Principles of Flight 2 (not vocabulary) Flashcards
What 3 lines are all airfoils comprised of?
Leading edge
Trailing Edge
Chord line
What do the leading edge, trailing edge, and chord line comprise?
An Airfoil
What is the Chord line?
An Imaginary straight line joining the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil. It shows where the end points represent the maximum radius/length.
What is the imaginary straight line whose end points represent the maximum radius/length of the airfoil.
The Chord line
What are the 6 types of airfoils?
Fuselage Wing Propeller Horizontal stabilizer Vertical tail surface Helicopter rotor
What are a fuselage, wing, propeller, horizontal stabilizer, vertical tail surface, and helicopter rotor all types of?
Airfoils
What are the 3 airfoils that produce upward lift?
Wing
Horizontal stabilizer
Helicopter rotor
Do a wing, horizontal stabilizer, and helicopter rotor all produce upward lift?
Yes
What airfoil produces forward lift?
The Propeller
What type of lift does the propeller produce?
Forward lift
What are the 3 types of Cambers?
Equal curvature
Top Convex Bottom Flat
Top Convex bottom Concave
Can you draw basic examples of all 3 basic Camber types? Refer to study guide for answer.
See study guide
What are the two types of propellers?
Fixed pitch
Variable pitch
What is the defining characteristic of a fixed pitch propeller?
The Blade angle cannot be adjusted.
What is the defining characteristic of a variable pitch propeller?
The blade angle can be adjusted.
Is a variable pitch propeller more efficient than a fixed pitch propeller?
Yes
When is the small pitch angle on a variable pitch propeller used?
Takeoff (hold palm facing you)
When is the large pitch angle on a variable pitch propeller used?
When the aircraft is cruising (rotate palm 90 degrees from facing you).
What are the two ways to generate lift?
Airflow over an airfoil increases its speed, reducing pressure above the foil (Bernoulli)
Air striking the bottom of an airfoil and pushing it upwards (Newton’s 3rd)
What 5 factors determine how much lift is produced?
Wing shape Wing size Angle of attack Speed Air density
In what 2 basic directions can wind flow relative to the direction of flight?
Parallel
Opposite
What force pushes up?
Lift
What force pushes down?
Weight
What force pushes forward?
Thrust
What force pushes backwards?
Drag
Is air warmer closer to the surface of the earth?
Yes
For every 1000 feet of elevation, how much does the temperature of the air decrease on average in Celsius?
About 2 degrees Celsius
For every ______ feet, the temperate of the air falls about 2 degrees celsius
1000 feet
Which is denser? Warm air or cold air?
Cold air
What is air pressure?
The weight of the air at a given point.
What is the weight of the air called?
Air pressure.
What is standard sea level pressure measured in inches of mercury?
29.92 inches
Does air pressure decrease with altitude?
Yes
Why does air pressure decrease with altitude?
The higher you go, the less air there is.
If the air is denser, is there more air pressure?
Yes
Is there a positive correlation between air density and air pressure?
Yes
What is humidity?
Water vapor in the air
Do higher or lower air temperatures allow for higher humidity?
Higher air temperatures allow for more humidity
Does air density increase with humidity?
Yes
What is air density?
The mass of air per unit volume
What is the mass of air per unit volume?
Air density
What does a higher Density Altitude (DA) mean for air density?
A higher DA means lower air density
Does lower air density reduce aircraft performance?
Yes
In what four ways does lower air density reduce aircraft performance?
Longer takeoff/landing roll
Slower climb rate
Higher landing speed
Reduced engine power
What three axes control the orientation of the aircraft?
Longitudinal
Lateral
Vertical
What is the line of the Longitudinal axes?
Horizontal line from nose to tail
What is turning on the longitudinal axes referred to as?
Roll
What 2 things does the longitudinal axes control?
Heading
Bank Angle
What is the line of the Lateral axes?
Horizontal line from wingtip to wingtip
What is turning on the lateral axes referred to as?
Pitch
What 2 things does the lateral axes control?
Angle of attack
Altitude
What is the line of the Vertical axes?
Vertical line through center of gravity point
What is turning on the vertical axes referred to as?
Yaw
What 2 things does the vertical axes control?
Streamlined motion
Left/right alignment of longitudinal axes
What are the 3 primary control surfaces?
Ailerons
Elevator
Rudder
What does the Aileron Control?
Roll
Where is the Aileron normally located?
The trailing edges of the wings
How do the Aileron’s move?
Simultaneously and opposite of each other (one up, one down)
What is Adverse yaw?
When the nose yaws opposite of the turn direction.
What causes adverse yaw?
Drag on the down aileron
How are the Ailerons controlled?
By turning the yoke left/right like a steering wheel.
What does the elevator control?
Pitch
Where is the elevator normally located?
On the trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer
How is the elevator controlled?
By pushing or pulling the yoke
What happens when you push the yoke forward?
descend
What happens when you pull the yoke back
Climb
What does the rudder control?
The yaw
Where is the rudder normally located
Rear of the tail
What controls the rudder?
The foot pedals
What are the secondary control surfaces?
Trim tabs
Flaps
What are the trim tabs?
Small versions of each of the primary surfaces
Where are the trim tabs located?
On the primary surfaces
What do the trim tabs do for the control surfaces?
Hold them in position.
What do the trim tabs reduce pressure on?
The controls
Where are the flaps located?
On trailing edge of the wings, closest to the fuselage
What are the flaps normally used for?
Takeoff and landing
What 4 specific functions do the flaps perform?
Increase lift
Increase drag
Lowers stall speed
Allow steeper approach without airspeed increase
How do the flaps move?
Together in the same direction
How is flap movement described?
In degrees
How are the flaps controlled?
By a handle
What airfoil do helicopter rotor blades act like when rotating?
The wings
Is each helicopter rotor blade an airfoil?
Yes
What force do the rotor blades provide the helicopter
Lift
How are the rotor blades adjusted?
By blade speed (rotations per minute) and pitch (angle)
What are the 4 main helicopter controls?
Collective
Cyclic
Throttle
Anti-torque pedals
What does the collective of a helicopter control?
Blade pitch
What 2 things does the cyclic of a helicopter control?
Blade tilt
Direction of flight
What does the throttle of a helicopter control?
Blade rotational speed
What do the anti-torque pedals of a helicopter control?
Pitch of the tail rotor (yaw)
What are the three primary flight hazards?
Stall
Icing
Equipment failure
What is the most common cause of accidents for light aircraft?
A stall
What happens in a stall?
The wing reaches the “critical angle of attack (about 15-20 degrees)
At that angle air cannot flow smoothly over the top of the wing.
Wing can’t produce lift
What are the primary causes of a stall?
Excessively violent maneuvers
Severe wind shear
Insufficient speed
What are the three main types of icing?
Structural
Pitot tube
Carburetor
What happens with structural icing?
Ice build-up changes the shape of the airfoil.
Reduces lift
Increases weight
Why is pitot tube icing a problem?
Produces inaccurate speed, altimeter, and vertical speed measurements
What are the four main types of equipment failure?
Electrical
Mechanical
Hydraulic
Engine
What are the 5 most common types of electrical failure?
Lights Instruments Flight controls Navigation equipment Communication equipment
What are the 4 most common types of mechanical failure?
Flight controls
Portions of the aircraft structure
Landing gear
Tires
What are the 3 most common types of hydraulic failure?
Landing gear
Flaps
Brakes
What are the 4 most common types of engine failure?
Instruments
Electric power
Hydraulic power
Pressurization
