5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

Practice PPL Questions: Principles of Flight

1. Density:
a) Reduces with altitude increase
b) Is unaffected by temperature change
c) Increases with altitude increase
d) Reduces with temperature reduction.

2. The air pressure that acts on anything immersed in it:

a) Is known as static pressure
b) Is known as dynamic pressure
c) Is greater at altitude than sea level
d) Is known as total pressure

3. Air pressure:
a) Acts in all directions
b) Acts only vertically downwards
c) Is measured in Pascals per square inch
d) Increases with altitude

4. In straight and level powered flight the following forces act on an aircraft:
a) Thrust, drag, weight
b) Mass, lift, drag, weight
c) Thrust, lift, drag, weight
d) Mass, drag, lift

5. The unit of force is the:

a) Newton
b) Newton-metre
c) Joule
d) Mass-kilogram

6. The dynamic pressure exerted on an aircraft’s frontal surface is equal to:

a) Density times speed squared
b) Half the density times the true airspeed squared
c) Half the true airspeed times the density squared
d) Half the density times the indicated airspeed squared

7. The symbol for dynamic pressure is:

a) P
b) Q
c) R
d) S

8. The airflow over the wing’s upper surface in straight and level flight, when compared with the
freestream, will have:
a) The same velocity
b) Higher density
c) Higher velocity
d) Reduced velocity
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

9. Which of the four answer options most correctly completes this sentence? Increasing speed
also increases lift because:
a) Lift is directly proportional to velocity
b) The increased velocity of the relative wind overcomes the increased drag
c) Increasing speed decreases drag
d) The increased speed of the air passing over an airfoil’s upper surface decreases the
static pressure above the wing, thus creating a greater pressure differential across the
upper and lower surface

10. An aircraft has a nose down pitching moment due to the lift/weight couple and a nose up
pitching moment due to the thrust/drag couple. When power is increased:
a) It will pitch nose up
b) It will pitch nose down
c) The couples both increase in magnitude but remain balanced
d) The couples both decrease in magnitude but remain balanced

11. Considering the forces acting upon an aircraft, at constant airspeed, which statement is
correct?
a) Lift acts perpendicular to the chord line and must always be greater than weight
b) Thrust acts parallel to the relative airflow and is greater than drag
c) Weight always acts vertically downwards towards the centre of the Earth
d) The lift force generated by the wings always acts in the opposite direction to the aircraft’s
weight

12. In straight and level flight, the freestream airflow pressure, compared to that flowing under the
wing, is:
a) Lower
b) Equal
c) Higher
d) Equal pressure but travelling faster

13. If the cross sectional area of an airflow is mechanically reduced:

a) The velocity of the airflow remains constant and the kinetic energy increases
b) The mass flow remains constant and the velocity of the airflow increases
c) The mass flow remains constant and the static pressure increases
d) The velocity of the airflow remains constant and the mass flow increases

14. Dynamic pressure is:

a) The pressure change caused by heating when a moving airflow is brought completely to
rest
b) The total pressure at a point where a moving airflow is brought completely to rest
c) The pressure due to the mass of air pressing down on the air beneath
d) The amount by which the pressure rises at a point where a moving airflow is brought
completely to rest

15. An aircraft rotates about its:

a) Centre of gravity
b) Wings
c) Main undercarriage
d) Ruder
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

16. An aircraft’s mass is a result of:

a) How big it is
b) Its volume
c) How much matter it contains
d) Its weight

17. Dynamic pressure equals

a) Total pressure minus static pressure
b) Total pressure plus static pressure
c) Static pressure minus total pressure
d) Total pressure divided by static pressure

18. If the velocity of an air mass is increased:

a) The dynamic pressure will decrease and the static pressure will increase
b) The kinetic energy will increase, the dynamic pressure will increase and the static
pressure will decrease
c) The static pressure will remain constant and the kinetic energy will increase
d) The mass flow will stay constant, the dynamic pressure will decrease and the static
pressure will increase

19. What must be the relationship between the forces acting on an aircraft in flight, for that aircraft
to be in a state of equilibrium?
a) Lift must equal thrust, and weight must equal drag
b) Lift must equal drag, and thrust must equal weight
c) Lift must equal thrust plus drag
d) Lift must equal weight, and thrust must equal drag

20. The smooth flow of air, where each molecule follows the path of the preceding molecule, is a
definition of
a) Laminar flow
b) Turbulent flow
c) Free stream flow
d) Wind

21. As airspeed increases, induced drag:

a) Increases
b) Decreases
c) Remains unchanged
d) Always equals parasitic drag

22. As indicated airspeed is reduced, in order to maintain altitude, the pilot must:
a) Reduce the thrust
b) Decrease the angle of attack to reduce the drag
c) Deploy the speed brakes to increase drag
d) Increase the angle of attack to maintain the correct lift force

