for fun: most pointless question on PP Knowledge exam

[exncsurfer]

What is your vote for most pointless question asked on the PP Knowledge exam.

I'm going with:
You got your X class medical on X date, when does it expire?

I didn't get an X class medical, why do i care.

uh, look on the cert for the expiration date

put a reminder on your calendar when you get the cert vs. memorizing when an arbitrary cert for an arbitrary aged person expires.

like is said, for fun, just curios to see what other people found silly.

no need to flame or get bent. :wink2:

 

[MAKG1]

800 billion fixed card ADF questions.

Operational ADF receivers are not easy to find even with moving cards.

Though I have to admit studying those sure made ELT direction finding easier (it's virtually identical).

 

[Stingray Don]

How about the number of satellites that make up the GPS system. What do I care how many satellites are up there? Does it tell me where I am or not? And how does this help me fly a plane?

 

[MAKG1]

How about the number of satellites that make up the GPS system. What do I care how many satellites are up there? Does it tell me where I am or not? And how does this help me fly a plane?

If the number in view is less than 5, you have a problem.

 

[rocketflyer84]

And how does this help me fly a plane?

Because when your GPS isn't working you can look at the SAT status page and see how many satellites you are receiving. If it's less than 5 then you have a problem.

It's important for pilots to know how and why their equipment works or doesn't work... not just view these things as mysterious boxes that display things.

 

[BigBadLou]

Sure, if a device fails to perform as expected and notifies me, I am grateful. However, notifying me of pointless details (and thus me having to memorize the pointless details) is a waste of my memory cells which could be used to store useful information.
If my GPS tells me "cannot find 5 satellites in the sky, found only 4", do I have an option to look at the sky myself, point at the missing satellite and tell the GPS "there it is!"??

I am all for operational knowledge but only to the point of usefulness.

And give me a few minutes to think about what I found to be the most pointless question on my PPL exam. It's been a while.

 

[bobmrg]

800 billion fixed card ADF questions.

Operational ADF receivers are not easy to find even with moving cards.

Though I have to admit studying those sure made ELT direction finding easier (it's virtually identical).

ADF/NDB questions are gone. There have been MAJOR changes to the question base to get rid of just this sort of thing. Only the private, so far, but the commercial and instrument can't be far behind.

The great annual conclave of question-answer publishers (ASA, Gleim, Kings, etc) and the question writers is next month. I will pass on what ASA's rep learns.

Bob Gardner

Bob Gardner

 

[bflynn]

If the number in view is less than 5, you have a problem.

And that problem is not impacted by knowing or not knowing how many total there are.

 

[Wheels]

How about the number of satellites that make up the GPS system. What do I care how many satellites are up there? Does it tell me where I am or not? And how does this help me fly a plane?

Especially when the answer they want is incorrect. According to the FAA there are 24 satellites but there are actually 32 of them in orbit now.

 

[Stingray Don]

Because when your GPS isn't working you can look at the SAT status page and see how many satellites you are receiving. If it's less than 5 then you have a problem.

It's important for pilots to know how and why their equipment works or doesn't work... not just view these things as mysterious boxes that display things.

Yes, but I didn't refer to the number of satellites that you are receiving. The question was how many satellites make up the entire GPS system. And yes that is a question on the exam.

 

[MAKG1]

And that problem is not impacted by knowing or not knowing how many total there are.

Wrong.

If you read a NOTAM that several satellites are out, you need to know how many remain, and that half are in view horizon to horizon at any given time, to gauge how important that is.

But I guess you have to read the NOTAMs for that to be relevant.

GPS is not a magic box.

How many are being received now does not tell you how many you will receive in an hour.

 

[pilot_dude]

Wrong.

If you read a NOTAM that several satellites are out, you need to know how many remain, and that half are in view horizon to horizon at any given time, to gauge how important that is.

But I guess you have to read the NOTAMs for that to be relevant.

GPS is not a magic box.

How many are being received now does not tell you how many you will receive in an hour.

If I know I need 5 for proper operation, it matters not that 5 of 32 are operational or 5 of 320 are operational.

