SPC Airport and Airspace Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does a flashing red light signal from the control tower mean to an aircraft on the ground?
- Cleared to taxi
- Taxi clear of runway in use
- Stop
- Return to starting point on the airport (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Return to starting point on the airport
A flashing red light directed at an aircraft on the ground means 'taxi clear of landing area in use' or return to starting point.
Question 2: Which airspace requires a Mode C transponder at all times?
- Class D airspace
- Class E airspace below 10,000 feet MSL
- Class B airspace (Correct answer)
- Class G airspace
Correct answer: Class B airspace
Class B airspace requires an operating Mode C (altitude encoding) transponder for all aircraft operations.
Question 3: What is the standard traffic pattern altitude for propeller-driven aircraft at an airport without a published altitude?
- 500 feet AGL
- 800 feet AGL
- 1,000 feet AGL (Correct answer)
- 1,500 feet AGL
Correct answer: 1,000 feet AGL
The standard traffic pattern altitude for propeller-driven aircraft is 1,000 feet AGL above the airport elevation.
Question 4: At a towered airport, when should a pilot contact ground control after landing?
- Before clearing the active runway
- After clearing the active runway (Correct answer)
- Only if instructed by tower
- At the hold short line of any taxiway
Correct answer: After clearing the active runway
A pilot should switch to ground control frequency after clearing the active runway, not while still on it.
Question 5: What is the purpose of runway hold short markings (yellow double solid/dashed lines)?
- Indicate the edge of the runway safety area
- Define where aircraft must stop before entering the runway (Correct answer)
- Mark the boundary of the runway protection zone
- Show the taxiway centerline
Correct answer: Define where aircraft must stop before entering the runway
Runway holding position markings indicate where aircraft and vehicles must hold short and not proceed without ATC clearance.
Question 6: A segmented circle around a wind sock at an uncontrolled airport indicates what?
- The airport boundary
- Traffic pattern information and landing direction (Correct answer)
- Restricted ground vehicle area
- Location of the fuel pumps
Correct answer: Traffic pattern information and landing direction
The segmented circle system provides traffic pattern information including runway in use and pattern direction.
Question 7: What does a steady green light signal mean when directed at an aircraft in flight?
- Return for landing
- Cleared to land (Correct answer)
- Give way to other aircraft
- Proceed to the next checkpoint
Correct answer: Cleared to land
A steady green light directed at an aircraft in flight means cleared to land.
SPC Airport and Airspace Procedures 2
What does a flashing red light signal from the control tower mean to an aircraft on the ground?