23. That portion of the aircraft’s total drag created by the production of lift is called:
a) Induced drag, which is greatly affected by changes in airspeed
b) Parasite drag, which is greatly affected by changes in airspeed
c) Induced drag, which is not affected by changes in airspeed
d) Parasite drag, which is inversely proportional to the square of the airspeed
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

24. By changing the angle of attack of a wing, the pilot can control the aircraft’s:
a) Lift, gross weight and drag
b) Lift and airspeed, but not drag
c) Lift, airspeed and drag
d) Lift and drag, but not airspeed

25. Resistance, or skin friction, due to the viscosity of the air as it passes along the surface of a
wing, is a type of:
a) Form drag
b) Induced drag
c) Parasite drag
d) Interference drag

26. If the airspeed of an aircraft is increased from 50 kts to 100 kts, parasite drag will be:
a) Two times greater
b) Four times greater
c) Six times greater
d) One quarter as much

27. An imaginary straight line running from the midpoint of the leading edge of an airfoil to its
trailing edge is called the:
a) Chord
b) Mean camber
c) Airfoil thickness
d) Maximum camber

28. As airspeed increases, induced drag ___________, parasite drag __________ and total drag
__________
a) Increases / increases / increases
b) Decreases / decreases / decreases
c) Decreases / increases / decreases then increases
d) Increases / decreases / increases then decreases

29. If in level flight the airspeed decreases below that for maximum lift/drag, the effect will be that:
a) Drag increases because of increased induced drag
b) Drag decreases because of lower induced drag
c) Drag increases because of increased parasite drag
d) Drag decreases because of lower parasite drag

30. At a constant angle of attack, a decrease in the airspeed of an aircraft will result in:
a) Possible increases or decreases in lift or drag, depending on the actual speed
b) An increase in lift and a decrease in drag
c) An increase in drag and a decrease in lift
d) A decrease in lift and drag

31. If the angle of attack and other factors remain constant, and the airspeed is doubled, lift will
be:
a) Doubled
b) Quadrupled
c) Halved
d) Quartered
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

32. Which of the answer options most correctly completes this sentence? The amount of lift a
wing produces is directly proportional to:
a) The dynamic pressure minus the static pressure
b) The air density
c) The square root of the velocity flowing over it
d) The air temperature

33. The maximum value of the coefficient of lift is found:

a) During steep turns
b) When lift equals drag
c) At negative angles of attack
d) At the stalling angle of attack

34. Full flaps should be selected when:

a) Committed to land
b) Commencing final approach
c) On go-around
d) Landing into a strong headwind

35. A wing which is inclined downwards from root to tip is said to have:
a) Dihedral
b) Anhedral
c) Washout
d) Taper

36. A wing which is inclined upwards from root to tip is said to have:
a) Sweep
b) Dihedral
c) Washout
d) Anhedral

37. When the CG is close to the forward limit:

a) Very high stick forces are required to pitch because the aircraft is very stable
b) Very small forces are required on the control column to produce pitch
c) Longitudinal stability is reduced
d) Stick forces are the same as for an aft CG

38. Following a lateral disturbance, an aircraft with Dutch roll instability will:
a) Go into a spiral dive
b) Develop oscillations in pitch
c) Develop simultaneous oscillations in roll and yaw
d) Develop an unchecked roll

39. An aircraft which is inherently stable will:

a) Require less effort to control
b) Have a built-in tendency to return to its original state following the removal of any
disturbing force
c) Not spin
d) Be difficult to stall
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

40. If a disturbing force causes an aircraft to roll:

a) Wing dihedral will cause a rolling moment which tends to correct the sideslip
b) The fin will cause a yawing moment which reduces the sideslip
c) Wing dihedral will cause a yawing moment which tends to correct the sideslip
d) Wing dihedral will cause a nose up pitching moment

41. By design, the centre of pressure on a particular aircraft remains aft of the CG. If the aircraft is
longitudinally stable and is displaced nose down by turbulence:
a) Neither and upward nor a downward force will be generated by the tailplane, as the
aircraft will already be in equilibrium
b) The tailplane will generate an upward force
c) The tailplane will generate a downward force
d) The aircraft will maintain its nose down attitude

42. Wing dihedral produces a stabilising rolling moment by causing an increase in lift:
a) On the lower wing when the aircraft is sideslipping
b) On the up-going wing when the aircraft rolls
c) On the up-going wing when the aircraft is sideslipping
d) On the lower wing whenever the aircraft pitches up

