Drone Basic Exam (RPAS) Mock Exam 1

All 35 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. How do you register a drone in Canada?

   1. Online through the Drone Management Portal
   2. By mailing a paper form to NAV CANADA
   3. In person at a Service Canada office near you
   4. Through the store where the drone was bought

2. For drone operations, which classes count as controlled airspace?

   1. Only Class F restricted areas
   2. Classes C, D, F and G
   3. Classes A, B, C, D and E
   4. Classes A, B and C only

3. Icing conditions are forecast along your route. When may you fly?

   1. Only with de-icing/anti-icing gear or icing detection
   2. Any time, since small drones are too warm to collect ice
   3. Only if the air temperature stays above minus 20 °C
   4. Only if you keep the flight shorter than 10 minutes

4. Where must the registration number appear?

   1. On the controller or the phone used to fly
   2. On the case or bag the drone is carried in
   3. Clearly visible on the drone itself
   4. Only on the certificate kept in your pocket

5. Your drone briefly touches a spectator's shoulder without injuring them. What must you do?

   1. Stop for 24 hours, then resume without changes
   2. Land, change the battery and carry on with care
   3. Stop flying until the cause is analysed and fixed
   4. Keep flying if the person says they are fine

6. What does a drone's inertial measurement unit (IMU) do?

   1. Records video and stores it on the memory card in flight
   2. Calculates the remaining battery time from the motor speed
   3. Senses motion and attitude with gyros and accelerometers
   4. Measures the distance to the controller using radio signals

7. Which flight is still a basic operation?

   1. A 2 kg drone in uncontrolled airspace, 40 m from the nearest bystander
   2. A 30 kg drone in uncontrolled airspace, far from any people at all
   3. A 2 kg drone inside a control zone, 40 m from the nearest bystander
   4. A 2 kg drone in uncontrolled airspace, 20 m from a passer-by walking a dog

8. An airport's Class D control zone has its tower closed for the night. What does the airspace become?

   1. Class B controlled airspace
   2. Class E controlled airspace
   3. Class G uncontrolled airspace
   4. Class F advisory airspace

9. Before take-off, what distance must the pilot determine?

   1. How far the drone can go without endangering anyone
   2. How far the controller's maximum radio range reaches
   3. How far the drone could glide if all motors stopped
   4. How far the nearest hospital is from the launch site

10. In dry air, about how much does the temperature drop as you climb 1,000 ft?

    1. About 0.5 °C
    2. It always rises with height
    3. About 10 °C
    4. About 3 °C

11. On a map with a scale of 1:20,000, what does 1 cm represent on the ground?

    1. 20 kilometres
    2. 200 metres
    3. 20 metres
    4. 2 kilometres

12. How does a wing or rotor blade produce lift?

    1. By heating the air beneath it so that the air rises
    2. By storing static electricity across its upper surface
    3. By creating lower pressure above it and pushing air downward
    4. By spinning fast enough to cancel out gravity entirely

13. At night, a faint light disappears when you look straight at it. What should you do?

    1. Close both eyes for a few seconds and look again
    2. Stare harder at the exact spot where it was
    3. Turn the controller screen to full brightness
    4. Look about 10 to 15 degrees to one side of it

14. How can you avoid 'empty field myopia' when scanning a clear blue sky?

    1. Stare at one point in the sky for a long time
    2. Close one eye and scan with the other one only
    3. Wear polarized sunglasses for the whole flight
    4. Focus first on a distant cloud edge or tree line

15. The manufacturer lists a 30-minute flight time. Why plan for less?

    1. Transport Canada caps every drone flight at 20 minutes
    2. Wind, cold and battery age can shorten the real endurance
    3. The listed time includes the time spent charging
    4. Endurance figures only apply to drones flown indoors

16. In which airspace classes is a transponder always required?

    1. Classes F and G only
    2. Classes A, B and C
    3. Classes D and E only
    4. Classes C, D and E

17. Your registered drone crashed into a lake and cannot be recovered. What must you do?

    1. Notify Transport Canada within 7 days
    2. Notify Transport Canada within 30 days
    3. Notify Transport Canada within 60 days
    4. Nothing, the registration simply expires after a year

18. You fly in uncontrolled airspace but pass 15 m from a jogger who is not part of your flight. What kind of operation is that?

