The Physics of Flight

What forces must you understand in order to safely fly an aircraft?

• lift, weight, thrust, and drag

• lift, acceleration, mass, and drag

• weight, acceleration, velocity, and drag

• acceleration, lift, thrust, and velocity

What is the type of force that deals with an object moving through the air or air moving around an object?

• aerodynamic

• lift

• thrust

• velocity

What did the Wright brothers spend so much time researching?

• aircraft's speed and direction

• wing's density and velocity

• wing's shape and size

• aircraft thrust and drag

Why should a pilot fly at a different airspeed for any given angle of attack to maintain lift in higher altitudes?

• The air is more dense

• The air is less dense

• The air is warmer

• The air is more humid

Why is weight always directed toward the center of the Earth?

• because of the force of acceleration

• because of the force of gravity

• because of the force of lift

• because of the friction of drag

What is NOT an aerodynamic force?

• lift

• drag

• weight

• mechanical

What is a gravitational force?

• lift

• weight

• drag

• thrust

What word best completes this sentence? "You can overcome weight with __________."

• the angle of attack

• lift

• thrust

• velocity

What does drag result from?

• Pressure pushing on an aircraft

• Air resisting an aircraft's forward motion

• Gravity working to slow an aircraft

• Equilibrium force

What factors determine the magnitude of the drag?

• An aircraft's shape, speed, and air viscosity

• An aircraft's shape, speed, and wing size

• An aircraft's speed, wing size, and air viscosity

• An aircraft's wing size, shape, and overall size