 

[eetrojan]

If you expand the search for most pointless question to include the instrument rating test, then these clockwise versus counterclockwise questions are the clear "winner" :

 

[Stingray Don]

Dear FAA,

I am surrendering my wings effective March 26th at 5:11 PM. I realized today that since my PPL exam, I no longer have the total number of GPS satellites committed to memory. Flying around without this crucial information would certainly make me a menace in the skies that we all must share in harmony and tranquility. Sure, I knew it for the exam, but that memory space has since been allocated to the correct ratio of condiments for the perfect burger. Since the perfect burger is actually relevant to my life, I have decided to keep that bit of info intact.

Thank you for your time and attention in this important manner.

 

[dtuuri]

If you expand the search for most pointless question to include the instrument rating test, then these clockwise versus counterclockwise questions are the clear "winner" :

What's wrong with that question? Anybody who doesn't know the compass rose well enough to answer that question ought to flunk and be banned from IFR flight forever and forever.



dtuuri

 

[RyanB]

Dear FAA,

I am surrendering my wings effective March 26th at 5:11 PM. I realized today that since my PPL exam, I no longer have the total number of GPS satellites committed to memory. Flying around without this crucial information would certainly make me a menace in the skies that we all must share in harmony and tranquility. Sure, I knew it for the exam, but that memory space has since been allocated to the correct ratio of condiments for the perfect burger. Since the perfect burger is actually relevant to my life, I have decided to keep that bit of info intact.

Thank you for your time and attention in this important manner.

LOL that was good Don

 

[MAKG1]

If I know I need 5 for proper operation, it matters not that 5 of 32 are operational or 5 of 320 are operational.

No.

If you know you need 5, you need to have at least 10 operational for a reliable signal at an arbitrary time and place. Only half are visible at any given time, and all the inop ones could be included in those at the same time.

You can't see through the earth. Half of the satellites are not visible.

And if you see 5 NOTAMs for inop satellites, you need to know if that's a problem or not.

The question is out of date, but it is not meaningless unless you treat GPS as magic.

 

[BigBadLou]

Dear FAA,

I am surrendering my wings effective March 26th at 5:11 PM. I realized today that since my PPL exam, I no longer have the total number of GPS satellites committed to memory. Flying around without this crucial information would certainly make me a menace in the skies that we all must share in harmony and tranquility. Sure, I knew it for the exam, but that memory space has since been allocated to the correct ratio of condiments for the perfect burger. Since the perfect burger is actually relevant to my life, I have decided to keep that bit of info intact.

Thank you for your time and attention in this important manner.

Can we make this a group letter, please? I'd like to sign too.

 

[rocketflyer84]

There was a stupid one I saw a while back that was something along the lines of:

Which of the following blood alcohol conditions would render the pilot unfit for flight?

A: 0.05 BAC 4 hours before flight
B: 0.02 BAC 1 hour before flight
C: 0.80 BAC 8 hours before flight


The answer they were looking for was "A" since it was > 0.04 BAC 4 hours before flight... however, in reading the question I'm sitting there thinking if someone actually had a BAC of 0.80 they would 1) likely be dead, and 2) certainly not have a BAC of less than 0.04 4 hours before given normal human physiology.

But... strictly by the letter of the regulation the answer they were looking for was "A".

 

[comanchepilot]

Yes, but I didn't refer to the number of satellites that you are receiving. The question was how many satellites make up the entire GPS system. And yes that is a question on the exam.

Some of them are working, some are in hot storage - others phone home once a day to see if they need to turn on. . . . and I do not care one iota about how many there are - or whether they are in elliptical orbits or if the GLONASS system is in molniya orbits to spend more time over Russia - all I care about is the freaking RAIM system is working on my box - and something somewhere tells me that the system is not reliable for navigation.

I cannot tell you the last time i did a full RAIM check by logging on to the website and looking to see if there were any areas with poor signal strength in the Southwest because, honestly, the government is actively spoofing the damn system almost every week at Beale and in the desert somewhere in Nevada. . . .

There are not many truly inane questions being asked in the question bank any longer - and - to be honest - the truly stupid rarely show up on the actual test ....

 

[eetrojan]

There are not many truly inane questions being asked in the question bank any longer - and - to be honest - the truly stupid rarely show up on the actual test ....

