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?
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An aerodynamic force perpendicular to the relative wind that opposes weight and sustains flight.- What is drag?
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An aerodynamic force parallel to the relative wind that opposes thrust and motion through the air.- What is thrust?
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A forward force produced by the propeller that opposes drag and moves the aircraft through the air.- What is weight?
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The gravitational force pulling the aircraft downward, opposed by lift in level flight.- Define angle of attack.
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The angle between the chord line of the wing and the relative wind direction.- What is the critical angle of attack?
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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.
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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?
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The wing deflects air downward, and an equal and opposite reaction from the air pushes the wing upward, creating lift.- What is induced drag?
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Drag caused by wingtip vortices created as a side effect of producing lift, inversely related to airspeed.- What is parasitic drag?
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The total of all drag not related to lift production, including form drag, skin friction, and interference drag.- What is form drag?
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Drag created by the shape and size of an object, proportional to frontal area exposed to the airflow.- What is skin friction drag?
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Drag caused by friction between the air and the surface of the aircraft, proportional to surface area.- What is interference drag?
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Additional drag produced where different parts of the aircraft meet, such as where the fuselage joins the wing.- Describe the total drag curve.
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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?
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A cross-sectional shape of a wing designed to generate lift through its curve and thickness.
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