ACS’s Cockpit Conundrums

1. What is the longest direct commercial flight (in terms of distance)?

   1. Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK)

   2. Doha (DOH) to Auckland (AKL)

   3. Perth (PER) to London (LHR)

   4. Melbourne (MEL) to Dallas (DFW)

2. What does the term ‘FBO’ stand for?

   1. Fixed Base Operator

   2. Flight Briefing Officer

   3. Fuel Burn Optimisation

   4. Fleet Base Operations

3. What is the longest domestic flight?

   1. St. Denis, Reunion (RUN) – Paris (CDG)

   2. Honolulu (HNL) – Boston (BOS)

   3. Aruba (AUA) – Amsterdam (AMS)

   4. Cayenne (CAY) – Paris (ORY)

4. What is the world’s oldest commercial airline which still operates today?

   1. Qantas

   2. Delta Air Lines

   3. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

   4. Finnair

5. Which airline took delivery of the first Airbus A380 ‘Superjumbo’?

   1. Emirates

   2. British Airways

   3. Qantas

   4. Singapore Airlines

6. What is the name for the aircraft body?

   1. aileron

   2. fuse

   3. fuselage

   4. feud

7. ‘Iberia’ is the flag carrier of which country?

   1. Ireland

   2. Slovenia

   3. Iberia

   4. Spain

8. Which airport has the IATA designation GOA?

   1. Dabolim Airport, Goa

   2. Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport, Genoa

   3. Gatwick Airport, London

   4. Gagnoa Airport, Côte d’Ivoire

9. During takeoff a pilot calls "V1", what does this mean? The plane has reached…

   1. The speed at which the pilot should start to rotate the aircraft's nose upwards to initiate the takeoff

   2. The speed beyond which the pilot should not abort the takeoff

   3. The speed when the pilot should set the flap setting to position 1

   4. The speed at which the aircraft has enough controllability to safely abort the takeoff if necessary

10. Which aircraft was the first to break the sound barrier (Mach 1)?

    1. Bell X-1

    2. Boeing 707

    3. Concorde

    4. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Mark your scores out of ten:

Answers:

1. A – Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK) – This flight, operated by Singapore Airlines, covers a total distance of 9,537 miles using an Airbus A350-900ULR.

2. A – Fixed Base Operator – A company authorized by an airport to provide aviation services like fuelling, hanger services, parking, aircraft rental, maintenance, and flight training.

3. A – St. Denis, Reunion (RUN) to Paris (CGD) – Originally launched in 1994, the longest currently active domestic flight is between Saint-Denis, Réunion, France and Paris, France (Charles de Gaulle Airport) and covers 9,349 kilometres (5,809 mi; 5,048 nmi) in 11 hours 40 minutes.

4. C – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines – Founded in 1919, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the world's oldest airline still in operation. Initially founded by eight Dutch businessmen, it has since expanded to a fleet of 116 aircraft, serving over 145 destinations, and serves as the flag carrier of the Netherlands.

5. D – Singapore Airlines – Singapore Airlines received their first Airbus A380 on October 15, 2007, and began commercial service with flight SQ380 between Singapore and Sydney on October 25, 2007. Seats for this inaugural flight were auctioned for charity, fetching between $560 and $100,380.

6. C – Fuselage – The main body of an aircraft; the long central structure of an aircraft or aeroplane to which the wings (or rotors), tail, and engines are attached, and which accommodates crew and/or cargo.

7. D – Spain – Named for The Iberian Peninsula, also known as Iberia, is in southwestern Europe and includes Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar, and a small part of France. It covers approximately 583,254 square kilometres and has a population of about 53 million.

8. B – Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport, Genoa – The code is derived from the name of the city, Genoa, and is a standard practice for airport identification. The airport is named after the famous Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus.

9. B  – The speed beyond which the pilot should not abort the takeoff – When a pilot says "V1," they are referring to the takeoff decision speed. This is the speed at which the pilot must decide whether to continue the takeoff or abort it. Once the aircraft reaches V1, the pilot is committed to taking off even if an engine fails.

10. A – Bell X-1 – The first plane to break the speed of sound was the Bell X-1, piloted by Captain Chuck Yeager of the United States Air Force. On October 14, 1947, Yeager flew the Bell X-1 at a speed of Mach 1.05 at an altitude of 45,000 feet over the Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California. This historic flight marked the beginning of the supersonic era in aviation.