Aerodynamics principles and aircraft systems concepts tested on the FAA Private Pilot written exam.
47 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What is lift?
- An aerodynamic force perpendicular to the relative wind that opposes weight and sustains flight.
- What is drag?
- An aerodynamic force parallel to the relative wind that opposes thrust and motion through the air.
- What is thrust?
- A forward force produced by the propeller that opposes drag and moves the aircraft through the air.
- What is weight?
- The gravitational force pulling the aircraft downward, opposed by lift in level flight.
- Define angle of attack.
- The angle between the chord line of the wing and the relative wind direction.
- What is the critical angle of attack?
- The angle of attack at which the wing stalls and maximum lift is reached before flow separation occurs.
- Explain Bernoulli's principle in aircraft flight.
- Faster moving air over a curved surface produces lower pressure, creating an upward pressure differential that generates lift.
- How does Newton's third law apply to aircraft flight?
- The wing deflects air downward, and an equal and opposite reaction from the air pushes the wing upward, creating lift.
- What is induced drag?
- Drag caused by wingtip vortices created as a side effect of producing lift, inversely related to airspeed.
- What is parasitic drag?
- The total of all drag not related to lift production, including form drag, skin friction, and interference drag.
- What is form drag?
- Drag created by the shape and size of an object, proportional to frontal area exposed to the airflow.
- What is skin friction drag?
- Drag caused by friction between the air and the surface of the aircraft, proportional to surface area.
- What is interference drag?
- Additional drag produced where different parts of the aircraft meet, such as where the fuselage joins the wing.
- Describe the total drag curve.
- Graphs total drag against airspeed; shows induced drag decreasing and parasitic drag increasing with speed, meeting at one minimum drag point.
- What is an airfoil?
- A cross-sectional shape of a wing designed to generate lift through its curve and thickness.