PPL Oral - Aircraft Systems (DA 40NG) Flashcards
Objective: To obtain an in depth understanding of how aircraft systems work generally, with a heavy focus on the DA40 NG
What are the 3 primary flight control surfaces and what do they do?
- Ailerons (Roll)
- Elevator (Pitch)
- Rudder (Yaw)
What is Trim and what is it for?
- Small, adjustable, hinged surfaces on the aileron, rudder, or elevator (most common).
- Used for fine tuning of controls to relieve pressure on the controls.
What flight controls are operated via Cable connections on the DA 40NG?
- Rudder
- Pitch Trim Tab
What flight controls are operated via Pushrod connections on the DA 40NG?
- Ailerons
- Elevator
- Flaps (electronic)
How are the flaps operated on the DA 40NG?
They are electronically controlled by pushrods AND they are interconnected.
What are flaps and what are they for?
- Flaps are moveable panels on the inboard trailing edge of the wings
- When lowered they increase lift and drag, enabling us to make a steeper descent without a large increase in airspeed
What type of landing gear does the DA 40NG have?
1.Fixed Tricycle gear
- Spring steel strut Main Gear
- Free-castering Nose Wheel
Describe the Break System diagram for the DA 40NG.
DRAW IT OUT!
(at least do so in your head)
How does the breaking action occur on the DA 40NG?
Hydraulic fluid provides pressure to break disks and pads which squeez the wheel and the resutling friction causes the plane to stop.
If it can be said that the right seat breaks work, what conclusion can be made about the left seat breaks and why?
In the DA40 NG
- If the Right seat breaks work then you know the Left seat breaks work also.
- This is because the the breaks lines run through the Left TO the right. (The right seat breaks are connected to the rest of the system through the left seat breaks)
What effect does NOT having Wheel Fairings have on the DA 40NG?
- It increases drag and reduces our True Airspeed by 4%
- It decreases our glide distance
Normally, what color is Hydraulic fluid?
Red or pinkish
How do you steer the DA 40NG?
- Differential toe breaking at low speeds.
- Rudder at high speeds
What are the specific things you need to know a about the DA 40NG engine?
- NAME: Austro E4-A
- 165 Horsepower
- Four Cylinder
- Inline
- Common Rail Direct Fuel Injection
- Dual Digital Engine Control (2 ECUs)
- Vibration damper isolates engine from prop
- Its Turbo Charged
- Liquid cooled
- It has glow plugs instead of spark plugs
Get at least 7 of theses correct
How long can you set the power to 100% in the DA 40NG?
5 mins max.
What is Max continuous power (generally and specifically)
- The power setting at which the aircraft is designed to operate continuously
- It is 92% (2100 RPM) in the DA 40NG
What are the four cycles of an internal combustion engine?
- Intake (air and fuel)
- Compression
- Ignition (power stroke)
- Exhaust
How does combustion happen in the DA 40NG?
Combustions occurs by high compression in the cylinders
What is unique about the Austro E4-A compared to most GA aircraft?
- Its a Turbo-Diesel
- Its liquid cooled
- It uses Jet fuel
What does a Carburetor do?
Ads fuel to the air intake, providing the fuel/air mixture needed to induce combustion
How does Carburetor heat work?
Opening the Carb Heat valve allows hot, unfiltered air from around the engine to enter the air intake just before running through the Carburetor
What effect will Carb Heat have on your engine?
Carb Heat will result in a loss of engine power (up to 15%) due to the fact that warm air is less dense than cool air.
What does the Throttle due in the DA 40NG?
Adjusts engine power/load through…
- Mixture
- Prop pitch
- RPM
All done automatically through the ECUs
What does Mixture control do?
The DA40 NG does not have a mixture control knob
Regulates the fuel to air ratio
DA 40 NG: The fuel/air mixture is controlled automatically by the ECUs
What is a lean Mixture?
Less fuel is being introduced into the engine
What is a Rich Mixture?
