Principles of Flight and Aerodynamics Flashcards
7 cards from real ATPL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Principles of Flight and Aerodynamics flashcards as text
Positive static stability in an aircraft means that after a disturbance, the aircraft will:
Answer: Initially develop restoring forces toward the original attitude
A statically stable aircraft generates restoring forces that initially move it back toward its trimmed equilibrium position after a disturbance from that position.
Dutch roll is a lateral-directional oscillation that involves coupling of:
Answer: Roll and yaw axes
Dutch roll is a coupled rolling and yawing oscillation that is common in swept-wing aircraft with low directional stability relative to lateral stability.
Wing dihedral angle primarily provides stability about the:
Answer: Longitudinal axis (lateral/roll stability)
Dihedral creates a restoring rolling moment when the aircraft sideslips, since the lower wing develops more lift, providing positive lateral stability.
Adverse yaw in conventional aircraft is caused by:
Answer: Differential aileron drag during a roll input
The downward (lift-producing) aileron creates more drag than the upward aileron, yawing the nose toward the rising wing and opposing the intended turn direction.
The primary purpose of a yaw damper in a modern transport jet is to:
Answer: Automatically damp Dutch roll oscillations with small rudder inputs
Yaw dampers sense yaw rate via gyroscopes and apply small automatic rudder corrections to suppress Dutch roll oscillations inherent in swept-wing jets.
A neutrally stable aircraft, when disturbed from its trimmed attitude and released, will:
Answer: Maintain the new disturbed attitude indefinitely
A neutrally stable aircraft develops neither restoring nor diverging forces — it simply holds whatever attitude results after the disturbance is removed.
The aerodynamic center of an airfoil is the point about which the pitching moment coefficient:
Answer: Remains approximately constant with changes in angle of attack
The aerodynamic center is the point about which the pitching moment coefficient remains essentially constant with changes in angle of attack, located approximately at the quarter-chord point.