Ok is my instructor messing with me?

[JediNein]

Just noticed your profile, A Squared, hope you're still flying and you get back to the left seat soon.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[A Squared]

Just noticed your profile, A Squared, hope you're still flying and you get back to the left seat soon.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

Jedi,

Thanks for the thought. Yeah, I'm still flying, just from the right hand-seat. Tha company had some cut-backs, and I was pretty junior as a captain so I got downgraded. Hopefully it will all work out soon.

 

[bobbysamd]

Bobby, if you're going to have hurt feelings about a silly trivia game (and yes I recognize that it's trivia) it might be best to avoid them.

Maybe I am way off but are you talking about the hydraulic lifters in the engine?

Bingo! Pretty lame, huh?

Definitely. My feelings never get hurt; I've dealt with worse things. But, hypertechnical discussions such as this border on the asinine.

 

[JAFI]

Bobby, part of me agrees with you and part does not. If the intent of the question is a "stump the dummy" question, then I agree, it is asinine. If the question is to pass on knowledge or to expand the students mind or thinking ability, then I say it is an academic benefit. If the intent of the question is to get the students nose into the POH, then it is a benefit. The C-172 POH is tiny compared to any aircraft that requires a type rating. If you can get the student into the simpler systems then IMHO, the complex systems will come easier.

There were mechanical lifters in older engines, now they are mostly hydraulic, not part of the hydraulic system but moved by hydraulic action. I think if that distinction were made it would be a valid question.

JAFI

 

[bobbysamd]

Stump the dummy

Bobby, part of me agrees with you and part does not. If the intent of the question is a "stump the dummy" question, then I agree, it is asinine. If the question is to pass on knowledge or to expand the students mind or thinking ability, then I say it is an academic benefit. If the intent of the question is to get the students nose into the POH, then it is a benefit. The C-172 POH is tiny compared to any aircraft that requires a type rating. If you can get the student into the simpler systems then IMHO, the complex systems will come easier.

There were mechanical lifters in older engines, now they are mostly hydraulic, not part of the hydraulic system but moved by hydraulic action. I think if that distinction were made it would be a valid question.

(emphasis added)

That's essentially where I'm coming from. I don't regard hydraulic lifters as being a "hydraulic system." A fair question might be to ask how the lifters of the airplane engine are operated.

I dealt with a lot of this nonsense at ERAU. There were (inbred) ERAU stage check pilots who asked these questions of students, who (1) had no access to the shop manuals or wherever this "information" was found and (2) did not have the question defined sufficiently to answer the question.

A favorite question was the number of fuel pumps in a Seminole. Define "fuel pump." Most people would consider fuel pumps to be the electrically-driven pumps and the engine-driven pumps because these were gizmos that actually moved fluid from tank to engine so the answer is four, two for each engine. However, the answer varied from stage check pilot to stage check pilot, because some believed the throttle pumps were fuel pumps, while others regarded the carburetor pumps as fuel pumps. (I even heard fuel injectors falling under the definition of fuel pump because they "pump" gas into the combustion chambers.) I do not recall of any agreed-upon answer or definition of fuel pump for the Seminole. Answer the question wrong and a student would be downgraded on his/her stage check, so it was critical to provide the "correct" "answer." Riddlers would stress over the answer. For these reasons, I regard many of these questions as asinine.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Upon reflection, I would say that the original question has value in this way:

It can generate "outside the box" thinking. It is an interesting brain teaser more than it is a valid question for evaluation of knowledge. Learning to think outside the box is a good skill to have in aviation, right?

If this question was aked on an oral, then it is a stupid question.

The measure of a question is whether or not the information can be used to enhance safety or efficiency.

For example, the gear pump in some aircraft is bi-directional (for the new folks, that means it spins one way for gear up, the other for gear down).

Why does this matter? Because once you move the gear handle and the pump begins operating, you should not change your mind and move the gear handle again until the gear cycle is complete (it can be hard on the pump).

So, it does not matter much that the pump is bi-directional, other than it helps you understand why once the gear handle is moved, the cycle must be allowed to finish.


Number of rivets? You are a total TOOL if you know this kind of crap. (unless you work at a regional where the toolish check airman with major insecurity issues asks this sort of thing).

 

[bobbysamd]

Number of rivets? You are a total TOOL if you know this kind of crap. (unless you work at a regional where the toolish check airman with major insecurity issues asks this sort of thing).

Or a Riddle tool, etc.

 

[Lead Sled]

What you need to know...

You need to know certain things to fly an airplane. You need to know certain things to build an airplane. Unfortunately, there are those who don't know the difference. It's really too bad when they happen to be in a position to evaluate your performance.

'Sled

 

[minitour]

You need to know certain things to fly an airplane. You need to know certain things to build an airplane. Unfortunately, there are those who don't know the difference. It's really too bad when they happen to be in a position to evaluate your performance.

'Sled

ain't that the truth!!!

 

[JAFI]

You need to know certain things to fly an airplane. You need to know certain things to build an airplane. Unfortunately, there are those who don't know the difference. It's really too bad when they happen to be in a position to evaluate your performance.

'Sled

Lead, Agreed. I think I still go back to intent. Is the question to improve, expand, or help the student learn or for the asker to demonstrate their "superior" knowledge. There are "little" people in positions of authority. My way of dealing with such a person to to think that I only have to deal with them a short time, they on the other hand, have to put up with themselves for a lifetime..... Also turnabout is fair play.

Bobby, we could start a thread of the most stupid aviation questions we have ever heard. I bet we could go on for days. If nothing else it will amuse the members of the board.

Let me start.

"What is the only part of this airplane you can eat?" I was asked this and almost bitch slapped the asker. His answer - "The bean" it is what he called the ball in the turn and slip indicator. It was such a stupid question I got up and left the table.


JAFI