provides advice and guidance to help industry to comply with the regulations.
• AIRAC Cycle: Updated every 28 days, encyclopaedia of airports
• ERSA: World Aeronautical Chart with a scale of 1:1 million
• WAC: Visual Terminal Chart with scale 1:250,000 (Transverse Mercator Projection)
• VTC: Visual Navigation Chart. Scale 1:500,000. (Lamberts Conformal Conic Projection)
• VNC: Visual Navigation Chart, Used by plane pilots

Meteorology

• Air Mass: Large body of air with similar temperature and moisture content.
• Warm Air Mass: Less stable with higher cloud base and lower dew point, has greater capacity for holding water vapour.
• Cold Air Mass: More stable, moving from cold to warm region
• Clouds: Formation of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere. Types include: Stratocumulus, Stratus, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus.
• Turbulence: Irregular fluctuations in wind speed and direction.
• Wind Shear: Sudden change in wind speed or direction, often at low levels.
• Convection: Rising warm air, cooling and forming clouds.
• Fronts: Boundary between masses of warm and cold air. (Cold/Warm front types)
• Precipitation: Static electrical charge on the surface of an aircraft from flying through liquids or solids.
• Isobars: Lines of equal atmospheric pressure.
• High Pressure: Stable and clear weather
• Low Pressure: Unstable and stormy weather.
• Trough: Area of low atmospheric pressure.

Aerodrome & Airspace Knowledge

• CTAF: Common Traffic Advisory Frequency used to monitor traffic (airports).
• TAF: Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, weather information.
• Controlled Airspace: Actively managed by air traffic controllers.
• Uncontrolled Airspace: No separation service provided by air traffic controllers.
• Control Zone: Airspace directly above an airport, used for separation.
• Control Area: Area of controlled airspace above other airspace.
• Prohibited Airspace: No-go zone.

RPA Knowledge

• PITCH: Rotation of the LATERAL axis (Z).
• ROLL: Rotation of the LONGITUDINAL axis (X).
• YAW: Rotation of the VERTICAL axis (Y).
• Mode 2: Most common RPA controller configuration (left stick = throttle and yaw, right stick = pitch and roll).
• Geo-fencing: Software to define boundaries for drone flight.
• Telemetry: Flight data (battery status, video).
• Batteries: NEVER allow battery to deplete below 20%.
• ESC: Electronic Speed Controller. Convert direct current to alternating current.
• Gyroscope: Measures angular velocity
• Accelerometer: Measures acceleration in Pitch, Roll and Yaw
• Barometer/Altimeter: Measures ambient pressure for height.

Radio Knowledge

• CTAF: Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (used for monitoring traffic in an area for aerodrome).
• VHF: Line-of-sight radio, with frequency 30 to 300 MHz.
• HF: Radio waves using the ionosphere to bounce waves back from earth to earth 3 to 30 MHz.
• AROC: Mandatory when operating in managed airspace.
• Radio Frequency: Most RPAs use 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz.
• Aerial: Transmits and receives radio waves.
• Antenna: Receives radio waves.
• Radio Waves: Affected by sunspots, interferences from electrical equipment, thunderstorms, and powerlines.

Basic Electrical

• Volts: Electrical pressure
• Amps: Measure the flow of electricity.
• Watts: Measure power (force).
• Ohms: Measure resistance (Friction)
• Hertz: Measure the rate something vibrates or oscillates
• Fuse: Protects circuits by breaking the circuit if the current exceeds a safe level.
• Circuit Breaker: Alternative to a fuse, can be reset.
• Actuator/Servomechanism: Converts energy into motion and stabilizes the RPAs position.
• Brushless Motors: Generates more reliable and durable power.
• KV: Refers to the constant velocity of a motor. Represents the number of revolutions per minute, measured using one volt and no load.
• LiPo Voltage: Nominal 3.7V. Must not exceed 3.0V
• LiPo Batteries (Pros/Cons): Pros: lightweight, higher capacities, and high discharge rate. Cons: short lifespan, sensitive chemistry and need special care for charging, storing, and discharging.
• LiPo Charging: Special care needed; allowing battery to cool before charging and to charge to full. Discharge safety; use equipment that's specified by the manufacturer (to discharge to 45%-65%).
• Battery Balancing: Ensures uniform charging of each cell in the battery set.
• Miliamp hours (mAh): Capacity of battery measures the amount of discharge; measures the rate at which a battery can discharge fully.

Human Factors

• Airmanship Mantra: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate
• Tony Kern's Model: Emphasizes the principles of discipline, skills, proficiency, and outcomes of situational awareness, judgement.
• Wickens Model (Perceive, Transform, Decision, Action): Shows model of human information processing
• Human Information Processing: Model of how humans process information.
• BAC: "Bottles to throttles".

Flight Operations

• Rod and Cone cells: Types of cells in the eyes; Rod are for black and white vision and good in low light. Cone are sensitive to details and color in bright light
• Myopia: Short-sightedness; when objects at a distance are blurred.
• Hyperopia: Far-sightedness; when objects that are close to the eye are blurred.
• Astigmatism: Image of an object is distorted because of an irregularly shaped cornea, resulting in blurry vision.
• Presbyopia: Age-related eye condition where close objects appear blurry
• Stress: Stages of stress to include: alarm, resistance, collapse.
• Threat and Error Management: Assuming people will make mistakes; planning for mistakes.
• Threat: Situations or events occurring outside a person's operating influence.
• Error: Actions or inactions resulting in deviation from the planned action.
• CRM: Used in the Cognitive and Interpersonal processes in order to manage resources within a system.
• Latent Threat: Unacknowledged threats.
• Tactical Risk: Identified before or as the task unfurls.
• Strategic Risk: Identified before the task

Test your understanding of fundamental aviation concepts such as headings, magnetic variation, and the relationship between altitude and elevation. This quiz covers essential terms and measurements that every pilot should know for safe navigation and communication. Prepare to enhance your aviation knowledge.