Aircraft Stability and Control; Torque & P-Factor

What determines the longitudinal stability of an airplane?

• The location of the CG with respect to the center of lift.

• The effectiveness of the horizontal stabilizer, rudder, and rudder trim tab.

• The relationship of thrust and lift to weight and drag.

An airplane said to be inherently stable will

• be difficult to stall.

• require less effort to control.

• not spin.

Changes in the center of pressure of a wing affect the aircraft’s

• lift/drag ratio.

• lifting capacity.

• aerodynamic balance and controllability.

An airplane has been loaded in such a manner that the CG is located aft of the aft CG limit. One undesirable flight characteristic a pilot might experience with this airplane would be

• a longer takeoff run.

• difficulty in recovering from a stalled condition.

• stalling at higher-than-normal airspeed.

What causes an airplane (except a T-tail) to pitch nosedown when power is reduced and controls are not adjusted?

• The CG shifts forward when thrust and drag are reduced.

• The downwash on the elevators from the propeller slipstream is reduced and elevator effectiveness is reduced.

• When thrust is reduced to less than weight, lift is also reduced and the wings can no longer support the weight.

What is the effect of advancing the throttle in flight?

• Both aircraft groundspeed and angle of attack will increase.

• Airspeed will remain relatively constant but the aircraft will climb.

• The aircraft will accelerate, which will cause a turn to the right.

Loading an airplane to the most aft CG will cause the airplane to be

• less stable at all speeds.

• less stable at slow speeds, but more stable at high speeds.

• less stable at high speeds, but more stable at low speeds.

An airplane loaded with the Center of Gravity (CG) rear of the aft CG limit could

• make it easier to recover from stalls and spins.

• make it more difficult to flare for landing.

• increase the likelihood of inadvertent overstress.

In what flight condition are torque effects more pronounced in a single-engine airplane?

• Low airspeed, high power, high angle of attack.

• Low airspeed, low power, low angle of attack.

• High airspeed, high power, high angle of attack.

The left turning tendency of an airplane caused by P-factor is the result of the

• clockwise rotation of the engine and the propeller turning the airplane counterclockwise.

• propeller blade descending on the right, producing more thrust than the ascending blade on the left.

• gyroscopic forces applied to the rotating propeller blades acting 90° in advance of the point the force was applied.