Good Interview Questions

[meritflyer]

Reading some good interview questions and thought I'd write some of them out and hash 'em out with ya'll

1) Taxi out, RVR is 600, can we take off? Why/Why not?

2) On taxi out, the touchdown zone RVR goes out. Can we take off?

3) RVR is 2000, tower reports 600 RVR, rollout is inop, can you land?

4) On the approach, glideslope goes inop. What do you do?

5) Center tells you to cross XYZ VOR at 15,000'. You're 20 miles out and notice the crossing restriction is 10,000'. What do you do?

Assume part 121 when discussing.

[Stone Cold]

I'll answer with Part 135 knowledge just to mess ya up!

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Reading some good interview questions and thought I'd write some of them out and hash 'em out with ya'll

1) Taxi out, RVR is 600, can we take off? Why/Why not?

Need more info. Is this a 2 crew a/c, are the centerline lights, each RVR, etc, working?

2) On taxi out, the touchdown zone RVR goes out. Can we take off?

Sure, ask the tower what the visibility is. Or is this in ref. to question # 1...if it is, no td RVR is limiting.

3) RVR is 2000, tower reports 600 RVR, rollout is inop, can you land?

We'll play your 121 game...is the crew, a/c, and airport Cat III capable? For the rest of us normal folks...nope. But we need more info again...what are the mins for the ILS you're shooting? If it's 1800, and you are in the FAF, then you can take a look and use flight vis. If it's 600 RVR, can't shoot the approach.

4) On the approach, glideslope goes inop. What do you do?

Continue with the LOC approach that you briefed...you did brief it, didn't you? Been there, done that single pilot.

5) Center tells you to cross XYZ VOR at 15,000'. You're 20 miles out and notice the crossing restriction is 10,000'. What do you do?

Wait another 15 miles before starting down and still have time to spare before the fix.

Assume part 121 when discussing.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

5) Center tells you to cross XYZ VOR at 15,000'. You're 20 miles out and notice the crossing restriction is 10,000'. What do you do?

If this were to actually happen, you'd cross at 10,000' or stay at your last assigned?

I'd assume that this would be similar to a crossing restriction given by ATC. For instance, at 40 mi. out center says while cruisng at 15,000, "Cessna 1234, cross ABC VOR at 7,000". I typically start down maybe 15 miles out for my 7000'.

Thoughts?

[Stone Cold]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

If this were to actually happen, you'd cross at 10,000' or stay at your last assigned?

I'd assume that this would be similar to a crossing restriction given by ATC. For instance, at 40 mi. out center says while cruisng at 15,000, "Cessna 1234, cross ABC VOR at 7,000". I typically start down maybe 15 miles out for my 7000'.

Thoughts?

You'd cross at 10K. Why do you separate ATC from Center...they are the same. The way I was saying it I was trying to be funny, saying to wait until the last minute and a Caravan can get down in under a 1/1 ratio (1,000' in less than 1 mile) very easily. So from 15K to 10K would take less than 5 miles for me.

[zmiller4]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Reading some good interview questions and thought I'd write some of them out and hash 'em out with ya'll

Cool. I'm sitting reserve on Thanksgiving, thanks for keeping me occupied! I'll give the answers from my company's opspecs, although it varies among operators.

1) Taxi out, RVR is 600, can we take off? Why/Why not?

Maybe. If the airport has at least standard takeoff mins, there is a set of qualifications that must be met for us to do 600 RVR takeoffs. There's got to be at least RCLM and centerline lighting. We have to have at least touchdown and rollout RVR systems, both of which must be reporting at least 600RVR. If the runway has three RVR's, all have to be reporting at least 600RVR. If one of the three is inop, the other two have to be at least 600RVR.

2) On taxi out, the touchdown zone RVR goes out. Can we take off?

Potentially. We can substitute mid for touchdown if certain RVR conditions are met.

3) RVR is 2000, tower reports 600 RVR, rollout is inop, can you land?

Where are you? I'm assuming you're planning on a cat II approach. Outside the FAF, you're screwed (unless your opspecs let you go down to 600RVR, which would be Cat III, but I can't imagine TDZ RVR would not be required for cat III because it is for II). If you're inside the FAF, you can continue the approach, but if you want to land you'd better be extremely sure that you can prove the visibility was minimums for the approach or above.

4) On the approach, glideslope goes inop. What do you do?

Go missed unless the ceiling's really high, the visibility's good and you've already gone visual. It would suck to have to be trying to re-brief an approach well after you've started.

5) Center tells you to cross XYZ VOR at 15,000'. You're 20 miles out and notice the crossing restriction is 10,000'. What do you do?

Do you mean like on an arrival, the chart lists a crossing restriction of something and ATC gives you something else? I'd comply with what they tell you; cross the VOR at 15000. If that's going to screw you for an approach or something down the road, ask them for lower, but I'd do what they tell me.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by zmiller4

Do you mean like on an arrival, the chart lists a crossing restriction of something and ATC gives you something else? I'd comply with what they tell you; cross the VOR at 15000. If that's going to screw you for an approach or something down the road, ask them for lower, but I'd do what they tell me.

Yeah, ATC told you to maintain 15000 but you noticed on your enroute chart the crossing restriction is 10000. What do you do?

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Reading some good interview questions and thought I'd write some of them out and hash 'em out with ya'll

1) Taxi out, RVR is 600, can we take off? Why/Why not?

2) On taxi out, the touchdown zone RVR goes out. Can we take off?

