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FAA Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) practice questions

239 free questions with answers and explanations.

Practice test
  1. 1.While being vectored toward the final approach course in IMC, a pilot maintaining 4,000 feet hears ATC transmit: 'Radar contact lost, resume own navigation, proceed direct KKZN VOR, maintain 4,000 until established on the localizer, cleared ILS Runway 9 approach.' The KKZN VOR lies on a published feeder route with a segment MEA of 3,000 feet. What altitude should the pilot maintain until intercepting the localizer?IFR Procedures and Charts
  2. 2.A pilot planning an IFR flight computes a cruise fuel burn of 10 gallons per hour and determines that no alternate airport is required. Per 14 CFR 91.167, what is the minimum fuel that must remain after arriving over the first airport of intended landing?Regulations and Currency
  3. 3.A pilot receives the following PIREP during a briefing: "DEN UA /OV DEN090035/TM1435/FL080/TP C182/TB MOD/RM ICE LGT RIME". What information does this report provide?Weather and Weather Services
  4. 4.An aircraft in the Northern Hemisphere is turning from a heading of North to a heading of East. As the bank is established, the magnetic compass will initially:Flight Instruments and Systems
  5. 5.A pilot is briefed on a pre-frontal squall line expected along the route of flight. Which characteristic makes squall lines particularly hazardous to instrument flight?Weather and Weather Services
  6. 6.To meet the recent instrument experience requirements of 14 CFR 61.57(c) without a flight in actual weather conditions, a pilot must accomplish which combination of tasks within the preceding 6 calendar months?Regulations and Currency
  7. 7.An aircraft is flying an RNAV (GPS) approach using LPV minima when the WAAS receiver displays a loss of WAAS augmentation while GPS RAIM remains available. What should the pilot expect the system to do, and how should the approach be flown?Navigation Systems
  8. 8.A pilot flying a Category C airplane is cleared for a circling approach at night. The approach chart lists circling minimums of 1,120 feet MSL and 2 statute miles visibility for Category C. During the circling maneuver, the pilot should remain within what protected area to ensure obstacle clearance?IFR Procedures and Charts
  9. 9.A pilot is holding at a fix that is also the clearance limit after experiencing a two-way radio communications failure in IMC. The pilot has not received an Expect Further Clearance (EFC) time before the failure occurred. According to 14 CFR 91.185, when should the pilot leave the clearance limit to begin the approach?IFR Procedures and Charts
  10. 10.A TAF for a pilot's destination contains the entry: 'TEMPO 1416 1SM TSRA OVC008CB'. How should the pilot interpret this forecast group?Weather and Weather Services
  11. 11.A pilot flying in smooth IMC encounters a sudden updraft. The upward acceleration creates a sensation that the airplane is pitching nose-up, prompting the pilot to push forward on the controls. Which illusion is being described?Aeromedical and ADM
  12. 12.A pilot flying a feeder route toward an ILS approach receives the clearance, 'Cleared ILS Runway 27 Approach.' The pilot is currently established on a charted transition that leads directly to the Final Approach Fix without requiring a course reversal. What does this clearance authorize the pilot to do?IFR Procedures and Charts
  13. 13.A pilot experiences two-way radio failure while flying an airway with an MEA of 5,000 feet at an assigned altitude of 5,000 feet. Ten miles ahead, the airway's MEA increases to 7,000 feet due to rising terrain. According to 14 CFR 91.185(c)(2) and standard IFR procedures, when should the pilot begin the climb to 7,000 feet?Regulations and Currency
  14. 14.ATC vectors a pilot toward the final approach course and transmits: 'Turn left heading 080, maintain 4,000 until established on the localizer, cleared ILS runway 26 approach.' The pilot has not yet intercepted a segment of the published approach. What altitude must the pilot maintain until established on the localizer?IFR Procedures and Charts
  15. 15.A pilot flying in IMC encounters unexpected severe turbulence that damages a wingtip antenna. According to PIREP reporting guidance, how should this report be classified and transmitted?Weather and Weather Services
  16. 16.A pilot planning to use a Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) notices the chart states 'descend via' phraseology may be issued by ATC. What is the primary purpose of a STAR?IFR Procedures and Charts
  17. 17.A pilot flying in smooth air notices that after 20 minutes, the heading indicator (directional gyro) has drifted 8° from the magnetic compass reading. No abnormal maneuvering occurred. What is the most likely cause of this discrepancy?Flight Instruments and Systems
