ENVS 398 FAA Drone Pilot's License Study Guide

Controlled Airspace & Classes

• within ATC service is provided

• must recieve ATC authorization

• class b, c, d, and e

Class B

• 10,000 ft about sea level (MSL)

• around busiest airports

• must receive authorization

• sectional layers, upside down cake, usually blue

Class C

• surface to 4,000 ft (MSL)

• have control tower, smaller airport

• altitude 1,200 to 4,000

• typical NM = 20

• must receive authorization

• TWO solid magenta lines on sectional chart

Class D

• surface to 2,500 ft (AGL)

• have control tower

• 1 NM of 4 miles

• specific instructions

• must receive authorization from ATC

• SOLID BLUE DASHED LINES, and NUMBER INSIDE BRACKET (AGL up to)

Class E

• airspace below 14,500 MSL

• most of U.S. airspace is Class E, all other airspace not in classes should be E

• usually 700 to 1,200 above ground level

• no authorization in most cases

Uncontrolled Airspace

• ONLY Class G

• only class no authorization needed

• usually 700 to 1,200 above ground level!!!!

• can be as high as 14,500 ft MSL tho

• area where there is no circle or lines, open area on sectional chart

Special Use Airspace (SAO)

• certain activities must be confined OR limitations on aircrafts not apart of that activity

• usually given weather & altitude info

• given info from NACG

Prohibited Areas

• prohibited area

• found in Federal Register

• marked on map by P. followed by #

Restricted Areas

• operations are hazardous

• not fully prohibited but restrictions & limitations

• R. #

• toothbrush like lines on chart

When can you go through a restricted area?

area is not active and released to the FAA, no ATC approval needed

When should you go around a restricted area?

active and NOT released from the FAA, ATC will say avoid

Warning Areas

• hazardous, potential dangers, but not restricted

• ex: 3 NM from the coast of the U.S. and international waters

• W. #

Military Operation Areas(MOAs)

• defined by vertical and lateral limits

• military use

• can be cleared through ATC but usually restricted

Alert Areas

• HAVE to inform of high volume of pilot training or aerial activity of your activity

• cautionary

• A.#

Controlled Firing Areas

• potentially hazardous activities

• hazardous activities have to be suspended if aircraft is there

What is a LAA?

Local Airport Advisory: broadcasts of advisories, weather, observations, and more

Military Training Routes

military aircraft for training, I#R# or V#R#

lightly faded blue lines with ^^ in them

below 10,000 MSL

up to 250 knots speed

What is a TFR?

Temporary Flight Restriction is put out in a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). Phrase “flight restrictions” followed by location, time fram, miles, and altitude, FAA information, and reason why

• orange circle

Reasons for TFR

• protect persons or property

• provide safe environment for important operations

• prevent unsafe congestion

• natural disasters

• protect public figures

How is a station identifier coded?

4 letters by the ICAO, for 48 states it is K followed by the airport abbreviation, for Alaska PA, Hawaii PH

How is weather broken down?

Qualifiers: intensity, proximity, and descriptor, like light vicinity 5 miles

Weather pheonmena: precipitation, clouds, ect.

What is Zulu time?

a term in aviation for universal time

When are TAFs issued?

established for a five mile radius around an airport

When are Convective SIGMETS issued?

for severe thunderstorms with winds over 50 knots, hail larger or equal ¾ inch, and tornadoes

As the density of air increases…

aircraft performance INCREASES (lower density altitude)

As the density of air decreases…

aircraft performance DECREASES (higher density altitude)

High density refers to…

THIN air

Low density refers to…

DENSE air

Result in high density:

high elevations, low pressure, high temps, high humidity, and combo

Result in low density:

low elevations, high pressure, low temp, low humidity

Lower pressure makes density…

DECREASE because it contains a smaller mass of air/occupies greater space

High pressure makes density…

INCREASE

The weight of an aircraft will affect…

the climb performance. Heavier weight must fly at a higher angle of attack.

What is wind shear?

The sudden drastic change in wind speed and/or direction over a small area. Causes abrupt and violent changes in movement to aircrafts

How is altitude depicted in the sectional charts?

fractions

ex: 100/3 means 10,000ft to 3,000ft altitude

National Parks

• both recreational and commercial are PROHIBITED

• area shown as blue solid line with dots parallel

• only special use permits

CT. # or CTAF

identifies the control tower frequency

next to the letter C

solid blue star

control tower has operating hours

ATIS. #

Automated Terminal Information Service: where you can tune in to get weather reports, landing, departing, etc.

Latitude and Longitude ticks are called…

Minutes

1 full degree equals

60 minutes

How does an aircraft enter (2 things)?

• at a 45 degree angle

• downwind entry

Two aircraft departures

• straight-out departure

• 45 degree angle

Movement area

• has CT

• required to COMMUNICATE with tower at ALL times

• taxiways and runways

• DASHED line side

• need to cross into with clearance

Non-movement area

• NOT required to communicate with tower

• aprons and ramps

• NON-DASHED line

Taxiways

painted with solid yellow lines

Hold Short Marker

• where taxiway and runway meet

• two solid, two dash

Wind

• created by large air circulation patterns

• obstructions cause winds to change directions, updrafts/downdrafts

• flying drones in wind tricky

Air masses

large mass of air with the same conditions all around, based on biome type

Cold front

blue line with triangles, in troth = low pressure, occur after cold weather events, can contribute to thunderstorms, hail formation, and tornadoes

Warm front

red line with half circles, troth = low pressure, larger impact on weather, increased precipitation and reduced visibility

Best air for flying

cool, dry air because stable and resists vertical movement

Atmospheric Stability:

The resistance of the atmosphere to vertical movements.

Stable:

no upward or downward movement of air

• smooth air

• fair or poor visibility in smoke

• continuous precipitation

Unstable:

upward or downward movement of air, convective currents

• rough air

• good visibility

• showery precipitation

What minimum visibility is required to be able to fly?

3 SM visibility

Where should you fly from clouds?

500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontal

What is fog?

surface-based cloud made up water or ice droplets

• 3 conditions: water vapor, condensation, cooling

Five types of fogs

1. radiation

2. advection or sea

3. upslope

4. precipitation-induced

5. steam fog

How far should thunderstorms be avoided?

20 NM because dangerous

3 stages of Thunderstorm:

1. Cumulus: strong updrafts, no rainfall yet

2. Mature: most violent, rain falls, both

3. Dissipating: downdrafts

What if you hear or see a thunderstorm?

Stop all drone operations

Microbursts

small intense downdrafts caused by thunderstorms, MOST dangerous to aircrafts

Where can you find weather briefing information for aircrafts?

1800wxbrief.com

What is a METAR?

Most updated weather information given in acronyms/code for an airport