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Free Aircraft Dispatcher Knowledge Test Practice Questions

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Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Aircraft Dispatcher Knowledge Test practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

  1. 1During preflight planning for a Part 121 domestic flight, the dispatcher and captain disagree about delaying departure. Who shares regulatory responsibility for planning, delay, and dispatch release?

    1. A. The pilot in command and aircraft dispatcher
    2. B. The pilot in command and airport manager
    3. C. The aircraft dispatcher and maintenance supervisor
    4. D. The aircraft dispatcher and air traffic controller

    Answer: A

    Explanation: Section 121.533(b) states they are "jointly responsible for the preflight planning, delay, and dispatch release of a flight". Their shared responsibility includes this delay decision.

    Reference: 14 CFR Part 121 — Operating Requirements: Domestic, Flag, and Supplemental Operations — §121.533(b)

  2. 2A dispatcher evaluates a warm front where the rising warm air is stable. Which cloud and precipitation pattern is most characteristic ahead of that front?

    1. A. Widespread layered clouds with precipitation
    2. B. A narrow line of strongly convective showers
    3. C. Isolated fair-weather cumulus without precipitation
    4. D. Lenticular wave clouds with stationary crests

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The handbook describes "widespread layered or stratiform cloudiness and precipitation along, and ahead of, the front if the warm rising air is stable". The stable warm-front lift favors layers.

    Reference: Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B) — §11.3.1, p.11-5

  3. 3A dispatcher reads 22015G25KT in an airport METAR. Which interpretation is correct?

    1. A. From 220° true at 15 knots, gusting 25 knots
    2. B. From 220° magnetic at 15 knots, gusting 25 knots
    3. C. Toward 220° true at 15 knots, gusting 25 knots
    4. D. From 220° true at 15 knots, gusting 40 knots

    Answer: A

    Explanation: Direction is coded "relative to true north". The wind is from that direction; 15 is mean speed and G25 is peak gust.

    Reference: Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B) — §24.4.3.5–5.1, p.24-10

  4. 4For a CONUS flight, a dispatcher wants the NWS office that issues Convective SIGMETs and national aviation icing and turbulence forecasts. Which office provides those services?

    1. A. Aviation Weather Center
    2. B. Weather Prediction Center
    3. C. Storm Prediction Center
    4. D. National Hurricane Center

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The handbook lists "Convective SIGMETs, and various icing, turbulence, and convective forecast products" among AWC services.

    Reference: Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B) — §2.2.2.1.2, p.2-3

  5. 5During a dispatch weather review, which air-motion pattern identifies a microburst?

    1. A. An intense downdraft spreading outward at the surface
    2. B. A sustained updraft converging inward at the surface
    3. C. A broad subsiding layer without horizontal outflow
    4. D. A rotating updraft extending continuously through a storm

    Answer: A

    Explanation: A microburst is an "intense downdraft" that spreads outward on reaching the surface. The resulting vertical and horizontal shear is hazardous.

    Reference: Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B) — §22.7.3, p.22-8

  6. 6Dispatch changes a filed route before departure. When the crew calls for clearance, what should it do about the changed flight plan?

    1. A. Inform ATC during the initial clearance call
    2. B. Accept as-filed clearance without mentioning the change
    3. C. Wait until airborne to tell the departure controller
    4. D. Treat dispatch’s amendment as automatic ATC clearance

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The AIM assigns the pilot responsibility to "inform ATC in the initial call‐up" when the filed plan has been amended. ATC may not yet have the revision.

    Reference: Aeronautical Information Manual — Departure Procedures — §5-2-6

  7. 7For a loading exercise, an airplane weighs 10,000 lb with a moment of 1,000,000 lb-in. A 500-lb item is loaded at an arm of −20 inches. What is the new CG, rounded to one decimal inch?

    1. A. 94.3 inches
    2. B. 96.2 inches
    3. C. 104.2 inches
    4. D. 99.0 inches

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The handbook directs, "divide the total moment by the total weight". The negative arm gives (1,000,000 − 10,000)/10,500 = 94.3 inches. Reversing the moment sign, subtracting weight, or omitting added weight produces the other results.

    Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge — Chapter 10: Weight and Balance — Chapter 10, Computational Method, step 4; Computations With a Negative Arm

  8. 8During an abrupt maneuver at an airspeed above the published one-g stall speed, what aerodynamic condition can still cause the wing to stall?

    1. A. Exceeding the critical angle of attack
    2. B. Reducing pitch attitude below the horizon
    3. C. Increasing groundspeed above true airspeed
    4. D. Reducing the bank angle while holding level flight

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The handbook attributes a stall to "exceeding the critical AOA". Airspeed and pitch attitude alone do not determine whether the critical angle is exceeded.

    Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge — Chapter 5: Aerodynamics of Flight — Stalls, p.5-25

  9. 9A dispatcher notes freezing rain on the planned route and then estimates the chance and consequence of loss of aircraft control. In ADM terms, what is the freezing rain itself?

    1. A. A hazard
    2. B. A risk estimate
    3. C. A mitigation
    4. D. A control verification

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The handbook defines a hazard as "a real or perceived condition, event, or circumstance". The assessment of its potential impact is risk.

    Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge — Chapter 2: Aeronautical Decision-Making — Chapter 2, Hazard and Risk

  10. 10A captain briefs an unfamiliar crew before a complex flight. Which briefing style best establishes effective CRM communication?

    1. A. Invite questions and listen patiently to crew contributions
    2. B. Ask crewmembers to acknowledge receiving a written plan
    3. C. Have each crewmember recite assigned duties in sequence
    4. D. Read the standard briefing checklist without discussion

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The AC says the briefing establishes "open/interactive communications" in which the captain invites questions, listens, and responds directly.

    Reference: AC 120-51E — Crew Resource Management Training — Appendix 1, §1(a)(1), p.1

Topics in this practice bank

These topics describe the available practice for Aircraft Dispatcher Knowledge Test. Review the examination outline and its sources for scope and allocation details.

  • Applicable Federal Aviation Regulations
  • Meteorology
  • Weather and NOTAM information systems
  • Weather charts, maps, forecasts and reports
  • National Weather Service functions
  • Windshear and microburst
  • Instrument air navigation in the National Airspace System
  • Air traffic control procedures and pilot responsibilities
  • Aircraft loading, weight and balance, and performance calculations
  • Aerodynamics and normal and abnormal flight performance
  • Human factors
  • Aeronautical decision making and judgment
  • Crew resource management

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These are independent study questions, not actual examination items. For examination requirements and official information, view Aircraft Dispatcher Knowledge Test details.