A transport aircraft is flying a 1,200-nautical-mile resupply mission. It flies the first … — Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

A transport aircraft is flying a $1,200$ -nautical-mile resupply mission. It flies the first $600$ nautical miles at a cruising speed of $300$ knots. Due to headwind conditions, it flies the remaining $600$ nautical miles at a reduced speed of $240$ knots. What is the total flight time for this mission?

4 hours 30 minutesAnswer
B
4 hours 50 minutes
C
4 hours 27 minutes
D
2 hours 30 minutes

Answer

4 hours 30 minutes

The correct answer accurately finds the time for each leg of the journey by dividing distance by speed. The first leg takes 2 hours (

600 \div 300

) and the second leg takes 2.5 hours (

600 \div 240

). Combining these yields 4.5 hours, which is equal to 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate the time taken for the first half of the mission.

600 \div 300 = 2

hours.

Time is calculated by dividing the distance by the rate for that specific segment.

Calculate the time taken for the second half of the mission.

600 \div 240 = 2.5

hours.

The rate changed, so this segment's time must be calculated independently using its specific distance and rate.

Add the times of both segments to find the total flight time in hours.

2 + 2.5 = 4.5

hours.

The total duration of the mission is the sum of the time spent on all individual segments.

Convert the fractional hour into minutes.

0.5 \text{ hours} \times 60 \text{ minutes/hour} = 30

minutes. Total time is 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Standard time format requires separating whole hours and converting the remaining fraction into minutes.

Key Concept

Calculating Rate and Time for Multi-leg Journeys

Estimated Time:1m 15s

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