43. When an aircraft is disturbed from its established flight path by, for example, turbulence, it is
said to have positive stability if it subsequently:
a) Continues to pitch in the disturbed direction until the displacement is resisted by opposing
control forces
b) Re-establishes its original flight without any input from the pilot
c) Remains on the new flight path
d) Becomes further displaced from its original flight path

44. Loading an aircraft so that the CG exceeds the aft limit could result in:
a) High stick forces
b) Excessive upward force on the tail, and the nose pitching down
c) Excessive load factor in turns
d) Loss of longitudinal stability and the nose pitching up at slow speeds

45. With the flaps lowered, the stall speed will:

a) Decrease
b) Increase
c) Increase, but occur at a higher angle of attack
d) Remain the same

46. With a forward CG, an aircraft will have:

a) Lighter forces for control movements
b) Reduced longitudinal stability
c) Shorter takeoff distances
d) Decreases elevator effectiveness when flaring

47. Longitudinal stability is provided by:

a) The horizontal tailplane
b) The fin
c) The wing dihedral
d) The ailerons
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

48. Stability around the normal axis:

a) Is given by the lateral dihedral
b) Depends on the longitudinal dihedral
c) Is increased if the keel surface behind the CG is increased
d) Is greater if the wing has no sweepback

49. A pilot lowers the flaps while keeping airspeed constant. To maintain level flight, the angle of
attack must:
a) Be increased
b) Be reduced
c) Be kept constant but power must be increased
d) Be kept constant and power required will be constant

50. Rotation of an aircraft about its normal axis is known as:

a) Rolling
b) Yawing
c) Pitching
d) Side slipping

51. An aircraft wing is constructed with positive dihedral to give:

a) Lateral stability about the longitudinal axis
b) Longitudinal stability about the lateral axis
c) Lateral stability about the normal axis
d) Directional stability about the normal axis

52. When flaps are lowered the stalling angle of the wing:
a) Remains the same, but CLmax increases
b) Decreases, but CLmax increases
c) Increases and CLmax increases
d) Decreases, but CLmax remains the same

53. A high wing configuration with no dihedral, compared to a low wing configuration with no
dihedral, will provide:
a) Greater longitudinal stability
b) Less lateral stability
c) Greater lateral stability
d) The same degree of longitudinal stability as any other configuration because dihedral
gives longitudinal stability

54. Wing leading edge devices such as slats, designed to allow flight at higher angles of attack,
do so by:
a) Re-energising the airflow over the top of the wing, delaying separation
b) Providing an extra lifting surface and hence increase the lift available
c) Changing the span of the wing
d) Decreasing lift and hence induced drag

55. The surface that gives an aircraft directional stability is:

a) The rudder
b) The horizontal tailplane
c) The fin
d) The rudder trim tab
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

56. If a landing is to be made without flaps the landing speed must be:
a) The same as for a landing with flaps
b) The same as for a landing with flaps but a steeper approach
c) Increased
d) Reduced

57. The maximum speed at which an aircraft can be flown with flaps extended is called:
a) VYSE
b) VNE
c) VNO
d) VFE

58. The lateral axis of an aircraft is a line which:

a) Passes through the CG, parallel to a line through the wing tips
b) Passes through the wing tips
c) Passes through the centre of pressure, at right angles to the direction of the airflow
d) Passes through the quarter-chord point of the wing root at right angles to the longitudinal
axis

59. Lowering the flaps during a landing approach:

a) Permits approaches at a higher indicated airspeed
b) Increases the angle of descent without increasing the airspeed
c) Decreases the angle of descent without increasing power
d) Eliminates floating

60. During a manoeuvre, the ailerons are deflected and returned to neutral when the aircraft has
attained a small angle of bank. If the aircraft then returns to a wings-level attitude without
further control movement, it is:
a) Statically stable
b) Statically and dynamically stable
c) Neutrally stable
d) Statically stable but dynamically neutral

61. The purpose of an anti-balance tab is to:

a) Trim the aircraft
b) Reduce the load required to move the controls at all speeds
c) Reduce the load required to move the controls at high speeds only
d) Ensure that the pilot’s physical control load increases with increase of control surface
deflection

62. The phenomenon of flutter is described as:

a) Rapid movement of the airframe caused by vibration from the engines
b) Reversal of the ailerons caused by wing torsional flexibility
c) Oscillatory motion of part or parts of the aircraft relative to the remainder of the structure
d) Rapid oscillatory motion involving only rotation of the control surfaces, associated with the
shock waves produced around them

63. When the control column is pushed forward, a balance tab on the elevator:
a) Will move up relative to the control surface
b) Will move down relative to the control surface
c) Will only move if the trim wheel is operated
d) Moves to the neutral position
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