More fuel is being introduced into the engine
Why, if unchanged, will the mixture become too rich at higher altitudes?
Because air is less dense at higher altitudes, resulting in an excessively rich mixture.
What are Glow Plugs?
- Devices used to heat up the cylinder in a diesel engine to a point at which combustion can freely occur
What are the advantages of having Magnetos AND multiple Spark Plugs per cylinder?
- Increased safety, redundancy in case of failure
- More complete and even combustion will improve performance
What type of fuel system does the DA 40NG have?
Electrical and engine powered fuel pump common rail injection system
Describe the Fuel Schematic for the DA 40NG
DRAW IT OUT!
(at least in your head)
How fast does the fuel flow through our fuel lines in the following scenarios?
- Fuel Pump switch set to ON
- Fuel Selector Emergency & Fuel Pumps Off
- Fuel Pumps on = 60-63 gal PER HOUR (up to 71gph according to the diamond slideshow)
- Fuel Selector Emergency & Fuel Pumps Off = 45 gal PER HOUR
Approximately how fast does our Fuel Transfer Pump transfer fuel between tanks?
At about 1gal PER MIN or 60 gal per hour
When the Fuel Selector Valve is on Normal, which fuel tank is the engine running on?
The left wing tank
How many fuel pumps does our aircraft have?
There are 4:
- High pressure engine driven fuel pump
- ECU A fuel pump
- ECU B fuel pump
- Fuel Transfer Pump
Will you be able to transfer fuel from the Right tank to the Left (main tank) tank if the Fuel Transfer Pump is broken?
Yes
1. By turning the fuel selector valve to Emergency
- Now the engine will draw fuel from the Right tank and the excess will flow into the Left tank
Which tank is our Main fuel Tank?
The Left wing fuel tank
What happens when the fuel selector valve is switched to Emergency?
- Engine will use fuel from the Right tank
- Excess fuel gets dumped into the Left tank and will overflow eventually
How much fuel can each tank hold?
19.5 gal
What is our max indicated fuel?
28 gal total, 14 gal per tank
What is our max Usable Fuel?
39 gal
What is our full fuel amount?
41 gal (39 usable)
What is the maximum fuel imballance?
9 gal
When the Right tank is full, how will you know when you have reached the maximum fuel imbalance?
At about 10 gal indicated in the Left tank
How long will the main battery last if your alternator fails?
- 30 mins at most
BUT - There is NO guarantee because the battery may be old
*After the Main Battery is drained, the engine will be powered by the ECU backup batteries.
How long will the Backup ECU batteries last?
About 30 mins
How long will the Emergency Battery last
About 1.5hrs
What happens if you leave the Fuel Transfer Pump on indefinitely?
It will eventually stop once the Left tank becomes full at 19.5 gal.
What happens to the Fuel Return when the Fuel Selector is in the Emergency Position?
- It will continue to transfer fuel to the Left tank through the return line
- The Left tank will eventually fill and start to overflow through the fuel dump
Since our max indicated fuel per tank is 14gal, what must we do to determine the actual amount of fuel in each tank?
You must use the fuel quantity measuring device and the AFM to find the exact fuel available.
What is especially unique about the Austro E4-A engine?
Its a Turbo-Diesel
What color is Jet fuel?
Clear to straw colored
What position must the rear door be in when flying?
Unlocked
Above what RPM is considered Propeller Overspeed?
Above 2300 RPM
What happens if you move the throttle to full too quickly?
You risk Propeller Overspeed
What is the max and min oil Quantity ?
7L = Max
5L = Min
What kind of Oil can we use?
- 5W-30
- 5W-40
- OW-40
Will your engine run/start if its accidentally fueled with AvGas?
NO
What powers our standby Attitude Gyro?
