FAA Ground School Practice Test

How far will an aircraft travel in 2.5 minutes with a groundspeed of 98 knots?

1. 3.5 nautical miles

2. 4.08 nautical miles

3. 4.25 nautical miles

4. 5.0 nautical miles

The correct answer is: 4.08 nautical miles

To determine how far an aircraft will travel in a given time at a specific groundspeed, you can use the formula: Distance = Groundspeed × Time In this case, the aircraft has a groundspeed of 98 knots and is traveling for 2.5 minutes. First, it is important to convert the time from minutes to hours because groundspeed in knots is nautical miles per hour. 2.5 minutes can be converted to hours by dividing by 60: 2.5 minutes ÷ 60 minutes/hour = 0.04167 hours (approximately) Now, apply the formula with the given groundspeed: Distance = 98 knots × 0.04167 hours ≈ 4.083 nautical miles. When the calculated distance is rounded, it results in approximately 4.08 nautical miles, which corresponds to the answer selected. This option represents the correct calculation of distance covered in that time frame, given the specified groundspeed.