  18. 18.A pilot is filing an IFR flight plan to an airport where the forecast weather for the ETA is a ceiling of 2,500 feet AGL and visibility of 4 statute miles. According to 14 CFR 91.169, when must an alternate airport still be listed on the flight plan despite this favorable forecast?Regulations and Currency
  19. 19.An airport a pilot wants to use as an alternate has only a published nonprecision approach procedure — no precision approach is available. No special alternate minimums are listed on the chart. What are the standard alternate minimums that apply for filing this airport as an alternate?Regulations and Currency
  20. 20.An aircraft at 40°N latitude is turning from a heading of 270° (West) to a heading of 040°, passing through North. Using the standard lead rule for compass turns through north (lead equal to latitude), at approximately what indicated compass heading should the pilot begin rolling out to arrest the turn precisely on 040°?Flight Instruments and Systems
  21. 21.An approach chart for an airport shows the notation 'Alternate minimums NA' near the alternate minimums box. A pilot wants to use this airport as a filed alternate for an upcoming IFR flight. What does this notation mean for planning purposes?Regulations and Currency
  22. 22.A pilot flying at night over a sparsely lit rural area maintains what appears to be a level attitude by referencing a sloping line of ground lights that the pilot mistakes for the horizon. The airplane is actually descending into terrain. This scenario best illustrates which type of illusion?Aeromedical and ADM
  23. 23.On a glass cockpit PFD, a comparator monitor caution message such as 'ATT MISCOMPARE' appears during an instrument cross-check. What does this indicate, and what should the pilot do?Flight Instruments and Systems
  24. 24.A pilot continues an IFR flight into an area of known icing despite pilot reports of moderate rime ice, reasoning, 'Other pilots have had problems in there, but I've flown through icing before and it's never been a big deal for me.' This reasoning best illustrates which hazardous attitude?Aeromedical and ADM
  25. 25.During an ILS approach, a pilot observes a blue marker beacon light illuminate accompanied by a low-pitched tone of continuous dashes. Which ILS component has the aircraft just passed?Navigation Systems
  26. 26.An ILS approach chart shows a minimums line labeled 'S-ILS 27' with a decision altitude, and a separate line below it labeled 'LOC' with a higher minimum descent altitude. Under which condition would a pilot use the LOC minimums instead of the S-ILS minimums?IFR Procedures and Charts
  27. 27.While holding in actual IMC, a pilot stares at a single, isolated light on the instrument panel in an otherwise dark cockpit. After several seconds, the light appears to drift, even though it has not moved. This phenomenon is known as:Aeromedical and ADM
  28. 28.A pilot obtains a surface observation showing a temperature of 20°C and a dew point of 10°C. Using the standard rule of thumb, approximately what height above ground level (AGL) should the pilot expect the cloud base to form?Weather and Weather Services
  29. 29.A pilot is approaching a holding fix and determines that the aircraft's heading upon arrival places it within the sector extending from the outbound holding course to 70° on the non-holding side of the extended inbound course. Which holding pattern entry procedure should the pilot use?Navigation Systems
  30. 30.An unpressurized single-engine airplane experiences pitot-static icing, and the pilot selects the alternate static source, which draws air from inside the cockpit. Cockpit static pressure is typically lower than outside ambient pressure due to airflow effects. What effect will this have on the altimeter indication?Flight Instruments and Systems
  31. 31.A pilot's pitot tube ram-air inlet becomes obstructed by ice, but the drain hole remains open and the static system is unobstructed. If the pilot enters a climb, the airspeed indicator will most likely:Flight Instruments and Systems
  32. 32.ATC clears a pilot for a visual approach to the destination airport. Which condition must exist for ATC to issue this clearance?IFR Procedures and Charts
  33. 33.A pilot planning a flight through a mountainous region is briefed on a SIGMET (non-convective) for the route. Which of the following conditions would warrant this SIGMET?Weather and Weather Services
  34. 34.A pilot consults the compass correction card mounted in the cockpit, which lists: 'For Magnetic Heading 270°, Steer Compass Heading 266°.' The pilot wants to fly a magnetic heading of 270°. What compass heading should the pilot steer?Flight Instruments and Systems
