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FAA Private Pilot Helicopter (PRH) practice questions

213 free questions with answers and explanations.

Practice test
  1. 101.A helicopter's flight manual lists a structural maximum gross weight of 3,000 pounds. Performance charts for the current density altitude and temperature show that the maximum weight for an OGE hover is only 2,700 pounds. Which weight limit applies to this flight if an OGE hover is required?Performance and Limitations
  2. 102.A pilot is flying at a high forward airspeed at high density altitude and high gross weight while making a steep turn. This combination of factors most increases the risk ofPerformance and Limitations
  3. 103.During forward flight, a rotor blade produces lift by accelerating air downward through the rotor disk. This downward-moving air, called induced flow, combines with the blade's rotational relative wind to form the resultant relative wind. What is the primary effect of induced flow on the blade's angle of attack?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  4. 104.A pilot's preflight briefing includes a SIGMET advising of severe icing, severe and extreme turbulence, and widespread dust storms lowering surface visibility below 3 statute miles along the route. Which statement about this SIGMET is correct?Weather
  5. 105.While planning a VFR cross-country flight, a pilot notices that the route passes directly over a charted Prohibited Area. What action must the pilot take?Regulations
  6. 106.A pilot preparing for a flight through mountainous terrain wants current, actual weather conditions reported by other pilots who recently flew the route. Which report should be requested from Flight Service?Weather
  7. 107.During a flight, a helicopter's electrical system catches fire, but the pilot extinguishes it before landing and no further incident occurs. Under NTSB Part 830, what is the operator required to do?Regulations
  8. 108.A helicopter pilot files a VFR flight plan for a cross-country flight and lands safely at the destination airport, which has no control tower or FSS on the field. According to standard flight plan procedures, who is responsible for closing the flight plan?Regulations
  9. 109.A helicopter pilot plans to operate from a high-elevation airport on a hot summer afternoon. As density altitude increases, what effect should the pilot expect on helicopter performance?Weather
  10. 110.A mechanic reviewing maintenance records finds an applicable Airworthiness Directive (AD) requiring a recurring inspection every 100 flight hours. The records show the last AD compliance was performed 150 flight hours ago, with no further entries. What is the airworthiness status of the helicopter?Regulations
  11. 111.A helicopter pilot is operating over an open, sparsely populated area away from any structures, vehicles, or persons. According to 14 CFR Part 91, what minimum distance must the helicopter maintain from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure?Navigation and Airspace
  12. 112.A helicopter is parked outside overnight under clear skies with calm wind. The temperature drops to 2°C, matching the dew point. The next morning, the pilot finds a thin, white crystalline deposit covering the rotor blades. This deposit most likely formed becauseWeather
  13. 113.A pilot is using a takeoff distance chart to clear a 50-foot obstacle. At the planned pressure altitude and temperature, the chart shows a required distance of 600 feet at a gross weight of 2,200 lb and 750 feet at 2,400 lb. If the helicopter's actual takeoff weight is 2,300 lb, what is the best estimate of the takeoff distance required to clear the obstacle?Performance and Limitations
  14. 114.A helicopter pilot departs at 0915 Mountain Standard Time (MST) for a flight requiring a UTC (Zulu) departure time for a flight plan. Mountain Standard Time is UTC-7. What is the correct departure time expressed in UTC?Navigation and Airspace
  15. 115.A helicopter pilot in command believes that continuing a legal, scheduled flight would compromise safety due to deteriorating weather conditions not yet reflected in official reports. Who has final authority to decide whether the flight will continue?Regulations
  16. 116.A mechanic explains to a student pilot that the main rotor blade's pitch angle (measured between the chord line and a reference plane) is not the same as its angle of attack (measured between the chord line and relative wind). During a steady hover in still air, why would these two angles typically be nearly equal?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  17. 117.A pilot lowers the collective too rapidly during a rapid descent while at low rotor RPM, causing the main rotor blades to reach an excessively high angle of attack for the available RPM, resulting in a rapid decay of rotor RPM despite full engine power being available. What condition has occurred?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  18. 118.During preflight loading, a pilot places all cargo and a heavy passenger on the right side of the cabin, with no compensating weight on the left. During the subsequent hover check, the pilot must apply continuous left cyclic to keep the helicopter level. What does this indicate?Performance and Limitations
  19. 119.A pilot performs a steep turn at a high load factor while allowing rotor RPM to decay slightly below normal. As a result, the main rotor blades assume a greater coning angle than normal. What is the primary aerodynamic consequence of this excessive coning?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  20. 120.A pilot plans an early morning departure from a helicopter pad located in a narrow mountain valley. Winds have been calm and skies clear overnight. What wind condition should the pilot expect near the valley floor at departure time?Weather
  21. 121.A pilot enters a level turn at a 60° angle of bank. Compared to straight-and-level flight, this maneuver will require the rotor system to produce approximately:Performance and Limitations
  22. 122.A pilot smoothly raises the collective to climb out of a hover in a single main rotor helicopter with a counterclockwise-turning rotor (as viewed from above). To maintain heading, what pedal input is required, and why?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  23. 123.A pilot examining a sectional chart notes an airport surrounded by two concentric magenta circles, an inner circle with a 5 NM radius and an outer circle with a 10 NM radius. What best describes the vertical structure of this airspace?Navigation and Airspace
