FAA Ground School Practice Test

When a pilot is given the advisory "TRAFFIC 3 OCLOCK, 2 MILES, WESTBOUND," where should they look for the traffic?

1. North

2. East

3. South

4. West

The correct answer is: South

When a pilot receives the advisory "TRAFFIC 3 OCLOCK, 2 MILES, WESTBOUND," they should look in the direction indicated by the clock refers to their position in the cockpit. The term "3 o'clock" means that the traffic is located to the pilot's right side. Given that the traffic is also described as "WESTBOUND," it indicates the direction in which the other aircraft is flying. If the traffic is flying westbound and located at 3 o'clock, it means the traffic is moving towards the west from the pilot’s right side, aligning the visual observation towards the west. To clarify the answers in the context of this question: if the traffic is at 3 o'clock and heading west, then the pilot should specifically look westward to locate the other aircraft. This underscores the importance of understanding both the time-based direction and the compass direction for effective situational awareness in aviation.