Hi Bob and Richard,
I have an Air Law Question,
I have a query about the wording of a question which I think is grammatically confusing in its presentation and I’m wondering if I am barking up the wrong tree??
Location is Air Law Questions, General Revision, page 2.51, Question No 24.
Q 24. When departing the circuit from a non-towered aerodrome, the earliest point at which you may normally make a turn in the direction of the circuit is-
(a) At 500ft AGL (This is marked as the correct answer)
(b) You are at least 1500ft above the aerodrome elevation (this is the one I chose, its wrong)
(c) Past the departure end of the runway and at circuit height
(d) Past the departure end of the runway and 500ft above circuit height
This statement “departing the circuit” (Dictionary: Departing-to go away from or leave) in the question confused me and led me to believe I needed to state why I was able to depart the circuit and the second part, “the earliest point at which you may normally make a turn in the direction of the circuit is”- I perceived this as climbing and leaving the circuit and flying a standard leg direction above circuit height due to the first wording in the question, asking me to depart the circuit. (Confusing) So my thinking was selecting what I thought was the most appropriate wording in the answers to the situation and selected 1500ft AGL so it gave me at least 500ft clearance above circuit height to avoid conflict but I was very hesitant with this answer due to maybe high performance aircraft being at 1500ft AGL circuit height in a CTAF environment. And AIP, ENR 1.1, 43.1 Departure Information, “Pilots depart by extending one of the standard circuit legs and not execute a turn opposite the circuit direction unless well outside circuit area 3nm from departure end of the runway and pilots of departing aircraft should be aware of traffic intending to join the circuit by the recommended overfly procedure, as they can be 2000ft or higher above aerodrome elevation”
Would the question be better expressed as the key wording in AIP ENR 1.1, 41.1.4(your reference to the answer) “During the initial climb-out”, so the question could look like this
Q 24. “During the initial climb-out” from a non-towered aerodrome, the earliest point at which you may normally make a turn in the direction of the circuit is-
(a) At 500ft AGL (answer)
(b) You are at least 1500ft above the aerodrome elevation
(c) Past the departure end of the runway and at circuit height
(d) Past the departure end of the runway and 500ft above circuit height
If I was presented with this question in the PEXO exam I still would follow the "meaning of departing" and expect that I was leaving the circuit.
Cheers,

The question actually says 'the earliest point at which you can make a turn in the direction of the circuit'. So that's a normal circuit after-take off turn of 500 feet. One recommended method of departing the circuit is to extend one of the legs of the circuit until you are well clear of circuit traffic. The earliest point at which you could do that would be to turn onto the cross-wind leg at 500 feet AGL.

Yes I was barking up the wrong tree, thanks Bob.

I have done it many times on Navex (not barked up the wrong tree). Departed Rwy 17 turned left onto xwind at 500 ft, extended the leg and given a departure call from circuit with intentions (alt,track and time) for first arrival point of Navex.
So the question was always about departure, just when can I make that first turn.

Cheers