Aircraft Construction Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering certification, airframe components, flight controls, materials, and instrumentation from Chapter 3 of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.

14 CFR 1.1 defines an aircraft as a device that is used, or intended to be used, for:

A. Flight

B. Transportation

C. Military operations

D. Commercial transport

A — Flight

The FAA recognizes seven aircraft certification categories under 14 CFR 1.1. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

14 CFR Part ______ governs Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, and Commuter category airplanes.

Part 23

Which 14 CFR part governs Transport category airplanes?

A. Part 21

B. Part 23

C. Part 25

D. Part 27

C — Part 25

14 CFR Part 27 governs Transport category rotorcraft. TRUE or FALSE?

FALSE

14 CFR Part ______ governs manned free balloons.

Part $31$

Which 14 CFR part sets airworthiness standards for aircraft engines?

A. Part 29

B. Part 31

C. Part 33

D. Part 35

C — Part 33

14 CFR Part 35 sets airworthiness standards for propellers. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

A rotorcraft is supported in flight by lift generated from one or more ______.

Rotors

Which certification category is described as a flexible wing on a fuselage that is not capable of flight until it is in motion?

A. Glider

B. Powered-lift

C. Powered parachute

D. Weight-shift control

C — Powered parachute

Weight-shift control aircraft use a rigid wing fixed to the fuselage, with no pilot weight-shifting involved. TRUE or FALSE?

FALSE

Once the FAA confirms a design meets the applicable airworthiness standards, it issues a ______ Certificate for that design.

Type

A Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) is:

A. Confidential to the manufacturer

B. Publicly available and publishes the design’s key characteristics

C. Only issued for experimental aircraft

D. A maintenance logbook

B — Publicly available and publishes the design’s key characteristics

A Standard airworthiness certificate is white, while a Special airworthiness certificate is pink. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

In aircraft structures, ______ is the stress that resists a force tending to pull an object apart.

Tension

Which stress resists a crushing force, with the strength of the affected part depending on its shape, cross-section, and length?

A. Tension

B. Compression

C. Torsion

D. Shear

B — Compression

Torsion is the stress that produces a twisting motion, such as that experienced by an engine crankshaft. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

Bending stress is actually a combination of ______ stress and compression stress.

Tension

Which fuselage construction method uses welded lengths of tubing to form a braced framework?

A. Monocoque

B. Truss

C. Semimonocoque

D. Geodesic

B — Truss

In a monocoque fuselage, stressed skin supports almost all structural loads, much like an aluminum beverage can. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

A semimonocoque fuselage reinforces the stressed skin with a substructure of bulkheads, formers, and ______.

Stringers

Which wing member runs span-wise and carries the primary bending loads?

A. Rib

B. Stringer

C. Spar

D. Longeron

C — Spar

Wing ribs determine the airfoil shape and cross-sectional thickness of the wing. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

A wing braced by external struts that help carry flight and landing loads to the fuselage is called a ______-cantilever wing.

Semi-cantilever

Which empennage surface is hinged to the horizontal stabilizer and controls pitch? A. Rudder

B. Aileron

C. Elevator

D. Trim tab

C — Elevator

A stabilator is a one-piece horizontal stabilizer that pivots from a central hinge point, combining the stabilizer and elevator into one surface. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

Conventional (tailwheel) landing gear places two main wheels forward and a small wheel at the ______ of the airplane.

Rear

Which landing gear configuration is most common on modern training aircraft?

A. Conventional (tailwheel) gear

B. Tricycle gear

C. Skid gear

D. Retractable tailwheel gear

B — Tricycle gear

Besides turning the propeller, an aircraft engine may also generate electrical power, provide vacuum for flight instruments, and heat the cabin. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

A propeller is a rotating ______ that converts the engine’s rotational force into thrust.

Airfoil

Keeping a propeller’s angle of attack relatively constant along the blade span reduces the chance of a:

A. Flat spin

B. Stall

C. Ground loop

D. Flutter

B — Stall

A propeller’s pitch is the distance it would travel in one revolution if it were turning through a solid. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

Ailerons extend from about the midpoint of each wing outward to the tip and move in opposite directions to control ______.

Roll

Which primary flight control is attached to the back of the vertical stabilizer and controls yaw?

A. Elevator

B. Aileron

C. Rudder

D. Flap

C — Rudder

Flaps stay flush with the wing in cruise flight and extend together to add lift for takeoff and landing. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

The five common flap types are plain, split, slotted, Fowler, and ______ Fowler.

Slotted.

Small, movable portions of a control surface’s trailing edge that reduce the control pressure a pilot must hold are called:

A. Spoilers

B. Trim tabs

C. Slats

D. Winglets

B — Trim tabs

A fly-by-wire flight control system replaces mechanical linkages with an electronic interface, sending pilot inputs through a flight control computer. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

A one-piece stabilator uses a built-in ______ tab that acts as both a trim device and a sensitivity reducer.

Antiservo

Composite materials used in aircraft construction date back to insulation used on which WWII-era aircraft?

A. P-51 Mustang

B. B-29 Superfortress

C. DC-3

D. Spitfire

B — B-29 Superfortress

By $2005$, more than $35\%$ of new aircraft used composite materials. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

“Composite” broadly covers fiberglass, carbon fiber cloth, and ______ cloth, bonded together in a matrix.

Kevlar

Compared to fiberglass, carbon fiber is:

A. Heavier but more impact-resistant

B. Lighter and stiffer, but more brittle

C. Identical in strength and weight

D. Never used in aircraft

B — Lighter and stiffer, but more brittle

One advantage of composite materials is that lighter weight is automatic and guaranteed, regardless of the structure. TRUE or FALSE?

FALSE

Composite corrosion resistance allowed the Boeing 787 to operate with higher cabin ______ without moisture-related corrosion concerns.

Humidity

Low-energy impact damage to a composite structure is particularly hazardous because it:

A. Always causes an obvious puncture

B. May show no visible surface damage despite hidden delamination

C. Only affects the paint

D. Cannot occur in flight

B — May show no visible surface damage despite hidden delamination

Many epoxies used in composite structures begin to weaken above $150^\circ\text{F}$. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE

Because composites can be damaged by chemical paint strippers, only ______ methods such as gentle grit blasting or sanding are approved for removing paint.

Mechanical

Which group of flight instruments includes the altimeter, airspeed indicator, and vertical speed indicator?

A. Control instruments

B. Navigation instruments

C. Performance instruments

D. Powerplant instruments

C — Performance instruments

Electronic Flight Displays (EFDs) combine a Primary Flight Display (PFD) and a Multi-Function Display (MFD) to replace individual analog gauges. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE