Aircraft Stability and Safety Quiz

Aerodynamic stability is the tendency of an aircraft to return to ______ flight and maintain its ________ after being displaced by an outside force or by pilot control input. (5.A.1)

______ aircraft are also more able to _______ from stalls and spins.

______ aircraft are safer because they require less effort to _______, reducing pilot _______.

Military fighter jets are designed to be more stable than commercial airliners. (5.A.1)

• True

• False

Which of the following is true for negatively stable aircraft? Select all that apply. (5.A.1)

• They quickly recover when displaced but at a different altitude.

• They move in the direction of an outside force.

• They descend uncontrollably when displaced.

• They may be uncontrollable and require computer assistance to fly.

• They move farther away from their original attitude when displaced.

Pitch stability occurs around an airplane’s ________. (5.A.1)

An airplane said to be inherently stable will ________. Select all that apply. (5.A.1)

• require less effort to control

• be difficult to stall

• not spin

• tend to return to its original attitude

Which of the following is true of the rotor system of a helicopter? (5.A.2)

• Anti-torque pedals change the angle of incidence of the main rotor blades.

• The hub rotates but the mast does not.

• The mast attaches to the tip of a rotor blade.

• The root of a rotor blade attaches to the hub.

In a rotary-wing aircraft, rotational relative wind is created by the rotation of rotor blades as they turn about the mast. (5.A.2)

• True

• False

Which of the following changes the pitch of a helicopter's rotor blades? (5.A.2)

• Root

• Mast

• Swash plate

• Throttle control