ASTB-E ASTB-E Aviation & Nautical Information 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'angle of attack' refer to in aviation?
- The angle between the wing chord line and the relative wind (Correct answer)
- The angle of the aircraft nose above the horizon
- The bank angle during a turn
- The pitch angle set on the altimeter
Correct answer: The angle between the wing chord line and the relative wind
Angle of attack is the angle between the chord line of the wing and the direction of the oncoming relative wind.
Question 2: Which instrument measures an aircraft's altitude by sensing atmospheric pressure?
- Airspeed indicator
- Altimeter (Correct answer)
- Vertical speed indicator
- Turn coordinator
Correct answer: Altimeter
The altimeter measures altitude by detecting changes in static atmospheric pressure, which decreases as altitude increases.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of an aircraft's rudder?
- Control pitch
- Control roll
- Control yaw (Correct answer)
- Control lift
Correct answer: Control yaw
The rudder is a vertical control surface on the tail that controls yaw, rotating the aircraft around its vertical axis.
Question 4: In nautical terminology, what does 'port' refer to?
- The front of a vessel
- The rear of a vessel
- The right side of a vessel
- The left side of a vessel (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The left side of a vessel
Port refers to the left side of a vessel when facing forward; starboard is the right side.
Question 5: What causes an aircraft to stall?
- Engine failure
- Exceeding the critical angle of attack (Correct answer)
- Flying too fast
- Flying at high altitude only
Correct answer: Exceeding the critical angle of attack
A stall occurs when the wing exceeds the critical angle of attack, causing airflow to separate and lift to decrease dramatically.
Question 6: What is the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level in the US?
- 29.92 inches of mercury (Correct answer)
- 32.00 inches of mercury
- 25.00 inches of mercury
- 14.00 inches of mercury
Correct answer: 29.92 inches of mercury
Standard sea-level atmospheric pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury (1013.25 millibars), used as the baseline for altimeter settings.
ASTB-E ASTB-E Aviation & Nautical Information 1
What does the term 'angle of attack' refer to in aviation?