It is electrically powered
Describe our Propeller
- NAME: MTV-6
- 3 blade
- Constant Speed
- Hydraulically operated
- Wooden (composite) with plastic coating and metal edge
- Coated with PU tape near the hub
*They are made this way because they provide the lowest weight, while minimizing vibration
What controls the pitch of the propeller?
- The ECUs via the prop governor
How? - Via an electro-mechanical actuator
What type of engine lubricating system does our engine have?
Wet Sump
What is a Wet Sump oil system vs a Dry Sump oil system for oil?
Wet Sump system = Oil sits in a drain pan
Dry Sump System = Oil sits in a reservoir
What purposes does oil serve for an engine?
- Lubrication
- Cooling
- Prevents corrosion
- Cleans out contaminants
- Seals parts of the engine
What are some secondary flight controls?
- Trim
- Flaps
- Spoilers
Why do we sump fuel?
To look for…
1. Water
2. Dirt
3. Improper fuel
If the Alternator fails, will our Engine fail as well?
Yes
- after the main battery and ECU backup batteries are depleted
What are the 4 main components of an electrical system?
- Sources (alternator, battery)
- Distribution (buses)
- Consumers (electronics)
- Storage (batteries)
How many batteries does our aircraft have?
5 in total:
- Main battery (24v 13.6A)
- ECU A Backup battery (12V 7.2A )
- ECU B Backup battery (12V 7.2A)
- Emergency battery (30v)
- ELT battery (6v)
s
What is the Voltage/Amps of all 5 batteries on our aircraft?
- Main Battery - 24V, 13.6A
- ECU A Backup battery - 12V, 7.2A
- ECU B Backup battery - 12V, 7.2A
- Emergency Battery - 30V (Three 10v batteries)
- ELT Battery - 6V
How many Volts and Amps is our Alternator?
28v
70A
If the Left (main) fuel tank becomes unusable and you have to switch the Selector to Emergency, what happens to your fuel flow?
Fuel flow will increase dramatically to about 60 gal per hour (with fuel pumps switched on), or 45 gal per hour (fuel pumps off).
So if you had 15 gal in the R tank, you will only have 15 mins of fuel remaining.
Pumps On: Up to 71gph according to the Diamond Systems slideshow
How many Volts and Amps is our Main Battery?
24v
13.6A
If your Alternator fails, what will power your aircraft next, and how long will that last?
- The Main battery (24v 13.6A) MIGHT last 30 mins
- ECU backup batteries will last 30 mins
If your Alternator fails and your Main Battery is emptied, how will the engine be powered and for how long?
The ECU Backup Batteries will power ECU B, keeping your engine running for another 30 mins
What is the DA 40NG Gearbox reduction ratio?
1:1.69
What exactly does the Gearbox do and why?
- It ensures that the Prop is at a lower RPM than the engine
- This is because automotive engines run at higher RPMs than a Propeller can be efficient at, thereby necessitating the need for an RPM reducer for the propeller.
Where does our prop governor get its oil from?
It uses Gearbox oil
What will happen if your ECU B Backup battery fails?
ECU A Backup Battery and ECU A will also fail because they are wired in series (together) with ECU Backup Battery B
What will turning on the Essential Bus do?
- Eliminate all unnecessary electrical equipment to increase battery life
- Everything NOT on the Essential Bus circuit breaker will be INOP.
What does a BUS do?
It distributes power to the electrical components
What are the 4 divisions of an Electrical System?
- Power Generation
- Storage
- Distribution
- Consumers
How many BUS’s do we have and what are they?
We have 7:
- Hot Battery BUS
- Battery BUS 1
- Battery BUS 2
- ECU BUS
- Main BUS
- Essential BUS
- Avionic BUS
What does the Hot Battery Bus do?
Distributes power to the…
1. Accessory plug
2. ELT
How is our electrical equipment protected from circuit overload?
Via the Circuit Brakers
What does the Ammeter do?
It displays..
- The current/Amps being supplied to electrical equipment by the Alternator
- The electrical load being placed on the alternator for either Consumers or to recharge the battery