Hi everyone,
I have a few questions and I have the exam soon.
If you only have 1 VHF + 1 HF Com and you need an alternate, and that alternate has PAL, do you need to carry 30 minutes holding fuel if flying by day AND/OR night or do you only need the holding fuel if you're flying at night? AIP ENR 1.1 10.7.4.4 doesn't really specify at what time of day you need it.
Will I have to calculate BOD for a certain destination aerodrome in the exam if I need to calculate holding fuel for BOD + 10 mins or will the BOD be given in the question?
The textbook says that you can use Grid LSALT in the calculation of alternate minima and takeoff minima for aerodromes withn no published IAP, however, the regs for visual approach requirements talk specifically about LSALT/MSA for "the last route segment". I looked up the specific definition of a route segment in the ERC low user guide and it says that a route segment has a defined LSALT, track, and distance etc. Doesn't that technically mean you can't use Grid LSALT because it's not a "route segment" LSALT?
Also, I was doing a practice exam and got this question:
The time and frequency on which the next VOLMET for Townsville will be available are -
I selected current time on VHF because I thought you could use the Bellenden Kerr VOLMET (119.75Mhz) or the Mt Blackwood VOLMET (119.85Mhz) but the correct answer was 0330 on HF. Is it based on the fact that you need to be on continuous listening watch on at least 1 VHF frequency and that's why you select the HF VOLMET? I'm a bit confused here as well.
Thank you
Thanks for the questions. There are a few different rules crossing over here, so it is easy to get tangled up in the wording.
For the PAL alternate question, the extra 30 minutes holding fuel is a night requirement, not a day requirement. The key is to read AIP ENR 1.1 para 10.7.4.4 in context. Paragraphs 10.7.4.1, 10.7.4.2 and 10.7.4.3 all begin with “When a flight is planned to land at night…”, and para 10.7.4.4 then continues that same runway-lighting alternate theme by saying that an aerodrome served by PAL may be nominated as an alternate, provided the aircraft has either dual VHF, or single VHF plus HF and 30 minutes holding fuel. Para 10.7.4.5 then adds that these lighting-based alternate requirements do not apply if the aircraft carries holding fuel for first light plus 10 minutes at the destination. So for exam purposes, if the issue is an alternate with PAL, the 30-minute holding fuel requirement applies to the night landing case.
On the BOD / first light plus 10 minutes point, I would not assume the exam will always hand you the time. AIP GEN 2.7 states that NAIPS automatically computes first light and last light, which tells you that this is recognised planning data and may need to be determined as part of a question unless it is given to you. In other words, sometimes the exam may give you the time to save a step, but you should still understand where it comes from.
On the Grid LSALT issue, the practical exam answer is that you can use it where there is no applicable published route-segment LSALT. The Aeronautical Chart User Guide says that air routes are divided into route segments and each route segment contains track, distance and LSALT. However, it then immediately says that the LSALT specified for a route segment is only valid for RNP 2 operations and that for operations other than RNP 2, pilots must use a pilot-calculated LSALT or Grid LSALT. That is the important line. So although the regulation wording refers to LSALT/MSA for the last route segment, that does not mean you are restricted only to a printed route LSALT bubble. If there is no usable published route-segment LSALT for your operation, the applicable LSALT for that final segment may be a pilot-calculated LSALT derived from Grid LSALT. The CASA Part 91 Plain English Guide is consistent with this and states that for day IFR to an aerodrome without an IAP, the alternate minima are LSALT for the final route segment plus 500 feet.
On the Townsville VOLMET question can you help us where that actual Question is ? If it is one of ours it will need to be amended. Based on the current AIP your answer of “the current time on VHF” is a very reasonable one. The AIP VOLMET table shows Bellenden Kerr 119.75 MHz and Mt Blackwood 119.85 MHz as H24 continuous VHF VOLMET services, and both include Townsville in their list. The same table also shows the Australian HF VOLMET as a scheduled broadcast at H+00 to H+05 and H+30 to H+35, which would make 0330 on HF the next HF broadcast after 0312Z. But because Townsville is already available on continuous VHF VOLMET, the wording you quoted supports current time on VHF. I do not think this is about needing to remain on a VHF listening watch and therefore preferring HF. More likely the practice question is out of date .
Hi there, I was scrolling on the forum just now and didn't know there was a response! Thank you for taking the time out your day to help.
I know this post has been made after the news of Bob Tait's passing. My sincere condolences to all his family members, his colleagues, and anyone who had the chance to know him. Never met the man in person but his books have helped me and so many other people in my flight school's theory class that I thought it would be wrong to not show respect for such a remarkable contribution to aviation education in this country. Now, onto the good news!
I passed IREX on the 9th of April with 98% thanks to Bob Tait's book, and all the forum discussions on this website and PPE. I'm so grateful that us pilots have access to such helpful people and detailed theory resources.
From what I can remember from the CASA exam without breaching CAR298A, I can say that the questions were more on the generous side, albeit with some having information that you didn't need to answer the question properly. For one of the alternate questions they actually gave the time for first light, which is pretty good news because it sort of guides you to your answer. Generally, if you knew your stuff about alternate requirements, TAFs, TAF3s, and knowing when to subtract 100 feet or add 50 feet to your landing minima, and when you have to use radio navigation aids to navigate to an alternate, you could pretty easily tell where they were trying to "troll" you.
As for the VOLMET question, I ended up getting a pretty similar question to this in the real thing and the exam supported the idea of using the VHF frequency.
Hi Chris,
Thank you very much for your kind words about Bob. That means a great deal to us.
Bob’s aim was always to make aviation theory understandable, practical, and a little less intimidating. Messages like yours are a lovely reminder of just how many pilots he helped along the way. We are very grateful that you took the time to acknowledge that.
And congratulations on the IREX result — 98% is an outstanding mark. Very well done.
Your comments about the exam are also useful, and you have expressed them in the right way. It is always important that we respect the CASA exam rules and avoid discussing specific exam content, but general comments about study areas and preparation are helpful for other students.
Your point about not being distracted by extra information in a question is a very good one. CASA questions often include more information than is actually required, so students need to slow down and identify exactly what the question is testing. For IREX, that often means being very solid on:
alternate requirements
TAFs and TAF3s
holding requirements
landing minima adjustments
use of actual QNH
remote QNH allowances
radio navigation requirements to an alternate
when particular aids or procedures are required
It is also good to hear your feedback on the VOLMET-style question and the VHF frequency issue. That will help reassure other students who are working through the same topic.
Congratulations again, Chris. Only Navigation and CFPA to go now — you are very close.
Onwards and upwards indeed!