I got one of of the clockwise/counterclockwise questions when I took the IR test this past January.

 

[BigBadLou]

I got one of of the clockwise/counterclockwise questions when I took the IR test this past January.

Nice coincidence. I got the same funny pointless question last last weekend on my IR written!

 

[comanchepilot]

I got one of of the clockwise/counterclockwise questions when I took the IR test this past January.

rarely does not equal never.

Go out and buy a lottery ticket - you hit the jackpot!

 

[eetrojan]

rarely does not equal never.

Go out and buy a lottery ticket - you hit the jackpot!

Me and Lou too!

 

[nosehair]

Gee-jus! Almost as pointless as this thread. Why do I keep looking?

 

[NoHeat]

Weather products questions tend to be outdated, because the products change so fast.

For me, the instrument exam booklet was full of outdated questions on such things as TIBS, which is an automated. Telephone briefing that absolutely nobody would ever want to use. A question re how to interpret satellite imagery would have been much more suitable.

 

[jordane93]

If you expand the search for most pointless question to include the instrument rating test, then these clockwise versus counterclockwise questions are the clear "winner" :

Classic.

 

[Hank S]

What's wrong with that question? Anybody who doesn't know the compass rose well enough to answer that question ought to flunk and be banned from IFR flight forever and forever.



dtuuri

I don't have one of those things, so I don't know which way to turn it. If one magically appeared in my panel, I'd twist it one way and see which way the indicator turned. I'm perfectly capable of twisting right, seeing opposite movement and then twisting left to get to the right number.

And since I don't know how to use an instrument I've never seen, no, I didn't fail, shouldn't have failed and will continue to file and fly IFR. Thank you very much.

 

[flyingron]

uh, look on the cert for the expiration date

Do you have a medical certificate? Take it out and look at it.
Unless you have a special issuance that bears a "Not valid for any class after January 2015" or such, you won't find an expiration date on it, just a date of examination.

 

[timwinters]

And that problem is not impacted by knowing or not knowing how many total there are.

Exactly.

(Regardless of what MAKG says)

 

[dtuuri]

I don't have one of those things, so I don't know which way to turn it. If one magically appeared in my panel, I'd twist it one way and see which way the indicator turned. I'm perfectly capable of twisting right, seeing opposite movement and then twisting left to get to the right number.

And since I don't know how to use an instrument I've never seen, no, I didn't fail, shouldn't have failed and will continue to file and fly IFR. Thank you very much.

How about if they take away the picture and just ask it this way?

The heading on a remote indicating compass is 120° and the magnetic compass indicates 110°. What action is required to correctly align the heading indicator with the magnetic compass?
A: Select the free gyro mode and turn the heading card counter clockwise using the heading drive button.
B: Select the slaved gyro mode and turn the heading card clockwise using the heading drive button.
C: Select the free gyro mode and turn the heading card clockwise using the heading drive button.
​

dtuuri

 

[SkyHog]

The most useless are the ones about navigation and flight planning where you have the following answers for final course heading:

A) 356*
B) 001*
C) 010*
D) 350*

Like anyone can actually calculate the difference between 6* on thst tiny picture using a plotter and e6b.

 

[MauleSkinner]

If you expand the search for most pointless question to include the instrument rating test, then these clockwise versus counterclockwise questions are the clear "winner" :

Yeah, but that's just because everybody's got digital clocks!

 

[Hank S]

How about if they take away the picture and just ask it this way?

The heading on a remote indicating compass is 120° and the magnetic compass indicates 110°. What action is required to correctly align the heading indicator with the magnetic compass?
A: Select the free gyro mode and turn the heading card counter clockwise using the heading drive button.
B: Select the slaved gyro mode and turn the heading card clockwise using the heading drive button.
C: Select the free gyro mode and turn the heading card clockwise using the heading drive button.
​

dtuuri

My remote compass has no correction knobs and does not slave. It like a small DG sitting way over at the left edge of the panel. So I still can't answer question.

 

[dtuuri]

My remote compass has no correction knobs and does not slave. It like a small DG sitting way over at the left edge of the panel. So I still can't answer question.

I bet you can.

dtuuri