WorksheetsAviation Basics Quiz
Total questions: 56
Worksheet time: 38mins
What is the term used to describe the path of the aircraft through the air?
Airspeed
Chord Line
Relative Airflow
Flight Path
What does the term 'airspeed' refer to?
The speed of the air passing the aircraft
The speed of the aircraft relative to the ground
The speed of the aircraft through the air
The speed of the aircraft during takeoff
What is 'relative airflow'?
The airflow over the wings when the aircraft is stationary
The direction and speed of the air as it passes the moving aircraft
The speed of the aircraft relative to the speed of the air
The airflow pattern behind the aircraft
What is the 'chord line'?
The trajectory of the aircraft during flight
An imaginary line from the nose to the tail of the aircraft
An imaginary straight line from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing
The line that divides the upper and lower surfaces of the wing
Which force is responsible for pulling each part of the aircraft towards the center of the Earth?
Lift
Thrust
Weight
Drag
What force must the rotor thrust equal during a steady hover for a rotor-type aircraft?
Weight
Lift
Drag
Thrust
In unaccelerated, straight, and level flight, what must the forward component of rotor thrust equal?
Lift
Weight
Drag
Thrust
What are the two components that simplify the total reaction behind the wing of an aircraft?
Lift and gravity
Lift and induced drag
Thrust and drag
Thrust and weight
According to Bernoulli's principle, what remains constant in a fluid?
The fluid's temperature
The fluid's volume
The total energy
The fluid's pressure
What happens to static pressure as altitude increases?
It remains constant
It increases
It decreases
It fluctuates unpredictably
What is dynamic pressure also known as?
Ambient pressure
Velocity pressure
Static pressure
Kinetic pressure
What is the effect of a wing creating an area of reduced pressure?
It generates thrust only
It generates lift only
It generates both lift and thrust
It generates neither lift nor thrust
What causes the lift force that enables an aeroplane to fly according to the text?
The pressure difference and associated downwash
The weight of the aeroplane
The speed of the aeroplane on the runway
The color of the aeroplane
Which of the following is NOT listed as an element on which the amount of lift and drag is dependent?
The speed of the wing through the air
The color of the wing
The density of the air
The angle of the wing to the air (the angle of attack)
What happens when a thin, flat plate is aligned with the airflow?
It generates a lot of lift
It experiences a reaction that both tends to lift it and to drag it back
It causes virtually no alteration to the air mass
It causes a significant increase in drag
What are the two components of the total reaction on the plate caused by it moving the air?
Lift and weight
Thrust and drag
Lift and drag
Speed and direction
Why is a curved (cambered) aerofoil surface more beneficial than a flat plate?
It generates more lift and less drag
It is easier to manufacture
It is lighter in weight
It increases the speed of the aircraft
What is the angle of attack in the context of aerodynamics?
The angle between the chord line of an aerofoil and the undisturbed, relative airflow
The angle between the aerofoil and the ground
The angle at which the aircraft ascends
The angle at which the aircraft descends
What is the term used for the air resistance experienced by an aeroplane as it moves through the air?
Lift
Thrust
Drag
Turbulence
Streamlined flow is described as:
Flow with a lot of turbulence and eddies
Flow that is unsteady and mixes
Flow that represents the least air disturbance and the least drag
Flow that separates causing a wake of disturbed air
What happens when the angle of attack on a wing exceeds the critical angle?
The lift of the wing decreases slightly
The airflow remains streamlined and smooth
The wing experiences maximum lift
The airflow becomes turbulent and the wing stalls
What is the main function of the powerplant-produced thrust in an aeroplane?
To increase the drag
To overcome the drag
To generate lift
To create turbulence
At what point does the layer of air next to the wing (the boundary layer) become turbulent?
At the separation point
At the streamline point
At the transition point
At the stalling point
What is the term given to the sum of the various drag forces acting on an aeroplane?
Lift force
Thrust force
Total drag
Air resistance
Which type of drag is associated with the production of lift and is manifested as vortices at the trailing edge of the wing?
Parasite drag
Induced drag
Skin friction drag
Interference drag
What increases when the angle of attack is greater, resulting in a more tilted backwards wing?
Lift force
Thrust force
Induced drag
Parasite drag
What is the purpose of winglets or shaped wingtips on some aircraft?
To increase the speed of the aircraft
To produce more lift
To minimize the induced drag due to wingtip vortices
To enhance the aesthetic appeal of the aircraft
Which type of drag is proportional to the speed through the air and increases with a greater frontal area when the angle of attack is increased?
Induced drag
Parasite drag
Skin friction drag
Interference drag
What does parasite drag comprise of?
What results when the airflow separates from the surface, eddies are formed, and the streamline flow is disturbed, increasing drag?
Skin Friction
Interference Drag
Form Drag
Parasite Drag
What is skin friction drag dependent on?
What is interference drag?
What happens to parasite drag as airspeed increases?
What causes a large increase in drag and a large loss of lift when air cannot flow around the corners and separates?
The airspeed is too low
The aircraft is in a steep climb
The air has to travel around blunt objects, sharp corners or large areas
The pilot reduces the angle of attack
As the speed increases in level flight, what must the pilot do to balance the weight with the amount of lift?