  35. 35.During an actual IFR approach in low IMC, a single pilot becomes overloaded trying to simultaneously brief the approach, reconfigure the aircraft, and copy a late frequency change from ATC, causing the pilot to descend below the minimum altitude before intercepting the final approach course. From a Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM) perspective, the most effective mitigation the pilot should have applied earlier in the approach was:Aeromedical and ADM
  36. 36.Which three conditions are necessary for the development of a thunderstorm?Weather and Weather Services
  37. 37.A pilot is selecting an alternate airport for an IFR flight plan. The only published instrument approach at that airport is a non-precision (LNAV) approach; no precision approach exists. Applying the standard alternate minimums of 14 CFR 91.169, what ceiling and visibility must be forecast for the alternate at the ETA?Regulations and Currency
  38. 38.A pilot performs a VOT (VOR Test facility) check by tuning the VOT frequency and centering the CDI needle with a FROM indication showing on the OBS at 004°. Per 14 CFR 91.171, is this VOR check satisfactory?Navigation Systems
  39. 39.On final approach near a thunderstorm, a pilot notices the airspeed increasing above the target approach speed as the aircraft encounters a rapidly increasing headwind, followed shortly by a sudden loss of airspeed and a strong downdraft. What phenomenon is the pilot most likely experiencing?Weather and Weather Services
  40. 40.A pilot's airplane burns fuel at 12 gallons per hour. The flight plan shows 2 hours 30 minutes en route to the destination, followed by an additional 30 minutes to the filed alternate. Under 14 CFR 91.167, what is the minimum fuel (in gallons) that must be aboard at takeoff?Regulations and Currency
  41. 41.During which stage of a thunderstorm's life cycle do updrafts and downdrafts coexist, producing heavy rain, frequent lightning, and the strongest turbulence and wind shear?Weather and Weather Services
  42. 42.A pilot planning an IFR flight considers four broad categories of risk: personal proficiency and currency, aircraft equipment and performance, weather and terrain, and pressures such as passenger schedules. This structured approach to identifying risk before flight is known as the:Aeromedical and ADM
  43. 43.A pilot is comparing weather advisories issued during a preflight briefing. Which statement correctly distinguishes a Convective SIGMET from a standard (non-convective) SIGMET?Weather and Weather Services
  44. 44.A pilot experiences a two-way radio failure while holding at an assigned clearance limit that is not the destination airport. Before the failure, ATC had issued an expect-further-clearance (EFC) time of 1930Z. Per 14 CFR 91.185(c), what should the pilot do?Regulations and Currency
  45. 45.A pilot planning an IFR flight under Part 91 checks the forecast weather for the destination and a nearby alternate airport that has only nonprecision approaches published. The destination's forecast at ETA shows a 1,500-foot ceiling and 4 SM visibility. For the alternate, the forecast for the period from 1 hour before to 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival shows a ceiling of 1,800 feet and visibility of 2 SM. Can the alternate be legally listed using the standard alternate minimums?IFR Procedures and Charts
  46. 46.A pilot, after being denied a requested altitude change by ATC due to traffic, decides to deviate without clearance because 'the controller doesn't understand how urgent this is.' This pilot is most likely displaying which hazardous attitude?Aeromedical and ADM
  47. 47.A pilot flying a piston airplane under IFR calculates 40 minutes of flight time to the destination and 30 minutes from there to the filed alternate, with a fuel burn rate of 12 gallons per hour. Applying 14 CFR 91.167, what minimum amount of usable fuel must be aboard at takeoff?Regulations and Currency
  48. 48.A pilot last logged qualifying instrument experience (approaches, holding, and tracking) 8 calendar months ago and has not flown any instrument approaches since. The pilot now wants to file and fly an IFR flight as PIC. What must the pilot do to legally act as PIC under IFR?Regulations and Currency
  49. 49.A student pilot asks how a turn coordinator differs from a turn-and-slip indicator in the information each provides to the pilot. Which statement correctly describes this difference?Flight Instruments and Systems
  50. 50.ATC clears a pilot for 'timed approaches' to an airport without radar service, with multiple aircraft holding at the same fix awaiting sequential approach clearances. What condition must exist for ATC to authorize timed approaches?IFR Procedures and Charts