CPC Flight Planning & Fuel Management Concepts 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under FAR 91.167, IFR flights must carry enough fuel to fly to the destination, then to the alternate, plus how much reserve?
- 30 minutes at normal cruise
- 45 minutes at normal cruise (Correct answer)
- 1 hour at normal cruise
- 2 hours at holding speed
Correct answer: 45 minutes at normal cruise
FAR 91.167 requires IFR aircraft to carry fuel to reach the destination, then the alternate airport, plus 45 minutes of fuel at normal cruise speed.
Question 2: When can an alternate airport be omitted from an IFR flight plan?
- When the flight is under 2 hours
- When the destination has a precision approach
- When the 1-2-3 rule is met at the destination (Correct answer)
- When the aircraft has RNAV capability
Correct answer: When the 1-2-3 rule is met at the destination
Under the '1-2-3 rule,' no alternate is required if, from 1 hour before to 1 hour after ETA, the destination forecast shows ceiling at least 2,000 ft and visibility at least 3 miles.
Question 3: What information does a controller use from a flight plan to sequence arriving aircraft?
- Only the aircraft type and registration
- Estimated time of arrival (ETA), aircraft type, and equipment suffix (Correct answer)
- Fuel load and passenger count
- Departure airport weather only
Correct answer: Estimated time of arrival (ETA), aircraft type, and equipment suffix
Controllers use the ETA, aircraft type (for wake turbulence separation), and equipment suffix (for RNAV/RNP capabilities) to sequence and separate arriving traffic.
Question 4: What does a '/L' equipment suffix on a flight plan indicate to a controller?
- Long-range navigation only (no transponder)
- DME, no transponder
- No DME, Mode C transponder only (Correct answer)
- LORAN-C and no transponder
Correct answer: No DME, Mode C transponder only
The '/L' suffix indicates the aircraft has no DME equipment but is equipped with a transponder with Mode C (altitude encoding).
Question 5: A controller issues a 'cruise clearance' to an IFR aircraft. What does this authorize the pilot to do?
- Proceed VFR to destination
- Fly at any altitude from the minimum IFR altitude up to the assigned altitude and conduct the approach (Correct answer)
- Descend to the minimum enroute altitude only
- Begin the approach from cruise altitude immediately
Correct answer: Fly at any altitude from the minimum IFR altitude up to the assigned altitude and conduct the approach
A cruise clearance authorizes the pilot to operate at any altitude from the minimum IFR altitude up to and including the assigned altitude, and includes authorization to conduct the approach.
Question 6: What is the purpose of requesting a 'short route' from ATC when fuel is a concern?
- To get priority handling over all other traffic
- To obtain a more direct routing that reduces flight time and fuel burn (Correct answer)
- To declare minimum fuel
- To request an immediate descent to lower, more fuel-efficient altitudes
Correct answer: To obtain a more direct routing that reduces flight time and fuel burn
Requesting a short route allows a pilot to obtain a more direct clearance from ATC that reduces total distance flown and conserves fuel.
CPC Flight Planning & Fuel Management Concepts 1
Under FAR 91.167, IFR flights must carry enough fuel to fly to the destination, then to the alternate, plus how much reserve?