FAA Commercial Pilot Airplane (CAX)Navigation and Flight PlanningEasy
A pilot in the Central Standard Time zone (UTC−6) plans a departure at 1400 local time. What time should the pilot file as the proposed departure time in Coordinated Universal Time (Zulu)?
- A2000Z
- B1400Z
- C0800Z
- D2200Z
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. 2000Z
Central Standard Time is 6 hours behind UTC, so Zulu time is found by adding 6 hours to local time: 1400 + 0600 = 2000Z.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. This assumes no time zone offset, which is incorrect for CST.
- C. This subtracts hours instead of adding, moving the wrong direction from local to Zulu.
- D. This adds too many hours (8 instead of 6).
Local Time to Zulu Conversion
Converting local time to UTC (Zulu) requires adding or subtracting the time zone offset depending on whether the zone is behind or ahead of UTC.
- CST = UTC−6, so add 6 hours to convert to Zulu
- CDT = UTC−5 during daylight saving time
- Flight plans and weather products are typically filed in Zulu time
Memory trick: CST plus six gets you to Z