FAA Ground School Practice Test

If an aircraft departs from a Central Standard Time zone at 0845 CST for a 2-hour flight to a Mountain Standard Time zone, what is the UTC landing time?

1. 1545Z

2. 1645Z

3. 1745Z

4. 1845Z

The correct answer is: 1645Z

To determine the UTC landing time, it's essential to first convert the departure time from Central Standard Time (CST) to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Central Standard Time is typically UTC-6 hours. Therefore, if the aircraft departs at 0845 CST, you would add 6 hours to convert this to UTC. Calculating this gives us: - 0845 CST + 6 hours = 1445 UTC. Next, the flight duration is 2 hours. To find the landing time in UTC, you add this flight duration to the converted departure time: - 1445 UTC + 2 hours = 1645 UTC. Thus, the UTC landing time is 1645Z. This aligns with the correct choice, reflecting accurate time zone conversions and understanding of the flight’s duration.