    1. A basic operation, as long as you stay above 100 ft
    2. A basic operation, because the airspace is uncontrolled
    3. A microdrone operation, with no distance rule at all
    4. An advanced operation that needs an advanced certificate

19. Connecting two identical LiPo battery packs in series does what?

    1. Halves both the voltage and the capacity
    2. Leaves both the voltage and capacity the same
    3. Doubles the capacity while voltage stays the same
    4. Doubles the voltage while capacity stays the same

20. What does Transport Canada's policy say about cannabis and drone crew duties?

    1. No limit applies, as long as you feel unimpaired when flying
    2. Abstain for at least 28 days before acting as a crew member
    3. Abstain for at least 24 hours, unless it is for medical use
    4. Abstain for at least 12 hours, the same as for alcohol

21. What does a basic pilot need to fly a drone at night?

    1. A visual observer with binoculars at a second site
    2. An SFOC from Transport Canada for each night flight
    3. Lights on the drone that keep it visible, switched on
    4. A special night rating added to the pilot certificate

22. How long after drinking alcohol must you wait before acting as a drone crew member?

    1. At least 8 hours
    2. At least 12 hours
    3. Until you feel sober
    4. At least 4 hours

23. Which frequency do pilots use at uncontrolled aerodromes that have no assigned frequency?

    1. 123.2 MHz
    2. 126.7 MHz
    3. 121.5 MHz
    4. 2.4 GHz

24. Which practice does Transport Canada recommend to respect privacy when flying?

    1. Delete the footage only if someone complains about it later
    2. Tell people about the flight and get consent before recording them
    3. Fly only after dark so that people cannot see the drone recording
    4. Keep the camera pointed down only when passing over backyards

25. Which publication gives the official limits of each airspace class in Canada?

    1. The Designated Airspace Handbook (DAH)
    2. The drone's manufacturer flight manual
    3. The Canada Flight Supplement (CFS)
    4. The Canadian Aviation Regulations, Part IX

26. In basic operations, how far must a small drone stay from people not involved in the flight?

    1. At least 150 m (500 ft) horizontally
    2. At least 15 m (50 ft) horizontally
    3. At least 30 m (100 ft) horizontally
    4. At least 5 m (16.4 ft) horizontally

27. You sell your drone. What must you give the buyer?

    1. Your flight log of every pilot who ever flew it
    2. Your pilot certificate number and proof of recency
    3. Your registration certificate so they can keep using it
    4. The records of maintenance, modifications and repairs

28. How long must records of repairs and modifications to a drone be kept?

    1. 6 months
    2. 10 years
    3. 24 months
    4. 12 months

29. May you fit an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) to your drone so you can find it after a crash?

    1. Yes, if it stays switched off until the drone is lost
    2. Yes, if you register the ELT with search and rescue first
    3. Yes, ELTs are required on drones heavier than 1 kg
    4. No, ELTs are banned on drones; other trackers are fine

30. A thunderstorm is approaching your site. What is the safest choice?

    1. Do not take off; land if you are already flying
    2. Climb above 400 ft to get over the turbulence
    3. Fly under the storm, where the air looks clear
    4. Fly quickly to finish the job before the rain starts

31. Which situation must your written emergency procedures cover?

    1. Loss of the command and control link
    2. A delay in delivering photos to the client
    3. A complaint from a neighbour about noise
    4. A change in the weather forecast for tomorrow

32. Who can be the registered owner of a drone in Canada?

    1. Any adult visiting Canada with a valid passport and a visa
    2. Any person of any age living in Canada, with a parent's consent
    3. A foreign company with a sales office somewhere in Canada
    4. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is at least 14

33. Which rule applies when you use a visual observer?

    1. One observer may watch up to five drones in a basic flight
    2. The observer may also drive the vehicle you launch from
    3. The observer must hold an advanced pilot certificate
    4. You and the observer must keep reliable, timely communication

34. How far from the centre of a certified heliport must a basic operation stay?

    1. At least 1 NM
    2. At least 3 NM
    3. At least 0.5 NM
    4. At least 5 NM

35. In attitude (ATTI) mode with no GPS hold, what will a multirotor do in a steady wind?

    1. Fly back to the take-off point on its own
    2. Hold its exact position over the ground
    3. Land immediately and shut down its motors
    4. Stay level but drift with the wind