Free Flight Instructor Sport Airplane Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Flight Instructor Sport Airplane practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A sport pilot and one passenger plan a personal flight. Their allowable shared operating expenses total $180. What is the minimum amount the pilot must pay?

   1. A. $45
   2. B. $60
   3. C. $90
   4. D. $180

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Section 61.315(b) states, "You must pay at least half the operating expenses of the flight." Half of $180 is $90. The $45 and $60 choices use one-quarter and one-third shares; $180 overlooks the permitted passenger contribution.

   Reference: 14 CFR Part 61—Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors — § 61.315(b)

2. 2An airplane passenger sustains one uncomplicated fracture during a flight-related occurrence. There are no other injuries or hospitalization. Which fracture makes the injury a serious injury under NTSB reporting definitions?

   1. A. A simple fracture of a finger
   2. B. A simple fracture of the nose
   3. C. A simple fracture of a toe
   4. D. A simple fracture of the forearm

   Answer: D

   Explanation: Section 830.2 defines serious injury to include a "fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose)". A forearm fracture qualifies. The other three options are the express simple-fracture exceptions under the stated facts.

   Reference: 49 CFR Part 830—Aircraft Accident Notification, Reporting, and Preservation — § 830.2, Serious injury, clause (2)

3. 3A pilot landing on an instrument runway sees the runway-edge caution zone near the departure end. What color replaces white in that zone?

   1. A. Blue
   2. B. Green
   3. C. Yellow
   4. D. Red

   Answer: C

   Explanation: AIM 2-1-4 states, "on instrument runways yellow replaces white on the last 2,000 feet or half the runway length, whichever is less". Yellow identifies this runway-edge caution zone; blue, green, and red serve other airport-lighting functions.

   Reference: Aeronautical Information Manual—Airport Lighting Aids — AIM 2-1-4, Runway Edge Light Systems

4. 4A pilot sees a cloud with extensive vertical development and receives reports of lightning, hail, and strong convective gusts in it. Which cloud type is most consistent with those hazards?

   1. A. Nimbostratus
   2. B. Altostratus
   3. C. Cumulonimbus
   4. D. Stratocumulus

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Chapter 12 states that cumulonimbus clouds "usually produce hazardous weather phenomena, such as lightning, hail, tornadoes, gusty winds, and wind shear." This combination identifies thunderstorm convection, rather than the predominantly layered cloud types in the other choices.

   Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge—Chapter 12, Weather Theory — Chapter 12, p. 12-16, Clouds

5. 5A pilot is evaluating wake turbulence from a preceding airplane. Which combination generally produces its greatest vortex strength?

   1. A. Heavy, clean, and slow
   2. B. Heavy, configured, and fast
   3. C. Light, clean, and fast
   4. D. Light, configured, and slow

   Answer: A

   Explanation: AIM 7-4-3 states, "the greatest vortex strength occurs when the generating aircraft is HEAVY, CLEAN, and SLOW." Greater weight and lower speed strengthen the wake, while a dirty configuration hastens decay. Each alternative changes one or more of those controlling factors.

   Reference: Aeronautical Information Manual—Wake Turbulence — AIM 7-4-3, Vortex Strength

6. 6A pilot needs the pressure-altitude input for a takeoff-performance calculation. What altimeter setting allows pressure altitude to be read directly?

   1. A. 29.92 inches Hg
   2. B. 30.12 inches Hg
   3. C. 29.72 inches Hg
   4. D. 30.00 inches Hg

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Chapter 11 describes the direct-reading method with the words "By setting the barometric scale of the altimeter to 29.92". That standard setting is 29.92 inches Hg; the resulting altitude indication is pressure altitude. The other choices are plausible local-pressure settings but do not set the standard datum.

   Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge—Chapter 11, Aircraft Performance — Chapter 11, p. 11-3, Pressure Altitude, method 1

7. 7A pilot loads 25 pounds of baggage at an arm of 80 inches aft of the datum. What moment should be entered for this item?

   1. A. 105 pound-inches
   2. B. 200 pound-inches
   3. C. 2,000 pound-inches
   4. D. 20,000 pound-inches

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Chapter 10 defines moment as "the product of the weight of an item multiplied by its arm." The baggage moment is 25 × 80 = 2,000 pound-inches. Adding the numbers gives 105; a misplaced zero in the arm gives 200 or 20,000.

   Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge—Chapter 10, Weight and Balance — Chapter 10, p. 10-5, Moment

8. 8During a maneuver with a clean, unchanged wing configuration, which flight parameter directly determines whether the wing reaches its stall boundary?

   1. A. Angle of attack
   2. B. Bank angle
   3. C. Pitch attitude
   4. D. Indicated airspeed

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Chapter 5 states that a stall is caused by airflow separation "brought on by exceeding the critical AOA." Angle of attack is therefore the controlling parameter. Bank angle, pitch attitude, and indicated airspeed may affect how the airplane reaches that boundary, but none replaces the critical-AOA criterion.

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

9. 9A pilot dismisses a documented accident hazard because similar accidents happen to other pilots and could never happen personally. Which hazardous attitude is illustrated?

   1. A. Anti-authority
   2. B. Resignation
   3. C. Invulnerability
   4. D. Impulsivity

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Chapter 2 describes invulnerability: "Many people falsely believe that accidents happen to others, but never to them." The pilot’s belief matches invulnerability. Anti-authority rejects rules, resignation gives up personal influence, and impulsivity favors immediate unconsidered action.

   Reference: Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge—Chapter 2, Aeronautical Decision-Making — Chapter 2, p. 2-5, Figure 2-4, Invulnerability

10. 10During preflight planning, a pilot needs the airport operator's published declared distances for a particular runway end. Which FAA publication contains those reported values?

    1. A. The sectional aeronautical chart
    2. B. The Chart Supplement
    3. C. The aircraft flight manual
    4. D. The low-altitude en route chart

    Answer: B

    Explanation: AIM 4-3-6 states, "Where reported, declared distances for each runway end are published in the Chart Supplement." A sectional may depict physical length, and an aircraft flight manual supplies aircraft performance requirements; neither substitutes for the runway end’s reported declared distances.

    Reference: Aeronautical Information Manual—Airport Operations — AIM 4-3-6, Declared Distances