If you hold at altitude and maintain a cruise speed of 120 knots for 30 minutes, what distance have you traveled?

• A. 60 NM
• B. 30 NM
• C. 90 NM
• D. 120 NM

Answer: (A)

Distance traveled equals speed times time, with speed in knots and time in hours so the result is in nautical miles. At 120 knots for 30 minutes, convert 30 minutes to hours: 0.5 hours. Multiply 120 by 0.5 to get 60 nautical miles. Keeping a constant cruise speed means altitude doesn’t affect the distance, only the time at that speed does. For quick cross-checks, 60 minutes at 120 knots would be 120 NM, 15 minutes would be 30 NM, and 45 minutes would be 90 NM, all consistent with the same relationship.