Part 107. Cannot figure this out!

[JP_CACIKE]

Alright so i've been studying for about 2 weeks now. I think I could pass right now honestly if I did do it. But I still cant figure this out. Its starting to make me mad cause I really cannot wrap my head around it like at all. Lol so ok. Lets say the question is this...(common practice test question that keeps popping up on every one I take)
You are flying near an airport and over your radio, you hear a incoming pilot say "Left Downwind for Runway One Six." This means that the aircraft is on a heading of...?

Or this one....

While monitoring the Cooperstown CTAF you hear an aircraft announce that they are midfield left downwind to RWY 13. Where would the aircraft be relative to the runway?​

I've been trying to figure this out for a couple hours now lol. I cant seem to understand it for some reason. I know that downwind is going with the wind in the same direction as it and the Left means that the runway is on the pilots left and it is the traffic pattern that he is using. So he will be making a left turn onto 16 or 13. Also the announced runway is for our examples, 160 degrees and 130 degrees. The announced runways are the spot hes going to land. When I draw it out on paper, I never get the same answer as whats supposed to be right.

I'm drawing out the compass with 0 as North, 90 East, 180 South, 270 West. Its like somehow I'm thinking of the whole process wrong.

Please if anyone can help me figure this out, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm wanting to test soon but questions like this make me question if I'm ready.

Also I've found conflicting answers on different tests about notifying the FAA for address changes for your sUAS registration. Is it 14 days or 30 days that you have to notify them by?

Sky, I can't add much more to what the other pilots have contributed but I passed with an 85 and honestly I was surprised since I only studied whatever free stuff was on the 'Net. But here's my two cents, keep your confidence high, if you have studied as much as you have said, then you will do well. Good luck and keep us posted! HFTA

 

[Dozey]

Thanks guys. I was reading the problem wrong and I was looking for the location of the aircraft instead of the heading. 2edgesword...I dont know how your finding the location but I just have to do some more on paper i guess to get it. Thank you guys. I'm excited about getting this part 107. I aint no phonie, me n lil dronie wanna make me some monie.

I think about it a bit differently. If they say it's runway "16" then I add the "0" to make it "160". If I'm facing 160 degrees, then I'm (roughly) facing south into the wind. If the aircraft is to my left, then it's to the east of me.

Same process for any runaway. If it's runway 9 then it's 90 degrees. If I'm facing 90 degrees, then I'm facing east. If the aircraft is to the left of me then it's to the north. Easy peasy.

And, yes. This question as on the test I took.

 

[SkyInsight]

When I was getting my fixed wing pilot license 40 years ago, I quickly decided that most of the automated weather briefing options weren't worth the bother. I watched the Weather Channel every day, and called for a live weather briefing before flight.

If you're at all serious about starting a drone business, I empathically suggest that you take the Drone Business course(s) from Pilot Institute. I had a very similar response to yours, and I took the course, and it was a real eye opener.

In my case, it convinced me to not start a drone business. YMMV. If you take that course, and follow all the steps diligently, I strongly suspect that you can have a successful business. The course isn't for the timid; he gives you the good, the bad, and the ugly about starting a drone business, straight up without sugar coating.

Buying that course was some of the best education money that I've ever spent.

Enjoy your wonderful beast regardless!



TCS

Hey thanks for the advice man.

 

[SkyInsight]

I think about it a bit differently. If they say it's runway "16" then I add the "0" to make it "160". If I'm facing 160 degrees, then I'm (roughly) facing south into the wind. If the aircraft is to my left, then it's to the east of me.

Same process for any runaway. If it's runway 9 then it's 90 degrees. If I'm facing 90 degrees, then I'm facing east. If the aircraft is to the left of me then it's to the north. Easy peasy.

And, yes. This question as on the test I took.

Good explanation. I finally figured it out after writing it out a bunch of times. I kept getting confused because when I was drawing it out it looked like on the diagram that I was landing downwind on the runway, but then it hit me that I was really flying into the wind landing like I should of been. It just kept getting skewed in my mind cause I was thinking of it wrong.

 

[Deleted member 93449]

I think about it a bit differently. If they say it's runway "16" then I add the "0" to make it "160". If I'm facing 160 degrees, then I'm (roughly) facing south into the wind. If the aircraft is to my left, then it's to the east of me.