64. The purpose of differential ailerons is to:

a) Improve the roll rate
b) Increase the yawing moment which opposes a turn
c) Reduce the opposite yawing moment when making a turn
d) Induce a pitching moment to prevent the nose from dropping in the turn

65. The respective primary and secondary effects of the rudder control are:
a) Yaw and pitch
b) Yaw and roll
c) Pitch and roll
d) Roll and yaw

66. The primary and secondary effects of applying left rudder only are:
a) Left yaw and left roll
b) Left yaw and right roll
c) Right yaw and left roll
d) Right yaw and right roll

67. When displacing the ailerons from the neutral position:

a) Induced drag remains the same: the up-going aileron causes a smaller increase in profile
drag than the down-going aileron
b) The down-going aileron causes an increase in induced drag
c) The up-going aileron causes and increase in induced drag
d) Both ailerons cause an increase in induced drag

68. Ailerons give:

a) Directional control about the normal axis
b) Longitudinal control about the lateral axis
c) Lateral control about the lateral axis
d) Lateral control about the longitudinal axis

69. The respective primary and secondary effects of aileron control are:
a) Pitch and yaw
b) Yaw and roll
c) Roll and yaw
d) Roll and pitch

70. Fixed trim tabs on ailerons:

a) Can be adjusted during flight
b) Should never be adjusted
c) Can be adjusted on the ground after a test flight to make wings-level flight easier
d) Are prohibited on UK-registered aircraft

71. The purpose of a trim tab is:

a) To assist the pilot in initiating movement of the controls
b) To zero the load on the pilots controls in the flight attitude required
c) To provide feel to the controls at high speed
d) To increase the effectiveness of the controls
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

72. If the control column is moved forward and to the left:

a) The left aileron moves up, right aileron moves down, elevator moves down
b) The left aileron moves up, right aileron moves down, elevator moves up
c) The left aileron moves down, right aileron moves up, elevator moves down
d) The left aileron moves down, right aileron moves up, elevator moves up

73. Differential ailerons help to counteract:

a) Adverse roll
b) Adverse yaw
c) Stability about the longitudinal axis
d) Positive aircraft stability

74. If the angle of attack is increased beyond the critical angle of attack, the wing will no longer
produce sufficient lift to support the weight of the aircraft:
a) Unless the pitch attitude is on or below the natural horizon
b) Unless the airspeed is greater than the normal stall speed
c) Regardless of airspeed or pitch attitude
d) In which case, the control column should be pulled back immediately

75. The stalling speed of an aircraft in straight and level flight is 60 KIAS. What is its stalling
speed in a level 60° banked turn?
a) 43 KIAS
b) 60 KIAS
c) 85 KIAS
d) 120 KIAS

76. The maximum angle of climb of an aircraft is determined by:

a) The aircraft weight
b) Wind speed
c) Excess airspeed
d) Excess engine thrust

77. The angle of attack at which an aircraft stalls:

a) Will be smaller flying downwind than when flying upwind
b) Will remain constant, regardless of gross weight
c) Is dependent upon the speed of the airflow over the wing
d) Is a function of speed and density altitude

78. The maximum allowable airspeed with flaps extended (VFE) is lower than cruise speed
because:
a) Flaps are used only when preparing to land
b) At speeds higher than VFE the aerodynamic forces would overload the flap and wing
structure
c) Too much drag is induced
d) Flaps will stall if they are deployed at too high an airspeed

79. VNE is:

a) The maximum speed above which flaps should not be extended
b) The airspeed which must not be exceeded except in a dive
c) The maximum airspeed at which the aircraft may be flown
d) The maximum speed at which control surfaces can be moved through their full range
without damaging the airframe
5ENT1135 Air Law, Communications & Principles of Flight

80. What is the significance of the speed known as VNO?

a) It signifies the upper limit of the normal operating speed range
b) It is the maximum speed at which abrupt movements of the controls will result in a stall,
before the aircraft’s positive load limit is exceeded
c) It is the speed beyond which structural failure of the airframe will occur
d) It signifies the airspeed which must never be exceeded

81. The stalling speed of an aircraft, assuming weight to be constant, is a function of the:
a) Indicated airspeed
b) Square of the weight
c) Inverse of the load factor
d) Square root of the load factor

82. If an aircraft is flown at its design manoeuvring speed, VA:

a) It must immediately be slowed down if turbulence is encountered
b) It is possible to subject the aircraft to a load greater than its limit load during high ‘g’
manoeuvres
c) It is only possible to subject the aircraft to a load greater than its limit load during violent
increases in incidence, i.e. when using excessive stick force to pull out of a dive
d) It is not possible to exceed the limit load