Understanding the Forces of Flight

Which of the following is NOT one of the forces acting on an airplane during flight?

• Lift

• Weight

• Thrust

• Drag

What is lift?

• The upward force created by the wings as air flows around them

• The downward force toward the center of the earth

• The forward force created by the aircraft's propellers or turbine engines

• The force acting in the direction opposite of thrust

What is weight?

• The upward force created by the wings as air flows around them

• The downward force toward the center of the earth

• The forward force created by the aircraft's propellers or turbine engines

• The force acting in the direction opposite of thrust

What is thrust?

• The upward force created by the wings as air flows around them

• The downward force toward the center of the earth

• The forward force created by the aircraft's propellers or turbine engines

• The force acting in the direction opposite of thrust

What is drag?

• The upward force created by the wings as air flows around them

• The downward force toward the center of the earth

• The forward force created by the aircraft's propellers or turbine engines

• The force acting in the direction opposite of thrust

In unaccelerated flight, when does lift equal weight and thrust equal drag?

• When an aircraft is climbing

• When an aircraft is descending

• When an aircraft is maintaining its heading, altitude, and airspeed

• When an aircraft is turning

What is the key to an aircraft being able to fly?

• Thrust

• Drag

• Lift

• Weight

What is a wing?

• Any surface that generates an aerodynamic force as a fluid flows around it

• The round shape at the top of the airplane

• The back part of the airplane

• The front part of the airplane

What is the angle between the wing's chord line and the relative wind called?

• Angle of attack

• Angle of descent

• Angle of elevation

• Angle of descent

What are the two major theories that explain the creation of lift?

• Newton's three laws of motion and Bernoulli's principle

• Newton's first law of motion and Hooke's law

• Newton's second law of motion and Pascal's law

• Newton's third law of motion and Archimedes' principle