Same process for any runaway. If it's runway 9 then it's 90 degrees. If I'm facing 90 degrees, then I'm facing east. If the aircraft is to the left of me then it's to the north. Easy peasy.

And, yes. This question as on the test I took.

You just have to be sure the positioning is based on a left turning pattern. If the question referenced an aircraft on a "right downwind" to the same runway the aircraft would be west of the runway.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

@Chaosrider my plan is to have a drone empire so I can finally leave the job that's been sucking the life out of me. I will be like Caesar!!!! Without all the getting murdered part...hopefully.

You just have to be sure the positioning is based on a left turning pattern. If the question referenced an aircraft on a "right downwind" to the same runway the aircraft would be west of the runway.

And this is why it's important to read the question. I've seen both and it's easy to jump on an answer too quickly.

 

[Newguy126]

Alright so i've been studying for about 2 weeks now. I think I could pass right now honestly if I did do it. But I still cant figure this out. Its starting to make me mad cause I really cannot wrap my head around it like at all. Lol so ok. Lets say the question is this...(common practice test question that keeps popping up on every one I take)
You are flying near an airport and over your radio, you hear a incoming pilot say "Left Downwind for Runway One Six." This means that the aircraft is on a heading of...?

Or this one....

While monitoring the Cooperstown CTAF you hear an aircraft announce that they are midfield left downwind to RWY 13. Where would the aircraft be relative to the runway?​

I've been trying to figure this out for a couple hours now lol. I cant seem to understand it for some reason. I know that downwind is going with the wind in the same direction as it and the Left means that the runway is on the pilots left and it is the traffic pattern that he is using. So he will be making a left turn onto 16 or 13. Also the announced runway is for our examples, 160 degrees and 130 degrees. The announced runways are the spot hes going to land. When I draw it out on paper, I never get the same answer as whats supposed to be right.

I'm drawing out the compass with 0 as North, 90 East, 180 South, 270 West. Its like somehow I'm thinking of the whole process wrong.

Please if anyone can help me figure this out, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm wanting to test soon but questions like this make me question if I'm ready.

Also I've found conflicting answers on different tests about notifying the FAA for address changes for your sUAS registration. Is it 14 days or 30 days that you have to notify them by?

You must be heading 310 with the wind behind you, getting ready to make a left turn to 130 to land. This means you are to the right of the runway, about mid-field, and your left 180 turn will put you on final for RW 130. You seem to have it figured out. I don't understand your problem.

 

[SethB]

The questions have been well-covered in previous posts.

One tidbit to add:
You don’t get much with you when you’re taking the test. You can bring in reading glasses for charts, a 4-function calculator… if I recall correctly, that’s about it!

They will supply you with scrap paper and pencil. Be sure to ask for it if they don’t give it to you.

The paper can be used as a straightedge on compass rose tick marks or lat-long tick marks on the charts in the AKTS (Airperson’s Knowledge Testing Supplement) they’ll also supply. You can also transfer distances to and from the distance scale.

If you were unaware, the AKTS is the paper copy booklet full of charts and supplemental tables you’ll need to refer to - if you’ve been taking practice tests you’ve been looking at digital copies of that publication. It’s also available for download at FAA.

Wait, I had a point but got distracted:
Use the scratch paper to chart all airport runway questions! Quick and easy… my advice is don’t bother trying to hold these only in your head to solve, take 30 seconds to chart them!

 

[TrabSeyn]

Just go take the test and be done with it. FWIW I just used free studies from Google and YouTube (Greg is a great resource) and went through a practice exam at several URLs about 50-60 times to get a feel for the exam, all in about a week of prep. Passed the exam with a 90. There were two questions pertaining to registering/permitting foreign owned aircraft operating in the United States that never showed up on a practice test and were just guesses for answers. The sectional stuff in the practice exams are the same used for the exam. Never touched the scratch sheet or picked up the pencil. It was more trouble getting checked in at the the test facility than it was to spend 35 minutes at the exam terminal. Relax and get your 107.....took about 6 weeks for the plastic to arrive. That is where the patience factor gets important.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

fwiw, in addition to pencil/paper, you should also be provided with a clear plastic sheet and dry erase markers (apparently for "marking" in the book if necessary), the calculator, and a magnifying glass. You can't take any personal items in with you including your phone, smart watch, etc.

