Terminology

Question 1

Airfoil

Answer 1

ˈerˌfoil

a structure with curved surfaces designed to give the most favorable ratio of lift to drag in flight, used as the basic form of the wings, fins, and horizontal stabilizer of most aircraft.

Question 2

Chord line

Answer 2

a line from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the airfoil. The length of this line is known as the chord length. It cuts the airfoil into an upper and lower surface

Question 3

Camber line/mean camber line

Answer 3

a line that is equidistant at all points from the upper and lower edges of the airfoil along the entire length. It is often referred to as the mean chamber line.

Question 4

Camber

Answer 4

describes the curviness of an airfoil and is the distance between the chord and mean camber line. The greatest distance between these two lines is the airfoil’s max camber.

Question 5

Relative wind

Answer 5

the direction of the wind in relation to the airfoil

Question 6

Angle of attack (AOA)

Answer 6

the angle between the chord line of the airfoil and the direction of the relative wind.

Question 7

Thrust

Answer 7

the force that moves an aircraft forward

Question 8

Drag

Answer 8

the pulling effect that slows an aircraft

Question 9

Critical angle of attack

Answer 9

a certain angle of attack at which the flow of air on the airfoil changes abruptly and sharply reduces lift

Question 10

Boundary layer

Answer 10

a layer of air molecules that stick to an airplane’s wing.

Question 11

Laminar flow

Answer 11

At low angles of attack, the boundary layer stays attached and air flows smoothly over the wing

Question 12

Stall

Answer 12

(of an aircraft or its pilot) reach a condition where the speed is too low to allow effective operation of the controls.

(of a motor vehicle or its engine) stop running, typically because of an overload on the engine.

Question 13

Aeronautics

Answer 13

The science of travel through air

Question 14

Level flight

Answer 14

When the forces of lift and gravity are equal in the air

Question 15

Airspeed

Answer 15

The speed of the aircraft relative to the air through which it is traveling through

Question 16

Friction

Answer 16

resistance that a surface or object encounters when moving over another. Air moving over an airplane wing creates friction

Question 17

Leading edge and trailing edge

Answer 17

The leading edge of the airfoil is large and round and the trailing edge is narrow and tapered.

Question 18

Total weight or aircraft gross weight

Answer 18

The aircraft gross weight is the total aircraft weight at any moment during the flight or ground operation. An aircraft’s gross weight will decrease during a flight due to fuel and oil consumption. An aircraft’s gross weight may also vary during a flight due to payload dropping or in-flight refuelling

Question 19

Weight

Answer 19

The force of gravity acting upon an object

w = mg

Question 20

Drag coefficient

Answer 20

Cd = D/p V^2 A/2

Question 21

Propulsion

Answer 21

the action of driving or pushing forward.

Question 22

ICAO

Answer 22

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a specialized and funding agency of the United Nations, tasked with the planning and development of safe international air transport.

Question 23

The zero-fuel weight (ZFW) of an aircraft is _______

Answer 23

the total weight of the airplane and all its contents, minus the total weight of the usable fuel on board.

Question 24

The “Unusable fuel” is _______

Answer 24

the fuel that remains in the tanks and fuel lines after all usable fuel has been used. This is fuel that is UNAVAILABLE in flight. This means that your engine will cease working if your fuel level falls under that amount.

Question 25

Basic empty weight (BEW) or basic weight:

Answer 25

The basic empty weight is the weight of the aircraft excluding all oils, usable fuel, cargo payload, removable equipment, and crew. It includes only the airframe, engines, required fluids, permanently installed equipment and any unusable residuals/unavoidable aircraft fluids.

Question 26

Basic operating weight (BOW) or operating weight:

Answer 26

Basic operating weight is the total weight of a fully serviced, operational aircraft, including the operating crew, all installed equipment, unusable fuel, drainable oil, hydraulic fluid, and other operating fluids. It does not include usable fuel, payload, passengers, or removable mission-specific equipment. The basic operating weight is the baseline weight of an aircraft ready for flight operations.

Question 27

Landing gross weight:

Answer 27

The total weight of the aircraft when it lands

Question 28

Outboard

Answer 28

situated on, towards, or near the outside of a ship or aircraft.

toward the outside of a ship or aircraft

outboard of: to the outside or on the far side of.

Question 29

Cant

Answer 29

kant

cause (something) to be in a slanting or oblique position; tilt.

take or have a slanting position.

Question 30

AGW

Answer 30

Aircraft gross weight

Question 31

Azimuth

Answer 31

In navigation, azimuth is used to describe the direction of a ship or aircraft in relation to true north. It is measured in degrees clockwise from north, with north being 0° and east being 90°.