Aircraft Components and Controls Flashcards
7 cards from real SIFT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Aircraft Components and Controls flashcards as text
What is the function of the swashplate assembly in a helicopter rotor system?
Answer: Transmits cyclic and collective pitch inputs to the rotating rotor blades
The swashplate translates non-rotating pilot inputs from the cyclic and collective into changing blade pitch angles as the rotor turns.
During a coordinated turn in a fixed-wing aircraft, the ball in the turn coordinator should be:
Answer: Centered
A centered ball indicates that the turn is coordinated, meaning rudder input matches the bank angle and there is no sideslip.
What is the purpose of leading edge slats on a fixed-wing aircraft?
Answer: Increase the wing's camber and delay stall at high angles of attack
Leading edge slats extend forward from the wing leading edge to increase camber and allow airflow to remain attached at higher angles of attack, lowering stall speed.
The 'anhedral' wing configuration (wings angled downward from root to tip) is primarily used to:
Answer: Reduce lateral (roll) stability for improved maneuverability
Anhedral reduces the dihedral effect, lowering roll stability and making the aircraft more responsive in roll, often used on highly maneuverable or swept-wing aircraft.
In a semi-rigid rotor system, what is the purpose of the 'flapping hinge'?
Answer: Allows the blade to flap up and down to equalize lift across the rotor disk
The flapping hinge allows each rotor blade to move up (flap) on the advancing side and down on the retreating side, balancing the dissymmetry of lift.
What does the term 'gyroscopic precession' mean in the context of helicopter rotors?
Answer: A force applied to a spinning disk results in movement 90° later in the direction of rotation
Gyroscopic precession causes an applied force on a spinning rotor to take effect 90° ahead in the direction of rotation, which must be accounted for in blade pitch control inputs.
Spoilers on a fixed-wing aircraft are primarily used to:
Answer: Disrupt airflow over the wing to reduce lift and increase drag
Spoilers extend upward from the upper wing surface to disrupt airflow, destroying lift and adding drag, used both as speed brakes in flight and ground spoilers on landing.