Fundamentals Of Flight Flashcards
Acceleration
Change in speed or velocity in respect to time.
Accelerating at a rate of 3mph
Inertia
An object remains at rest or continues in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
Speed
The rate of movement over a given amount of time
10 knots
Velocity
The speed of an object in a given time.
Mph
Newtons first law
Inertia, and object at rest will remain at rest or an object in motion will continue in motion until acted upon by an outside force
Newtons second law
Force, if an object moving with uniform speed is acted upon by an external force the change of motion will be directly proportional to the amount of force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object being moved.
Newtons third law
Action and reaction, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
What are the wind warnings for small craft, gale and storm?
Small craft: 33 knots or less.
Gale: 34-47 knots.
Storm: 48 knots or greater.
What are the tropical cyclone warnings for a tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane/typhoon?
Tropical depression: 33 knots or less.
Tropical storm: 34-63 knots.
Hurricane/typhoon: 64 knots or greater.
What are the weather warnings for thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms and tornados?
Thunderstorm warning: within 3 miles of the airfield.
Severe thunderstorm warning: wind gusts to 50 knots or greater or hail 3/4 inch in diameter or greater.
Tornado warning? tornados have been sited or detected by radar or have a strong potential to develop in the area.
Define lift in aeronautical terms.
An upward force that supports the aircraft.
Define weight in aeronautical terms.
Downward force acting on the aircraft. Gravity.
Define drag in aeronautical terms.
Force holding an aircraft back. Drag resists motion.
Define thrust in aeronautical terms.
Force that moves the aircraft forward, developed by the engines. Thrust must be greater than drag in order to fly.
Define longitudinal axis in aeronautical terms.
The axis about which roll occurs. Reference line runs from the nose to the tail.
Define lateral axis in aeronautical terms.
The axis about which pitch occurs. Reference line runs parallel to the wings
Define vertical axis in aeronautical terms.
The axis about which yaw occurs. Reference line runs from the top to the bottom of the aircraft.
State the 3 primary movements of the aircraft about the axis.
Pitch: up and down motion about the lateral axis.
Yaw: left or right movement of the nose about the vertical axis.
Roll: the up and down movement of the wing tips about the longitudinal axis.
What are the primary flight controls for fixed wing aircraft?
- lateral control.
- longitudinal control.
- directional control.
What are the primary flight controls for rotary wing aircraft?
- cyclic pitch.
- collective pitch.
- rotary rudder.
State the purpose of the flap control.
Gives the aircraft extra lift in take off and reduces landing speed to shorten the landing length.
State the purpose of the spoiler flight control.
Decreases wing lift by destroying the smooth air flow over the wing surface.
State the purpose of the speed brakes flight control.
Keeps the speed from building too high in dives or landing. Hinged or moveable control surfaces attached to the fuselage or wings.
State the purpose of slats in flight control.
Creates high energy air for catapulting take offs and arrested landings. They are movable control surfaces attached to the leading edge of the wings.
State purpose for the horizontal stabilizer flight control.
Provides stability of the A/C about its lateral axis, [longitudinal stability]
State the purpose of the vertical stabilizer flight control.
Maintains the stability of the aircraft about its vertical axis [directional stability]
State the purpose of the tail rotor flight control.
Counteracts the torque of the main rotor by producing thrust in the opposite direction. also controls the yaw action. Mounted vertically on the outer portion of a helicopters tail.
Define Angle of Attack. [AOA]
The angle at which air hits the airfoil or fuselage.
Explain autorotation.
Allows helicopters to land safely without using engine power by converting inertial energy into a lift to reduce the rate of decent and cushion the landing.
What is the purpose of the shock strut assembly?
It absorbs the shock of the landing in order to sustain the airframe.
What is the purpose of the tires?
Allows the aircraft to roll easily and provide traction during take off and landing.
What is the purpose of the wheel brake assembly?
Used to slow and stop the aircraft and to prevent the aircraft from rolling while parked.
What is the purpose of the retracting and extending mechanism in the landing gears?
Necessary hardware to electrically or hydraulically extend and retract the landing gears.
What is the purpose of the side struts and supports?
Provides lateral strength/support for the landing gear.
What are the 5 basic sections of a jet engine?
- intake: allows ambient air to enter the engine.
- compressor: provides high pressure air to the combustion chambers.
- combustion chamber: fuel enters and combines with compressed air
- turbine: drives compressor & accessories by extracting energy and pressure from combustion gases.
- exhaust: eliminates turbulance in emerging jet giving max velocity.
Describe a turbojet engine.
Projects a column of air to the rear at extremely high velocity to propel the aircraft forward.
Describe a turboshaft engine.
Delivers power through a shaft. used in helicopters.
Describe a turboprop engine.
Gas energy is used to mechanically power and drive a propeller.
Describe a turbofan engine.
The same as a turboprop except the propeller is replaced with a duct enclosed axial flow fan.
Explain the purpose of the APU.
Furnish electrical power when the engine driven generators are not operating and external power is not available. Also provides compressed bleed air for engine starting and environmental control system (air conditioning)
What effects does icing have on naval aircraft?
Decreases lift and increases drag, weight and stalling speed. Decreases A/C efficiency and more power is demanded from the engine. Engine power loss, less aerodynamic efficiency, improper operation of control surfaces, brakes and landing gear, false instrument indications and loss of radios.
What is Bernoulli’s principle?
When a flowing fluid hits a constriction, the speed increases and the pressure decreases.
How does Bernoulli’s principle apply to lift of an aircraft?
When air flow hits the leading edge of the wings, the air is split. The curved top of the wings created a constriction which increases air speed and lowers pressure. the air that goes below the wings still has high pressure because theres no constriction. the high pressure below lifts the aircraft.
One knot is equal to approximately how many miles per hour?
1.1 mph
