Final answer:
Flight plans must be changed with ATC if the aircraft's speed changes by more than 5% or 0.01 mach, which corresponds to option B. FAA regulations mandate that commercial airliners maintain specific distances from other aircraft for safety reasons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to air traffic control regulations regarding flight paths for commercial airliners. Specifically, when a pilot must change a flight plan with air traffic control (ATC) if the aircraft's speed varies beyond certain thresholds. The correct answer is: Flight plans must be changed with ATC if a change of more than 5% or 0.01 mach. Therefore, the correct option is B) 5%, 0.01 mach.
To prevent collisions and maintain safe airspace management, commercial airliners are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and must abide by strict rules regarding position and altitude. Each airplane must maintain designated distances from other aircraft: a horizontal distance of five miles at the same altitude, and a vertical separation of 2,000 feet (or 1,000 feet if the altitude is below 29,000 feet). Moreover, parallels can be drawn between the rigid constraints imposed on an airliner's flight path and the restrictions on electron positions within the realm of quantum mechanics.