3) RVR is 2000, tower reports 600 RVR, rollout is inop, can you land?

4) On the approach, glideslope goes inop. What do you do?

5) Center tells you to cross XYZ VOR at 15,000'. You're 20 miles out and notice the crossing restriction is 10,000'. What do you do?

Assume part 121 when discussing.

1) Assuming you have centerline lights and markings, as well as touchdown, mid, and rollout RVRs, then yes.

2) Yes, assuming you still have mid and rollout RVRs, as well as centerline lights and markings.

3) Touchdown RVR is controlling, if it is 2000, then yes. On the other hand, the tower simply reports the runway RVR, so this situation is not realistic.

4) Go missed, you weren't cleared for the localizer, you were cleared for the ILS.

5) Need more info. Is this an MCA? Absolute crossing restriction? If it were absolute (not common) and the controller didn't say anything regarding it, then I would query him. It it is an MCA then it doesn't matter, cross it at 15000.

[surreal1221]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Yeah, ATC told you to maintain 15000 but you noticed on your enroute chart the crossing restriction is 10000. What do you do?

You cross it at 15k. . .ATC instruction supercedes the chart.

Now if the chart says to cross AT 10k or Below, you had better ask wtf is up. ATC should also give you a reason when . . . Cross XYZ at 15k, seperation for arrival traffic," etc etc.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

You cross it at 15k. . .ATC instruction supercedes the chart.

Now if the chart says to cross AT 10k or Below, you had better ask wtf is up. ATC should also give you a reason when . . . Cross XYZ at 15k, seperation for arrival traffic," etc etc.

The chart assumingly did say cross the VOR at 10000. ATC told you to descend and maintain 15000 at 20 miles out (from the VOR).

Not saying your're wrong at all, but can you give me a reference (maybe AIM) where it says that ATC instructions supercede published crossing restrictions (MCA or abolutes).

Thx.

[Flysher]

Originally Posted by Ralgha

1) 4) Go missed, you weren't cleared for the localizer, you were cleared for the ILS.

Would they even know though? I never thought of that, but the procedure still would follow the same track as the ILS, so maybe just mentioning to the tower that you were doing LOC only would be enough?

I figured that would be similar to changing from a straight in to a circle to land at the last minute, for a sudden wind change or whatnot.

[rvatornate]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

The chart assumingly did say cross the VOR at 10000. ATC told you to descend and maintain 15000 at 20 miles out (from the VOR).


Thx.

You changed the question on us. On your first post you said atc gave you a cross xyz vor at 15000 and the chart said 10000. Now you are saying atc gave you a descent to 15000. Two different scenarios, two possibly different solutions.

Nathan Larson
ZKC ATC CFI

[meritflyer]

My bad..

This scenario -

We are 20 miles out form an intersection and ATC tells us to descend to 15,000 and then we start getting closer but the crossing restriction is 10,000 feet, what do we do?

[surreal1221]

Originally Posted by rvatornate

You changed the question on us. On your first post you said atc gave you a cross xyz vor at 15000 and the chart said 10000. Now you are saying atc gave you a descent to 15000. Two different scenarios, two possibly different solutions.

Nathan Larson
ZKC ATC CFI

Thank you Nathan.

merit, you can pull up the 7110.65 and read it. . . check the non-radar section.

Originally Posted by meritflyer

My bad..

This scenario -

We are 20 miles out form an intersection and ATC tells us to descend to 15,000 and then we start getting closer but the crossing restriction is 10,000 feet, what do we do?

Okay. . . so I will assume this.

ATC: XYZ1111, Descend and maintain 15k, cross XYZ VOR at and maintain 10k.

Is this the instruction they are giving you?

If it is. . . then you do exactly as they told you. . .descend and maintain 15k, then when needed, continue the descent down to 10k to cross the fix.

ATC: XYZ1111, Descend and maintain 15k.

If this is what they are giving you then you do just that, down to 15k you go.

If you reach your TOD for the fix on the chart that has a mandatory crossing restriction, and ATC has yet to tell you to meet it. . . then you could querry them about it. But don't expect them to tell you to go right on down to meet the restriction.

I reference 7110.65 Chapter 4 - IFR - Section 5.

Understand also though, that there is a LOT of lee-way provided to controllers. Read the first couple pages of the .65, there is a sentence that essentially states that controllers can change anything in the 7110.65 for the sake of seperation.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

Is this the instruction they are giving you? Or are they simply telling you to descend and maintain 15K? If they only tell you to descend and maintain 15k, then that is all you do until they tell you to cross XYZ VOR / FIX at 10k.

ATC never came on and told you to cross it at 10. You notice that the crossing restiction is 10 on your chart. You're flying at 15 though. How much more simple can I lay it out?

[surreal1221]

Then you stay at 15k. Not complicated at all.

Of course you are free to ask them if they want you to go down to 10k to meet the restriction on the paper chart, but the controller may not appreciate you questioning his judgement.

He/She has a much bigger view of the environment than you do flying in your cockpit.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

but the controller may not appreciate you questioning his judgement.

Sidenote: If I am in the airplane and he is in his nice, dark control room and has a coffee break in 10 min, you bet your arse I am going to query him/her when something doesnt sound right. Its our job as pilots.

[surreal1221]

It may be 10 minutes. . . it may be three and a half hour away. . . if that.

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by jfleisher

Would they even know though? I never thought of that, but the procedure still would follow the same track as the ILS, so maybe just mentioning to the tower that you were doing LOC only would be enough?

You going to bet your career on that? Not worth it to me.