FAA AIRCRAFT DISPATCHER 2026 TEST PAPER QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔What are the three stages of a thunderstorm? - ✔✔Cumulous, mature, dissipating
✔✔What are the two types of a PIREP? - ✔✔Routine UA and urgent UUA.
✔✔What is an ATIS? - ✔✔Automated Terminal Information System. A recorded
message which tells pilots about the current conditions of the airport such as wx, and
notams. Recorded hourly and a SPECI, special ATIS is issued for significant WX or
information change ( closed runway/taxiway, change of active runways, special
instruction etc.)
✔✔What is IFR? (Ceiling/visibility) - ✔✔Instrument Flight Rules. less than 1000 ft ceiling
and less than 3 miles visibility.
✔✔What is VFR? (Ceiling/visibility) - ✔✔Visual flight rules. More than 1000 ft ceiling and
3 miles or greater visibility.
✔✔What is MVFR? (Ceiling/Visibility) - ✔✔Marginal Visual Flight Rules. 1000ft - 3000ft
ceiling and/or 3SM - 5SM visibility.
✔✔What are the three types of structural icing? - ✔✔Rime, Clear, Mixed
✔✔Describe Rime Ice - ✔✔Brittle and frost-like
✔✔Describe Clear ice - ✔✔Hard, heavy, tenacious, and glossy. Hard to remove/detect
✔✔Describe mixed ice - ✔✔Hard rough conglomerate
✔✔Which is the most dangerous type of structural ice? - ✔✔Clear Ice. Because it is
heavy, hard to remove, and sometimes difficult to detect until it is too late because it
takes the shape of the surface area.
✔✔Under what conditions is structural ice likely to develop? - ✔✔(1) The aircraft must
be flying through visible water such as rain or or cloud droplets and (2) the temperature
at the point where the moisture strikes the aircraft must be 0°C or colder.
✔✔Define Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) - ✔✔Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent
movement of air masses in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds, and is
caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet
, ✔✔Define wake turbulence - ✔✔Wake turbulence is turbulence that forms behind an
aircraft as it passes through the air. This turbulence includes various components, the
most important of which are wingtip vortices and jetwash.
✔✔Which types of airplanes cause the most significant wake turbulence? - ✔✔Slow,
clean, and heavy.
✔✔What is LLWS? Why is it particularly dangerous? - ✔✔Low Level Wind Shear. It is
dangerous because it can cause severe downdrafts close to the ground while aircraft is
in a critical phase of flight.
✔✔Why are thunderstorms so dangerous? - ✔✔Because they can create many hazards
for aircraft such as updrafts and downdrafts, hail, low visibility, precipitation, wind shear,
lightning.
✔✔List and describe the three stages of a thunderstorm. - ✔✔Cumulus (Updrafts)
Mature (Precipitation)
Dissipating (Downdrafts)
✔✔What is the difference between air mass thunderstorm and steady state
thunderstorms? - ✔✔Airmass T-Storms are relatively short lived and caused by hotspot
that make the air above them unstable enough to cause a T-storm.
Steady State T-Storms can last several hours and are associated with weather systems.
Squall are examples of SST-storms.
✔✔Define squall line - ✔✔A squall line is a line of thunderstorms that can form along or
ahead of a cold front. The term was used as a synonym for cold front. It contains heavy
precipitation, hail, frequent lightning, strong straight-line winds, and possibly tornadoes
and waterspouts.
✔✔Define dry line - ✔✔A dry line is a boundary that separates a moist air mass from a
dry air mass. Also called a "Dew Point Front", sharp changes in dew point temperature
can be observed across a dry line.
✔✔What are 6 items required on a dispatch release? - ✔✔1) Aircraft ID
2) Trip Number
3 Airports (Dep. Des. Interm. Alt.)
4) Type of Op. (IFR or VFR)
5) Min. Fuel Supply
6) Weather Reports
FAR 121.687
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔What are the three stages of a thunderstorm? - ✔✔Cumulous, mature, dissipating
✔✔What are the two types of a PIREP? - ✔✔Routine UA and urgent UUA.
✔✔What is an ATIS? - ✔✔Automated Terminal Information System. A recorded
message which tells pilots about the current conditions of the airport such as wx, and
notams. Recorded hourly and a SPECI, special ATIS is issued for significant WX or
information change ( closed runway/taxiway, change of active runways, special
instruction etc.)
✔✔What is IFR? (Ceiling/visibility) - ✔✔Instrument Flight Rules. less than 1000 ft ceiling
and less than 3 miles visibility.
✔✔What is VFR? (Ceiling/visibility) - ✔✔Visual flight rules. More than 1000 ft ceiling and
3 miles or greater visibility.
✔✔What is MVFR? (Ceiling/Visibility) - ✔✔Marginal Visual Flight Rules. 1000ft - 3000ft
ceiling and/or 3SM - 5SM visibility.
✔✔What are the three types of structural icing? - ✔✔Rime, Clear, Mixed
✔✔Describe Rime Ice - ✔✔Brittle and frost-like
✔✔Describe Clear ice - ✔✔Hard, heavy, tenacious, and glossy. Hard to remove/detect
✔✔Describe mixed ice - ✔✔Hard rough conglomerate
✔✔Which is the most dangerous type of structural ice? - ✔✔Clear Ice. Because it is
heavy, hard to remove, and sometimes difficult to detect until it is too late because it
takes the shape of the surface area.
✔✔Under what conditions is structural ice likely to develop? - ✔✔(1) The aircraft must
be flying through visible water such as rain or or cloud droplets and (2) the temperature
at the point where the moisture strikes the aircraft must be 0°C or colder.
✔✔Define Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) - ✔✔Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent
movement of air masses in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds, and is
caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet
, ✔✔Define wake turbulence - ✔✔Wake turbulence is turbulence that forms behind an
aircraft as it passes through the air. This turbulence includes various components, the
most important of which are wingtip vortices and jetwash.
✔✔Which types of airplanes cause the most significant wake turbulence? - ✔✔Slow,
clean, and heavy.
✔✔What is LLWS? Why is it particularly dangerous? - ✔✔Low Level Wind Shear. It is
dangerous because it can cause severe downdrafts close to the ground while aircraft is
in a critical phase of flight.
✔✔Why are thunderstorms so dangerous? - ✔✔Because they can create many hazards
for aircraft such as updrafts and downdrafts, hail, low visibility, precipitation, wind shear,
lightning.
✔✔List and describe the three stages of a thunderstorm. - ✔✔Cumulus (Updrafts)
Mature (Precipitation)
Dissipating (Downdrafts)
✔✔What is the difference between air mass thunderstorm and steady state
thunderstorms? - ✔✔Airmass T-Storms are relatively short lived and caused by hotspot
that make the air above them unstable enough to cause a T-storm.
Steady State T-Storms can last several hours and are associated with weather systems.
Squall are examples of SST-storms.
✔✔Define squall line - ✔✔A squall line is a line of thunderstorms that can form along or
ahead of a cold front. The term was used as a synonym for cold front. It contains heavy
precipitation, hail, frequent lightning, strong straight-line winds, and possibly tornadoes
and waterspouts.
✔✔Define dry line - ✔✔A dry line is a boundary that separates a moist air mass from a
dry air mass. Also called a "Dew Point Front", sharp changes in dew point temperature
can be observed across a dry line.
✔✔What are 6 items required on a dispatch release? - ✔✔1) Aircraft ID
2) Trip Number
3 Airports (Dep. Des. Interm. Alt.)
4) Type of Op. (IFR or VFR)
5) Min. Fuel Supply
6) Weather Reports
FAR 121.687
