FAA Private Pilot Helicopter (PRH)Navigation and AirspaceEasy
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?
- A0215Z
- B0915Z
- C1015Z
- D1615Z
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. 1615Z
To convert MST to UTC, add 7 hours: 0915 + 0700 = 1615Z. This accounts for the -7 hour offset of Mountain Standard Time from Coordinated Universal Time.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This subtracts 7 hours instead of adding, giving an incorrect earlier time.
- B. This simply relabels local time as Zulu without converting.
- C. This adds only 1 hour instead of the required 7-hour offset.
UTC (Zulu) Time Conversion
Coordinated Universal Time is the standard time reference used in aviation; local times must be converted by adding or subtracting the appropriate zone offset.
- Mountain Standard Time (MST) = UTC-7
- Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) = UTC-6
- Add the zone's offset number of hours to local time to get UTC
Memory trick: Go west, add more — the farther west, the more hours you add to reach Zulu.