Here's a tip that people might not notice. When the question says something is 4NM or 6SM or whatever from airport X, you can use your scrap paper to mark off the actual tick marks. For the longest time, I didn't pay attention and was guesstimating based on where it listed nautical, statute, and kilometers. Then I finally realized the actual distances were marked off to the left. It's the little things.

 

[ScottNH]

fwiw, in addition to pencil/paper, you should also be provided with a clear plastic sheet and dry erase markers (apparently for "marking" in the book if necessary), the calculator, and a magnifying glass. You can't take any personal items in with you including your phone, smart watch, etc.

Here's a tip that people might not notice. When the question says something is 4NM or 6SM or whatever from airport X, you can use your scrap paper to mark off the actual tick marks. For the longest time, I didn't pay attention and was guesstimating based on where it listed nautical, statute, and kilometers. Then I finally realized the actual distances were marked off to the left. It's the little things.

View attachment 146850

Hahaha...or not.

When I took my 107 exam, the test admin logged into the computer, pointed to the chair, and said "Have at it." No paper, no pencil, no supplement book. I thought, "Huh. I guess the supplements are presented with the questions. Guess I don't need scratch paper." Then I got to about question 3 or so. "On Figure 25, Area 3..."
I went back out to the admin's desk and stood there until he looked up.
"Oh. I'll bet you want the supplement book."
"That would be nice."
I got the sup book, two sheets of paper, and two pencils. Pretty bare bones, but enough.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

Dang. That stinks. I guess it's wise to call ahead, then. I had a great center and administrator.

 

[RicGPDX]

You have all the basic information you'll need in this thread, but the exams do vary the question enough to make you think. On mine, there were a couple like this. My trick is to always draw the situation out on a piece of scratch paper. Remember that the runway number is the direction the plane is pointing when it touches down. On the downwind leg, the plane is always heading in the opposite direction (left or right downwind). Also, planes enter the downwind leg at a 45º angle (that's when the scratch pad comes really in handy).

For over a year, I had to shoot a series of ariels of a construction site 3/4 mile from a busy, uncontrolled airport and had a radio to monitor the CTAF channel they used. With the exception of a gyrocopter, they were never really a factor for my flights.

Ric

 

[frank candor]

why are "we" flying drones at airports?

 

[Ralph thompson]

Runway 13 is heading (pointing) east southeast. Therefore the plane is heading 310 (west nortwest) the opposite direction of 13 and is midfield left of the runway.

Aircraft always try to land into the wind (upwind) as the aerodynamic design of the wing slows the Aircraft giving greater control than if being pushed faster by a downwind. The plane in the example is heading 310 and will continue past the beginning of 13 and make 2 left turns to lineup to land on 13 into the wind.
NOTE: When there is a shift in the wind opposite of the example, Runway 13 is designated as 31.

Airspeed is the same regardless of wind. A plane flying at an approach speed of 130 kts (IAS) is the same regardless of wind speed& direction. Planes land into the wind so that their Ground speed is lower.
Most circuits are left hand circuits unless stated otherwise in the Supplements. Right hand circuits are usually implemented to avoid having Downwind over residential areas or high terrain.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

why are "we" flying drones at airports?

If you take the part 107 exam, airport operations are included. You may be tested on flight patterns, runway signage, etc. Doesn't mean you're going to be flying at an airport. Just means the FAA thinks you should know it.

 

[joey_elmore]

Thanks guys. I was reading the problem wrong and I was looking for the location of the aircraft instead of the heading. 2edgesword...I dont know how your finding the location but I just have to do some more on paper i guess to get it. Thank you guys. I'm excited about getting this part 107. I aint no phonie, me n lil dronie wanna make me some monie.

Just took my exam last Thurs and passed. I was slightly confused with this as well, but there wasn't a single question on the test for it. That's not to say it won't be on yours, but with 40 pages of notes it sounds like you've prepped enough. Schedule the exam and take it! You only need a 70% to pass. Be sure you have registered your drone as well if you haven't already. I made this video for reference if you're interested.

Go get 'em.