Increase the angle of attack
Decrease the angle of attack
Increase the airspeed
Decrease the airspeed
What is the relationship between speed, drag, and lift known as, which is crucial to understand when studying aerodynamics?
Maximum drag speed
Minimum drag speed, abbreviated VIMD
Optimal lift coefficient
Aerodynamic balance point
What is the significance of the speed where the drag is least, also known as the minimum drag speed?
It requires the most amount of energy and provides the least endurance
It is the speed at which the aircraft can climb the fastest
It results in the least amount of energy consumption and provides the best endurance
It is the speed at which the aircraft can perform the most aerobatic maneuvers
How is thrust generated in a multi-rotor RPA?
By the movement of the aircraft through the air
By the aerodynamic lift from the wings
By utilising power from a battery or power source and then powering propellers
By the jet engines attached to the fuselage
What is the plane of rotation in relation to the propeller shaft?
Parallel
Perpendicular
At an acute angle
At an obtuse angle
What does the blade angle of a fixed-pitch propeller refer to?
The angle between the plane of rotation and the chord of the propeller section
The angle between the propeller shaft and the engine torque
The angle of attack of the propeller
The angle between the induced flow and the propeller speed
What is the propeller angle of attack?
The angle between the induced flow and the plane of rotation
The angle between the blade angle and the local relative airflow
The angle between the propeller speed and the engine torque
The angle between the RPM and the linear speed of the propeller
What happens to the relative airflow as the thrust increases due to induced flow?
It moves below the plane of rotation and increases the angle of attack
It moves above the plane of rotation and reduces the angle of attack
It remains constant and does not affect the angle of attack
It reverses direction and destabilizes the propeller
Why is the propeller blade twisted during manufacture?
To increase the engine torque
To decrease the propeller speed
To generate the same angle of attack along the blade
To reduce the rotational velocity (RPM) of the propeller
What is the helix angle in the context of propeller blades?
The angle formed between the propeller blade and the aircraft fuselage
The angle formed between a helix and an axis line on its right, circular cylinder or cone
The angle of attack of the propeller blade during rotation
The angle between the propeller blade and the slipstream
Why is the propeller blade twisted along its length?
To increase the bending moments at the blade root
To decrease the efficiency of the propeller
To ensure each section of the blade remains at the same angle of attack
To maintain a constant angle of attack over its length, the blade is twisted
What is the purpose of blade twist or washout in a propeller?
To reduce the bending moment and distribute lift evenly
To increase the speed of the airflow at the blade tip
To create a symmetrical flow over the fin and rudder
To make the propeller look aesthetically pleasing
What effect does a propeller rotating clockwise (as seen from the cockpit) have on the slipstream?
It causes a symmetrical flow over the fin and rudder
It has no effect on the slipstream
It causes an asymmetric flow over the fin and rudder
It decreases the angle of attack on the fin
What aerodynamic force is generated when a helicopter or multi-rotor is hovering that pushes the tail to one side and yaws the nose to the other side?
Centrifugal force
Gyroscopic precession
Torque reaction
Bernoulli's principle
What can increase the recirculation of air when a helicopter or multi-rotor is hovering near an obstruction?
Decreased rotor speed
Increased altitude
Reduced engine power
Any restriction to the dissipation of downwash
According to Newton's Third Law, what happens when the propeller of an RPA is rotated by the engine?
The RPA moves in the same direction as the propeller rotation.
There is a reverse reaction on the engine which is attached to the RPA.
The RPA remains stationary due to equilibrium.
The propeller rotation has no effect on the RPA.
What effect does the torque reaction have on a fixed-wing RPA on the ground?
It causes the RPA to move forward.
It causes the RPA to roll to the right.
It causes the RPA to roll to the left.
It has no effect on the RPA.
How does the torque effect differ for rotor-type aircraft compared to fixed-wing aircraft?
It causes the fuselage to rotate in the same direction as the rotor blade rotation.
It causes the fuselage to rotate in the opposite direction to the rotor blade rotation.
It has no effect on the fuselage.
It causes the aircraft to move forward.
How is the torque reaction countered in most single rotor helicopters?
By applying a variable, vertical force through a tail rotor.
By using an equal number of propellers that rotate in opposite directions.
By applying a variable, horizontal force through a tail rotor.
By designing the main rotor to rotate in two different directions.
In a multi-rotor RPA, how is the torque of clockwise propellers balanced?
By the torque of the anticlockwise propellers, which is also clockwise.
By the torque of the anticlockwise propellers, which is counterclockwise.
By a secondary rotor that rotates in the opposite direction.
By using propellers that rotate in the same direction.
Why is it vital that propellers are installed on the correct motor mount in multi-rotor RPA?
To ensure the RPA can reach higher altitudes.
To make it easier to install the propellers.
To prevent directional control problems and potential accidents on take-off.
To increase the efficiency of the RPA's battery life.
What should you refer to if you find it difficult to install the correct propeller on your RPA?
The RPA's manual.
An online tutorial.
The propeller's packaging.
A professional RPA repair service.
