ATSA Deductive Reasoning Scenarios 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Aircraft Alpha is at FL350 and must descend to FL240 before reaching a fix 60 miles ahead. It is currently flying at 480 knots groundspeed. How many minutes does the crew have to complete the descent?
- 7.5 minutes (Correct answer)
- 10 minutes
- 12.5 minutes
- 15 minutes
Correct answer: 7.5 minutes
At 480 knots, the aircraft covers 8 miles per minute, so 60 miles takes 7.5 minutes.
Question 2: A controller issues a heading of 270° to separate two aircraft. Aircraft A is on 090° and Aircraft B is on 270°. What is the relationship between these headings?
- They are parallel and same direction
- They are reciprocal (opposite) headings (Correct answer)
- They are perpendicular
- They differ by 90°
Correct answer: They are reciprocal (opposite) headings
090° and 270° are exactly 180° apart, making them reciprocal (opposite) headings.
Question 3: Two aircraft are 10 miles apart laterally with no vertical separation. Aircraft A is at 300 knots and Aircraft B is at 180 knots, both converging head-on. Approximately how long before they reach the same point?
- 1 minute (Correct answer)
- 2 minutes
- 3 minutes
- 4 minutes
Correct answer: 1 minute
Combined closure rate is 300+180=480 knots (8 miles/min), so 10 miles ÷ 8 = ~1.25 minutes, closest to 1 minute.
Question 4: A pilot reports leaving FL280 at time 1432. Standard descent rate is 1,000 ft/min. At what time should the aircraft reach FL180?
- 1442 (Correct answer)
- 1444
- 1450
- 1452
Correct answer: 1442
10,000-foot descent at 1,000 ft/min takes 10 minutes, so 1432 + 10 = 1442.
Question 5: If an aircraft on heading 360° is turned left 45°, what is its new heading?
- 315° (Correct answer)
- 045°
- 325°
- 350°
Correct answer: 315°
360° minus 45° equals 315°.
Question 6: Aircraft X is assigned FL230 and Aircraft Y is assigned FL210. Both are on the same airway and same direction. Is vertical separation standard met?
- Yes, 2,000 ft separation exists below FL410
- No, 2,000 ft separation is only above FL410
- Yes, only 1,000 ft is needed below FL290 (Correct answer)
- No, 3,000 ft is required at all altitudes
Correct answer: Yes, only 1,000 ft is needed below FL290
Below FL290, the required vertical separation standard is 1,000 ft, so 2,000 ft between FL210 and FL230 exceeds the requirement.
Question 7: A controller notices Aircraft A departed runway 28L two minutes ago and Aircraft B is cleared for immediate takeoff on the same runway. Minimum runway separation requires 3 minutes between departures. What should the controller do?
- Hold Aircraft B short and wait one more minute (Correct answer)
- Instruct Aircraft B to line up and wait only
- Issue an immediate takeoff clearance since 2 minutes is close enough
- Ask the pilot of Aircraft B if they are ready to go
Correct answer: Hold Aircraft B short and wait one more minute
Since only 2 of the required 3 minutes have elapsed, Aircraft B must hold short until the separation interval is met.
ATSA Deductive Reasoning Scenarios 2
Aircraft Alpha is at FL350 and must descend to FL240 before reaching a fix 60 miles ahead.
It is currently flying at 480 knots groundspeed.
How many minutes does the crew have to complete the descent?