Straight & Level Flight

Question 1

What is range?

Answer 1

The distance the aircraft travels over the ground

Question 2

What is endurance?

Answer 2

The time the aircraft stays in the air

Question 3

What is specific air range (SAR)?

Answer 3

The air nautical miles travelled for every litre of fuel burnt

Question 4

What is the specific ground range (SGR)?

Answer 4

The ground nautical miles travelled for every litre of fuel burnt

Question 5

What is specific fuel consumption?

Answer 5

FF/Power (lb / hr / h.p)

Question 6

What is full throttle height?

Answer 6

A power setting at a height at which the butterfly valve is wide open

Question 7

What is volumetric efficiency?

Answer 7

The ratio of air entering the cylinder vs actual cylinder capacity

Question 8

When is VE at its maximum?

Answer 8

At full throttle height

Question 9

When is an aircraft in equlibirum?

Answer 9

L=W and T=D

Question 10

What is couple?

Answer 10

A couple is caused by the interaction of two moments separated by a horizontal distance

Question 11

What are the couples and what do they create?

Answer 11

Lift and weight - create a nose down moment

Thrust and drag - create a nose up moment

Question 12

Which is the stronger couple?

Answer 12

Lift and weight, so the aircraft tends to pitch down

Question 13

How is the nose down pitching moment compensated for?

Answer 13

Most horizontal stabilisers provide slight down force to restore equilibrium

Question 14

What is trim drag?

Answer 14

As the horizontal stabiliser provides a down force, the wing must produce extra lift. The extra lift creates extra drag known as trim drag

Question 15

What are the factors affecting the coefficient of lift?

Answer 15

Wing shape

AoA

Question 16

What are the factors impacting the density of air?

Answer 16

Pressure Height
Temperature
Humidity

Question 17

When does maximum range occur?

Answer 17

At the best lift/drag ratio, which is at minimum drag

Question 18

When does maximum endurance occur?

Answer 18

At the minimum power (lowest fuel flow)

Question 19

What impact does a headwind have on range?

Answer 19

Reduces range

Question 20

What impact does a tailwind have on range?

Answer 20

Increases range

Question 21

What impact does wind have on endurance?

Answer 21

None

Question 22

What impact does weight have on endurance?

Answer 22

Increased weight reduces the endurance

Question 23

What impact does weigh have on the range?

Answer 23

Increased weight reduces the range

Question 24

What impact will flying higher or lower than minimum drag speed (i.e. best range)?

Answer 24

Reduced range

Question 25

What impact will flying higher or lower than minimum power speed?

Answer 25

Reduced endurance

Question 26

What impact does a higher altitude have on endurance?

Answer 26

Reduces endurance

Question 27

What impact does a higher altitude have on range?

Answer 27

Increases range

Question 28

What does a variable pitch propeller allow?

Answer 28

It allows efficiency to be maintained over a wide range of airspeeds

Question 29

When is engine efficiency maximised?

Answer 29

When the ratio of fuel flow to power generated is least

Question 30

What do plain flaps do?

Answer 30

Increases the effective camber
Useful for lift increases
Generates high drag when fully extended

Question 31

What do split flaps do?

Answer 31

Produces high drag

Useful for airspeed control during approach and landing

Question 32

What do fowler flaps do?

Answer 32

Very good at producing lift
Designed to move rearwards as well as down when extending
Results in a small increase of surface area
Delays the breakdown of laminar flow and separation of the boundary layer

Question 33

What do double slotted fowler flaps do?

Answer 33

Very good at producing lift

Similar to fowler flaps but extend further