  24. 124.A pilot in a non-governed, non-correlated helicopter raises the collective pitch control to increase lift without adding throttle. What is the immediate effect on main rotor RPM, and why?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  25. 125.While troubleshooting an intermittent caution light during approach, a helicopter pilot becomes so absorbed in the problem that he fails to notice the helicopter has drifted below the intended glidepath and the rotor RPM has decayed slightly. This scenario best illustrates which human factors hazard?Human Factors
  26. 126.A single main rotor helicopter's main rotor turns counterclockwise as viewed from above. As the pilot raises the collective to climb, engine torque increases and, per Newton's third law, the fuselage tends to yaw opposite the direction of main rotor rotation. Which pilot action is required to maintain heading?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  27. 127.A pilot examining a sectional chart notices that the symbol for one airport is printed in blue, while a nearby airport's symbol is printed in magenta. What does this color difference indicate?Navigation and Airspace
  28. 128.A pilot receives a METAR that includes the remark '+TSRA' at an airport along the route of flight. What does this notation indicate?Weather
  29. 129.A single main rotor helicopter experiences a complete loss of tail rotor thrust (not a control system failure) while in cruise flight at 80 knots. According to recommended emergency procedures, the pilot should:Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  30. 130.A mechanic explains that most main rotor blades use a symmetrical airfoil rather than a highly cambered (unsymmetrical) airfoil. What is the primary aerodynamic advantage of a symmetrical airfoil for rotor blade design?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  31. 131.During an autorotation, a pilot notices the main rotor RPM has decreased below the normal operating range. What is the correct initial corrective action?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  32. 132.A helicopter with a fully articulated rotor system is parked with rotors turning at operating RPM in gusty wind conditions on a soft, uneven surface. The pilot notices the aircraft beginning to vibrate with an increasing lateral oscillation that is not correlated with rotor RPM. What condition is developing?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  33. 133.At a departure airport, the surface temperature is 24°C and the dew point is 12°C. Using the standard formula (dividing the temperature/dew point spread by 2.5 and multiplying by 1,000), what is the approximate height of the cumuliform cloud bases above the surface?Weather
  34. 134.During an autorotation, the engine has failed and the main rotor is being driven solely by upward airflow through the disk. What component allows the main rotor to continue turning freely without being restrained by the now-stopped engine?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  35. 135.A pilot is preparing for a cross-country flight in a helicopter to an airport 150 nautical miles away. Which item is specifically required by 14 CFR 91.103 as part of the preflight action for this flight?Regulations
  36. 136.A student pilot working toward a helicopter private pilot certificate is planning a required solo cross-country flight under 14 CFR 61.109(f). Which flight satisfies this specific requirement?Regulations
  37. 137.During a preflight inspection, a pilot checks the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) battery records. Per 14 CFR 91.207, when must the ELT battery be replaced or recharged?Regulations
  38. 138.A private pilot holds an airplane single-engine land rating and now wants to act as pilot in command of a helicopter. According to 14 CFR 61.31, what must the pilot accomplish before doing so?Regulations
  39. 139.As density altitude increases, the maximum gross weight at which a helicopter can hover out of ground effect (OGE)Performance and Limitations
  40. 140.During a hovering takeoff into a steady 15-knot headwind, compared to a no-wind hover at the same gross weight and density altitude, the power required to hover willPerformance and Limitations
  41. 141.A mechanic points to a main rotor blade cross-section and explains that the imaginary straight line drawn from the leading edge to the trailing edge is used as a reference for measuring blade pitch and angle of attack. What is this line called?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  42. 142.A student pilot is told that a helicopter accelerating through approximately 16-24 knots during takeoff will experience a sudden, noticeable increase in lift and a corresponding nose-up pitching tendency without any change in collective or cyclic. What aerodynamic phenomenon causes this?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  43. 143.A helicopter pilot is flying VFR on a magnetic course of 090° at 4,500 feet MSL, well above 3,000 feet AGL. Must the pilot comply with the hemispheric VFR cruising altitude rule found in 14 CFR 91.159?Regulations
  44. 144.A pilot is hovering a helicopter at a high-elevation airport on a hot day. Compared to hovering at sea level on a standard day, the tail rotor's anti-torque thrust for a given pedal input will be:Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  45. 145.A helicopter departs a point and, after 24 minutes of flight, has covered 36 nautical miles over the ground as measured on the sectional chart. If the pilot must fly an additional 135 nautical miles to the destination at the same groundspeed, how much more flight time is required?Navigation and Airspace
  46. 146.During a hover, a pilot finds that full aft cyclic is required to keep the helicopter from moving forward. This condition most likely indicates that the center of gravity is locatedPerformance and Limitations
  47. 147.A helicopter pilot is planning an early-morning flight from an airport located in a valley near a river. The night was clear, calm, and the air was moist. Which condition is most conducive to the formation of radiation fog at this location?Weather
  48. 148.A pilot is making a steep, powered vertical descent at low forward airspeed. Despite increasing collective pitch, the helicopter continues to sink at an increasing rate, and the aircraft develops random pitching and rolling. What condition is the pilot most likely experiencing?Helicopter Aerodynamics and Systems
  49. 149.A helicopter pilot regularly flies early morning cargo runs, departing at 0330 after only four hours of sleep the previous night due to a late arrival the day before. He reports feeling unusually slow to react and has trouble concentrating during the flight, even though he does not feel overtly sleepy. This performance decline is best explained by which factor?Human Factors
  50. 150.A pilot departs an airport with a pressure altitude of 3,000 feet and an outside air temperature of 25°C. Using the standard lapse rate of 2°C per 1,000 feet, what is the approximate density altitude?Weather