Mixed Deck — All TBAS Topics Flashcards

If the target moves to the right of center on the display, what corrective action should the pilot take?

Answer: Apply left aileron

If the target moves to the right of the center, the pilot needs to move the aircraft to the right to re-center it. To move an aircraft to the right, the pilot applies left aileron. This causes the aircraft to roll right, which then translates into a horizontal movement to the right, bringing the target back to the center.

If the target moves up and to the left on the display, what should the pilot do?

Answer: Apply left aileron and pull the stick back

If the target moves up and to the left, the pilot needs to move the aircraft symbol up and to the left to re-center it. To move up, the pilot pulls the stick back (elevator input). To move left, the pilot applies left aileron (roll input). Therefore, applying left aileron and pulling the stick back is the correct combined action.

A candidate consistently performs well on TBAS tracking tasks but struggles with the auditory components, often missing target call signs. This difficulty most likely indicates a weakness in which area?

Answer: Divided attention

The TBAS frequently combines psychomotor tasks (tracking) with cognitive tasks (listening for cues). Struggling with the auditory part while performing the tracking part well points to a difficulty in dividing attention effectively between the visual/motor task and the auditory task.

Without a visible natural horizon (at night or in clouds), why can a pilot not reliably sense aircraft attitude without instruments?

Answer: The vestibular (inner ear) system produces false or misleading attitude cues

The vestibular system is easily deceived by sustained turns and accelerations, producing false sensations of level flight, which is why instrument reliance is critical in IMC.

Setting an altimeter to 29.92 inHg causes it to read which type of altitude?

Answer: Pressure altitude

Setting the altimeter to 29.92 inHg (the standard sea-level pressure) causes it to indicate pressure altitude, which is height above the standard pressure datum.

A pilot experiences an engine failure immediately after takeoff. Which TBAS-evaluated skillset is most critical for simultaneously maintaining aircraft control, navigating to a suitable landing site, and initiating emergency procedures?

Answer: Divided attention and multitasking capability

An engine failure after takeoff requires the pilot to divide attention between multiple critical tasks: flying the plane (psychomotor control), navigating to a landing spot (visual search and decision making), and executing procedures (memory recall). This is the essence of multitasking ability assessed by the combined subtests of the TBAS. [2, 4, 9]

What is the primary control input used to manipulate the tracking box in the Horizontal Tracking Control subtest of the TBAS?

Answer: Rudder Pedals

The Horizontal Tracking Control subtest specifically requires the use of rudder pedals to move the tracking box left and right, assessing the candidate's foot-eye coordination.

Which of the following represents the most significant cognitive leap required when a candidate transitions from performing the individual tracking tasks to the combined multitasking subtest?

Answer: Managing two independent visuomotor feedback loops while monitoring a third sensory channel.

The fundamental challenge of integration is processing parallel streams of information. The candidate must simultaneously watch the 2D target and control the joystick (one visuomotor loop), watch the horizontal bar and control the pedals (a second, independent visuomotor loop), and process the auditory information (a third sensory channel). Managing these parallel processes is the key difficulty.

The auditory processing speed sections of the TBAS often involve responding to specific numbers while ignoring letters and other numbers. This format is designed to assess the candidate's ability to:

Answer: Filter relevant from irrelevant stimuli and react decisively.

This task is a direct measure of a candidate's ability to filter out irrelevant auditory information (the non-target letters and numbers) and focus only on the relevant stimuli (the target numbers), then execute a quick response. This simulates a pilot's need to pick out a critical radio call from background chatter.

Imagine your UAV is flying with a heading of 315° (Northwest). A command instructs you to locate the Eastern target. Where would you look from the UAV's cockpit?

Answer: Behind and to the right

Your heading is Northwest (315°). East is at 090°. The angular difference is 135 degrees clockwise (to the right). A turn greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees to the right places the target behind you and to your right.

A TBAS candidate is performing the combined multitasking subtest. They successfully correct for a sudden, unpredictable change in the 2D tracking target's direction but, in the instant immediately following, fail to respond to a valid auditory target number. What is the most likely cognitive explanation for this specific error?

Answer: Attentional tunneling on the high-demand visual task.

The sudden, high-demand nature of correcting an unpredictable target movement likely caused 'attentional tunneling,' where the candidate's cognitive resources were momentarily fully consumed by the visual-motor task, leaving insufficient capacity to process the simultaneous auditory cue.

During a standard rate turn, how long does it take to complete a full 360-degree turn?

Answer: 2 minutes

A standard rate turn is 3 degrees per second, so 360 degrees divided by 3 degrees/second equals 120 seconds, or 2 minutes.

Which of the following scenarios accurately describes the main objective of the standalone Horizontal Tracking Control test?

Answer: Use rudder pedals to keep a box centered over an icon that moves only left and right.

The core task of the Horizontal Tracking Control subtest is to use rudder pedals to control a box and keep it superimposed on a target moving strictly along a horizontal axis at the bottom of the screen.

In the TBAS Two-Dimensional Tracking subtest, a candidate is using a joystick to keep a gunsight on a target aircraft. The target moves at a constant rate but changes direction randomly. Which of the following actions by the candidate would also cause the target to change direction?

Answer: Centering the gunsight perfectly on the target for several consecutive seconds.

The Two-Dimensional Tracking subtest is designed to measure psychomotor control. The target aircraft moves at a constant speed and will change direction when it hits the side of the screen or when the candidate successfully keeps the gunsight centered on it for multiple seconds.

Which of the following is a common mistake pilots make during the Horizontal Tracking Test?

Answer: Using the rudder instead of the ailerons for horizontal adjustments

A common mistake in the Horizontal Tracking Test is incorrectly using rudder pedals for horizontal adjustments instead of ailerons. While rudder pedals control yaw, ailerons are designed for roll, which directly affects lateral movement. Misusing controls demonstrates a lack of understanding of aircraft dynamics and hinders accurate horizontal tracking.

An aircraft is heading 090 degrees and makes a 90-degree left turn. What is the new heading?

Answer: 000 degrees (360)

Starting at 090 degrees (east) and turning left 90 degrees subtracts 90 degrees, resulting in 000/360 degrees (north).

If a pilot is flying south (180°) and needs to change course to head directly northeast, what would the new heading be?

Answer: 45°

South is 180° and North is 0°/360°. Northeast is exactly halfway between North (0°) and East (90°). Therefore, the heading for Northeast is 45°. This represents the precise direction between the two cardinal points.

When the miniature aircraft symbol on an attitude indicator appears above the artificial horizon bar with wings level, the aircraft is in what attitude?

Answer: Nose-high (climbing) attitude

The position of the miniature aircraft above the horizon bar on an attitude indicator indicates a nose-high or climbing pitch attitude.

A candidate is performing the Combined Tracking Coordination task. The horizontal target is drifting left, the vertical target is centered, and their pre-briefed target number "7" is announced. What is the most appropriate immediate sequence of actions?

Answer: Press the trigger to respond to the auditory cue, then apply right rudder pedal.

The auditory cues are fleeting, time-sensitive events that must be responded to immediately, or the opportunity is lost. The tracking tasks are continuous and allow for a momentary delay in correction without an immediate failure. Therefore, the highest priority is to respond to the auditory number first, then correct the tracking error.

Your UAV is flying on a heading of 090° (East). From the UAV's perspective, which direction corresponds to the target located directly behind you?

Answer: West

With a heading of 090° (East), the front of the UAV points East. The direction directly behind the UAV (180° opposite its heading) would be West (090° + 180° = 270°). Therefore, the target directly behind you is to the West.