Principles of Flight Flashcards
What are the two types of drag and explain them?
1) Induced Drag - is resistance to motion induced by the wing turning some of its lift into drag (increases as airplane slows
2) Parasitic Drag - is the result of friction and increases as airplane speeds up
Define Torque Effect
relates to Newton’s 3rd law (equal & opposite reactions)
As the internal engine parts & prop revolve in one direction, an equal force is trying to rotate the plane in the opposite direction.
Effect is greatest at low airspeed with high power settings and high AOA.
What is Bernoulli’s Principle?
The pressure of a fluid (liquid or gas) decreases at points where the speed of the fluid increases.
What is Load Factor?
Ratio of lift to weight
What are 2 reasons that Load Factor are important to pilots?
1) Overload can cause structural damage.
2) Increasing the load factor also increases the stalling speed and makes stalls possible at seemingly safe airspeeds.
What 3 situations may result in Load Factors reaching the max (or exceeding)?
1) Level turns - load factor increases with bank angle.
2) Turbulence - severe gusts cause sudden increase in AOA (= large loads).
3) Speed - below Va, will stall before load factor can become excessive. Above Va, limit load factor can be exceeded by abrupt or excessive application of controls or strong turbulence.
What are 5 factors that affect Weight & Drag?
Density - Lift and drag increase as density increases (and vice versa)
Velocity - of air over wings
Angle - of attack
Airfoil - shape
Area - of wing which can change with some types of flaps
What is Positive Aircraft Control?
Consistently maintaining appropriate control of the aircraft regardless of phase of flight or potential distractions.
What is Angle of Attack?
The angle between the chord line and the relative wind.
How does Torque Effect affect and aircraft?
It causes a left turning tendency.
What 4 factor contribute to Torque Effect?
1) Prop wash
2) Torque effect - influence of engine torque on aircraft movement & control
3) P-factor - asymmetric prop loading (more thrust created by descending blades)
4) Gyroscopic precession - tendency of a spinning object to move about when disturbed by a force
Explain Wingtip Vortices?
Air under wings moves out and up to lower pressure area over wing. As aircraft keeps moving - it creates a spiraling airflow behind it. It increases at large AOAs and can drive in winds.
When is Wake Turbulence worse?
With larger aircraft flying clean and slow
How do you avoid Wake Turbulence during take-off and landing?
Lift off prior to the larger a/c’s rotation point and avoid their flight path, considering cross-winds, too. (Go upwind.)
Touchdown past the point where the larger a/c did.
What is CFIT and when is it most likely to happen?
Controlled Flight Into Terrain
Unintentional collision with terrain while an aircraft is under positive control. Commonly occurs during approaching & landing phases of flight.
