Aircraft Systems

Question 1

What’s the accessory box?

Answer 1

Gearbox for vacuum pump (for gyroscope: heading and attitude indicators)

Question 2

What’s a Wet sump

Answer 2

oil in tank at engine base

Question 3

What’s a Dry sump

Answer 3

oil in separate tank

Question 4

What could cause the engine to run rough?

Answer 4

Uneven fuel distribution (therefore, mixture) in different cylinders caused by running too lean

Question 5

Intake frozen. What do you do?

Answer 5

use carb heat!

Question 6

What’s Afterfire?

Answer 6

Fuel burns in exhaust pipe

Question 7

What’s backfire?

Answer 7

Fire back into intake valves

Question 8

What is preignition and what causes it? What are the signs and how do you fix it? What’s the difference between preignition and detonation?

Answer 8

It’s uncontrolled ignition prior to spark plug firing. Caused by hot spot on cylinder wall or in engine.
Sign is loss of power.
Fix by reducing power and enriching mixture, opening cowl flaps if equipped.
Detonation likely occurs in all cylinders while preignition can occur in just one or two.

Question 9

What’s detonation? What can it cause and how do you fix it? What are the signs?

Answer 9

Spontaneous combustion due to hi temps in cylinder. Instead of smooth combustion, causes sharp explosion.
Can cause cylinder damage due to hi temps, too lean, steep climb
Fix by reducing power, increase mixture for cooling
Signs are unexplained loss of engine power and overheating

Question 10

Ignition includes

Answer 10

throttle, mixture

Question 11

Benefits of leaning mixture

Answer 11

Save fuel, prevent lead deposit forming inside cylinders

Question 12

Benefits of rich mixture

Answer 12

Lower exhaust and cylinder temps

Question 13

Causes and fix for lead fouling

Answer 13

Caused by mixture being too rich

Fix by leaning mixture

Question 14

A difference between fuel distribution to different cylinders causes ___

Answer 14

Some to cylinders to run rich and others lean, resulting in the engine running rough

Question 15

The pitot/static system runs what instruments?

Answer 15

Altimeter, vertical speed indicator, airspeed indicator

Question 16

The static port alone runs what instrument?

Answer 16

altimeter

Question 17

The pitot alone runs what instrument?

Answer 17

airspeed indicator

Question 18

What runs the gyroscope, and what instruments depend on it?

Answer 18

Run by vacuum or electric. Heading indicator, turn coordinator, attitude indicator

Question 19

What’s a manifold?

Answer 19

if carburetor - delivers air/fuel mixture to cylinders. if fuel injected, delivers only air to cylinders where fuel is then injected

Question 20

What’s a carburetor?

Answer 20

mixes air and fuel using venturi

Question 21

intake valve lets air flow from where into where?

Answer 21

manifold to the cylinder