Theory of Flight Flashcards
List the parts of a fixed wing aircraft
Rudder Elevators Ailerons Trim Tabs Flaps Slats Fuselage Landing gear Tail-plane Vertical Stabiliser
What are Trim Tabs?
Secondary flight control surface, located at the end of the elevator, that aids in maintaining the set attitude without further control input.
What are Slats?
Secondary flight surface, located on the inside front wing, that helps maintain the laminar when the angle of attack is increased.
Define Angle of Attack
The angle between the relative wind and the chord line of the wing.
What are Flaps
Secondary flight surface, located on the inside rear wing, that help maintain lift at low speeds by increasing the camber.
Define Camber
The convexity of the curve of an aerofoil from the leading edge to the trailing edge.
List the types of wing
Low Mid High Gull Inverted Gull Anhedral Dihedral
What is the Bernoulli principle ?
As air moves over an aerofoil the pressure above is lesser than the pressure below, this in turn causes the aerofoil to be pushed up creating lift.
What forces affect flight?
Weight
Thrust/Power
Lift
Drag
What is lift?
An aerodynamic force generated by an aerofoil’s motion through the air.
What is drag?
An aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft’s motion through the air and is generated by every part of an aircraft.
What is thrust?
A mechanical force, provided by a system of propulsion, which moves the aerofoil through the air.
What is weight?
The force generated by the gravitational attraction of the earth on the aircraft.
What are the parts of a rotary wing aircraft?
Wings Tail-plane Tail-rotor Tail-boom Undercarriage Cabin
How are helicopters controlled?
Cyclic pitching of the rotor blades to move in a direction.
Collective pitching or the rotor blades to climb and descend.
Pitching of the tail rotor blades to change facing direction.
What factors affect aircraft performance?
Maximum Speeds Stall Speeds Ceiling Airflow – Streamline (or laminar) flow, Turbulent flow Angle of Attack
Define Stalling Speed
The minimum speed at which flight can be maintained.
Increases with altitude due to decrease in density.
What is Vy?
The speed for best rate of climb (ROC) – the least amount of time to climb
What is Vx?
The speed for best angle of climb (AOC) - the least distance to climb.
Define Service Ceiling
The altitude at which no additional speed will cause an increase in altitude
Define Zero Rate of Climb
Where an aircraft cannot climb further without an increase in speed.
Define Laminar
Air flowing smoothly over the upper wing surface.
Define Boundary Layer
Where flow separation occurs between the wing and the laminar.
Define Flow Seperation
A loss of laminar flow causing a loss of lift that can lead to stalling.
List the speed performance Vat categories:
A - Less than 91 kts B - 91 to 120 kts C - 121 to 140 kts D - 141 to 165 kts E - 166 to 210 kts
What is Vat?
1.3 times the stall speed in landing configuration at the maximum certified landing mass
