ToF Flashcards
What is the Troposphere?
Lowest layer of atmosphere up to 36,090 ft.
What is the Stratosphere?
Isothermic layer of atmosphere from Tropopause to Stratopause (164000 ft).
What are the 4 layers of the Atmosphere in ascending order?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere.
Lapse rate of pressure in Troposphere?
1 hPa/30ft
Lapse rate of temp in Troposphere?
1.98C/1000ft
ICAO ISA at MSL (pressure, temp and density)?
1013.5 hPa, +15C, 1.225kg/m^3
What happens to density as alt increases?
Decreases
State Newton’s 3 laws.
Inertia, Force, and Action/Reaction
What is Bernoulli’s Theorem?
Pressure + Kinetic = Constant (Energy Conservation)
Static Pressure + Dynamic Pressure = Total Pressure
What are the four forces acting on an aircraft in steady flight?
Weight, Lift, Thrust, and Drag.
Define Aerofoil.
A surface designed to gain lift from the airflow that moves over it.
What is the Leading Edge Radius?
The shape of the leading edge.
What is the Chord Line and Cord?
Cord Line - A line joining the leading and trailing edges of an Aerofoil section.
Cord - The distance between leading and trailing edge measured along the Cord Line.
What is C(L) and C(D)?
Coefficient of Lift and Coefficient of Drag.
What is Camber and the Mean Camber Line?
The curvature of the aerofoil above and below the chord line.
A line equidistant between the upper and lower surfaces of an aerofoil section.
What is the Angle of Incidence?
The angle at which the aerofoil is attached to the fueslage. (Angle between the chord line and longitudinal fuselage datum).
What is the term RAF?
Relative Airflow - Direction of the airflow remote from the aircraft and unaffected by it’s presence.
What is AoA?
Angle of Attack - The angle between the chord line and the relative airflow (RAF).
What is Freestream Flow?
Air in the region where pressure, temp and relative velocity is unaffected by the passage of the aerofoil through it.
What is the Boundary Layer and where can the Transition Point be found?
Boundary Layer - The layer of airflow close to the aerofoil surface which has affected velocity due to viscosity.
Transition Point - The point on the aerofoil where the boundary layer becomes turbulent and thickens.
Where can laminar and turbulent flow be found?
Laminar flow - Smooth, parallel layers of air found at the front of an aerofoil.
Turbulent flow - Airflow is rough and movement of air particles is unpredicted. Found after the Transition Point.
How is Lift/Drag generated from an Aerofoil?
A reaction to the movement of air over the surface of the airflow. This is resolved into two compoents.
Lift - Force perpendicular to RAF.
Drag - Force parallel to the RAF, opposing motion.
What is the resultant force called acting on an Aerofoil?
Total Aerodynamic Reaction.
Define Wing Shape, Wing Area and Aspect Ratio.
Wing Span - Max lateral dimension of a wing.
Wing Area - Planform area of the wing.
Aspect Ratio - Wing Span divided by Mean Chord Length.
Characterise Classical Linear Flow, Controlled Separated Flow and Unsteady Flow.
Classical Linear Flow - Low AoA, Streamlines follow contour of the aerofoil, No serparation of the flow from surface.
Controlled Separated Flow - Halfway stage between steady streamline and unsteady flow. Transition Point present.
Unsteady Flow - Flow varies with time and cannot be represented by streamlines, fully turbulent behind object.
Describe the pressure distribution on an aerofoil as AoA increases.
Low AoA - Small areas of positive pressure at leading and trailing edge of aerofoil. negative pressure on both sides of the wing.
Medium AoA - Positive pressure increases at the leading edge, angled below the aerofoil. Negative pressure increases greatly above the aerofoil.
High AoA - Positive pressure greatly increases at leading edge and under aerofoil. Negative pressure drops off above the aerofoil section. Stall imminent.
Describe Three Dimensional Flow.
A wing of finite length when creating lift produces a differential pressure that tries to equalises around the wing tip. Outwards under the wing and inwards above the wing, resulting in spanwise flow.
Describe the required Lift to allow level flight.
Lift force generated equals the force of gravity.
What Lift is dependent on?
Freestream Velocity, Air Density, AoA, Wing Shape, Wing Planform, Speed of Sound, and Coefficient of Lift.
What factors affect the Coefficient of Lift?
Wing Section, Aspect Ratio, Planform Profile, Wing Surface Condition.
What is Downwash?
The idea that an Aerofoil adjusts the RAF after moving through it, thus retrospectively adjusting the AoA. This is turn will tilt Lift and Drag rearwards, reducing the amount of Lift generated.
What are the two types of Drag?
Zero Lift Drag (ZLD) - Known as ‘profile drag’
Lift Dependent Drag (LDD) - Known as ‘induced drag’
What is included in the Drag Formula?
Density, Velocity, Wing Area, and Coefficient of Drag.
What does ZLD comprise of and what are their definitions?
Surface Friction Drag - Aerodynamic resistance due to contact of RAF with surface of the aircraft.
Form Drag - Drag created due to the profile of the object in the RAF.
Interference Drag - Created by the result of flow interference at: wing/fuselage, wing/nacelle, and wing/wing loadout.
What is Induced Drag?
Drag caused by airflow splitting from the wing tip and trailing edge, forming vortices. These intensify under high lift conditions.
List methods to reduce Induced Drag.
Winglet, Tip tank/missle, Taper, High Aspect Ratio, Washout, and Change of Aerofoil Section.
Why is Lift/Drag Ratio important?
It will highlight at which AoA the most efficient lift/drag performance occurs (usually at 4degrees).
Why is the Total Drag Curve important?
It will highlight at which airspeed we find the best lift/drag ratio (V imd) and max speed/drag for best range setting (1.32 x V imd).
Which axis is Pitch and what control surface primarily affects it?
Lateral and Elevators (trailing edge of tailplane).
Which axis is Roll and what control surface primarily affects it?
Longitudinal and Aileron (outboard trailing edge of wing).