SIFT Spatial Apperception 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a Spatial Apperception test item, you see a cockpit view where the horizon is level and positioned below the center of the display. What attitude is the aircraft in?
- Wings level, nose up (Correct answer)
- Wings level, nose down
- Left bank, nose up
- Right bank, nose down
Correct answer: Wings level, nose up
A horizon below the center of the display means the nose is above the horizon, indicating a nose-up (climbing) attitude with no bank.
Question 2: An aircraft is shown from outside in a steep left bank with the nose on the horizon. Which best describes what the pilot sees?
- Horizon steeply tilted left-side down, nose at horizon level
- Horizon steeply tilted right-side down, nose at horizon level (Correct answer)
- Horizon level, nose below horizon
- Horizon steeply tilted left-side down, nose above horizon
Correct answer: Horizon steeply tilted right-side down, nose at horizon level
From inside a left-banking aircraft, the horizon tilts so the right side appears lower, and with nose on the horizon the display shows it centered.
Question 3: A pilot is heading northeast and sees a river running southeast-northwest below and to the left. What does this tell us about the river's orientation relative to the aircraft?
- The river is roughly parallel to the flight path (Correct answer)
- The river is perpendicular to the flight path
- The river is crossing ahead of the aircraft at a slight angle
- The river is directly beneath the flight path
Correct answer: The river is roughly parallel to the flight path
A southeast-northwest river is parallel to a northeast heading, so it would appear running in roughly the same direction as the aircraft's track.
Question 4: The SIFT Spatial Apperception section shows an outside image of an aircraft with its nose pointing down and banked to the right. Which attitude indicator reading matches?
- Horizon above center, tilted right-side lower (Correct answer)
- Horizon below center, tilted right-side lower
- Horizon above center, tilted left-side lower
- Horizon below center, tilted left-side lower
Correct answer: Horizon above center, tilted right-side lower
A nose-down pitch raises the horizon above center, and a right bank tilts the horizon with the right side lower.
Question 5: A pilot flying west at low altitude sees a city directly ahead and a mountain range to the left. The mountain range runs roughly north-south. What direction does the range run relative to the pilot's heading?
- Perpendicular to the flight path (Correct answer)
- Parallel to the flight path
- At a 45-degree angle ahead
- Diagonally behind the aircraft
Correct answer: Perpendicular to the flight path
A north-south mountain range is perpendicular to a westbound flight path.
Question 6: An attitude indicator shows the horizon bar perfectly level and centered in the display. What is the aircraft's state?
- Wings level, nose on the horizon — straight and level flight (Correct answer)
- Wings level, nose above horizon — climbing
- Left bank, nose on horizon — level left turn
- Right bank, nose below horizon — right descending turn
Correct answer: Wings level, nose on the horizon — straight and level flight
A centered, level horizon bar indicates no bank and no pitch deviation — straight and level flight.
Question 7: From outside, an aircraft is seen flying level over the ocean heading toward shore, with the shoreline running left to right in the distance. From the cockpit, the shoreline appears:
- Running left to right across the view near the horizon (Correct answer)
- Running away from the pilot straight ahead
- Angled from lower-left to upper-right
- Behind the aircraft
Correct answer: Running left to right across the view near the horizon
The shoreline runs perpendicular to the approach heading, so it appears across the view left to right near the horizon.
SIFT Spatial Apperception 4
In a Spatial Apperception test item, you see a cockpit view where the horizon is level and positioned below the center of the display.
What attitude is the aircraft in?