ATPL Intensive Program (IP) Practice Exam 2025 - Free Pilot License Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer is based on ICAO standards pertaining to radar separation distances for aircraft during approach and landing phases, specifically for heavy airplanes. When a heavy aircraft is following another heavy aircraft on approach for the same runway, the established minimum radar separation distance is indeed 7.4 km or 4 nautical miles.

This separation is crucial to ensure that wake turbulence, which can be particularly significant behind heavy aircraft, does not adversely affect the following aircraft. The ICAO guidelines are designed to enhance safety in busy airspace, particularly during final approach when aircraft are operating at lower speeds and altitudes where they are more susceptible to the effects of turbulence created by preceding aircraft.

In the context of the other options, while they represent different separation distances, they do not align with the established ICAO standards for this specific situation. Therefore, recognizing the correct separation minimum helps pilots and air traffic controllers maintain safe distances between aircraft, particularly in the potentially hazardous environment of an approach to landing.