Loads and Load Factors Flashcards
How is airplane strength measure?
Airplane strength is measured by the total load the wings are able to carry
What does the load imposed on the wings depend on?
They depend on the type of flight
The wings must not only support the weight of the airplane but it must also support?
It must also support the loads imposed during maneuvers
What is WING LOADING?
wing loading is the GROSS WEIGHT of the airplane divided by the AREA of the lifting surfaces
How is wing loading expressed?
It is expressed in (Ib. per sq. ft)
ex. Number of each Ib the sq ft of lifting surface must support.
What is SPAN LOADING?
Span loading is the GROSS WEIGHT divided by the SPAN
How is span loading expressed?
Span loading is expressed in (Ib. per foot)
What is POWER LOADING?
power loading is the GROSS WEIGHT divided by the HORSEPOWER of the engine(s)
How is power loading expressed?
Power loading is expressed in (Ib. per hp)
What is a DEAD LOAD?
dead load is the weight of an airplane standing on the ground alone
What is the additional loading called when the airplane is in flight?
It is called a LIVE LOAD
How does the weight of the airplane increase when it is in flight?
The weight of the airplane increases many times by ACCELERATION
What is the definition of acceleration?
the definition of acceleration is (rate of change of speed or by the change of direction)
What is the LOAD FACTOR?
it is the RATIO of the actual load acting on the GROSS WEIGHT of the airplane
(ratio of live load to dead load)
what happens when the airplane is in LEVEL FLIGHT?
when the airplane is in level flight the wings is exactly equal to the weight of the airplane
What is the load factor when the airplane is in level flight?
When the airplane is in level flight the load factor is 1
What happens when the maneuvers changes?
When the maneuver changes and causes acceleration. Centrifugal forces enters and bring a change in the load factor
What happens in a level turn at a bank angle of 30 degrees?
the load factor of the wings is increased to 1.15
What happens in a level turn at a bank angle of 60 degrees?
the load factor of the wings is increased to 2
What is the LANDING LOAD FACTOR?
it is the total load acting upwards on the wheels in a hard landing
What would the landing load factor be if the load acting upwards on the wheels were three times the weight of the airplane in the hard landing?
The landing factor in this case would be 3
what does the load factor of 3 expressed?
The load factor of 3 expresses 3G
What does the letter G refer to?
The letter G refers to the word ‘Gravity’
What does 3G mean?
3G means that the load on the wings equal to three times the weight of the airplane due to gravity alone
What are LIMIT LOAD FACTORS?
limit load factors are the maximum limit to which an aircraft is designed
Is it possible to exceed the limits load factors?
yes it is possible
Should the limit load factors be exceeded?
No, it shouldn’t be exceeded intentionally because there is a possibility of causing permanent set or distortion of the structure
List 5 flight maneuvers that imposed high load factors
1) Steep turns
2) Pull-outs
3) flick rolls
4) tail slides
5) inverted loops
What happens to an airplane that is flying at TWICE ITS STALL SPEED if the angle of attack is abruptly increased to maximum lift?
The load factor would be 4
What would the load factor at 3 times the stall speed be?
the load factor would be 9G
What would the load factor at 4 times the stall speed be?
the load factor would be 16G
Can weight result in high load factors?
yes
What happens when the airplane is heavily loaded?
When the airplane is heavily loaded the allowable factors will reduce accordingly and the pilot is likely to damage the structure in the maneuvers that would normally be safe.
What should a pilot do in any degree of turbulence?
In any degree of turbulence it is important to reduce the air speed to prevent damage to the airplane structure
What are gusts?
Gusts are rapid and irregular fluctuations of varying intensity in the upward and downward movement of air currents (strong rush of wind)
What is Gust load?
when the total lift were to exceed the total weight by a factor of —– the airplane would experience —G acceleration
Ex. factor of 2 would experience 2G acceleration
encounter with any degree of turbulence, the airspeed should be reduce to what?
it should be reduce to the maneuvering speed
What is the maneuvering speed?
Its the maximum speed in which the controls can be made without exceeding the design limit load factor and damaging the airplane structure
what does POH stand for?
Pilot operating handbook
Normal category airplanes are certified to withstand what load factor?
They are certified to withstand 3.8G
What is the maneuvering speed when the load factor is 3.8G?
the maneuvering speed is 1.9 times the stall speed at gross weight
How many airspeed fluctuations those a light turbulence cause?
5 to 15 knots
How many airspeed fluctuations those a severe turbulence cause?
25 knots
How happens to the stall speed when weight decreases?
when weight decreases so does the stall speed
The airplane can only go at maneuvering speed when..
the airplane is at gross weight
When in a turbulence what is the safest airspeed?
Depending on the total weight of the aircraft. The safest speed ranges bet. 1.6 and 1.9 times the flaps-up, power-off stall speed.
(speed below maneuvering speed but above the stall)
What is the accepted procedure for a flight when it is in a turbulence?
1) Keep wings level
2) maintain a normal pitch attitude and move controls smoothly and slowly to recover from attitude displacement.
What do you not want to do when your flight is in a turbulence?
do not try to maintain altitude
What is important to do when your flight is in turbulence?
Try to maintain attitude and airspeed
