ATSC 231 Block 3 Exam UPDATED
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What are the three hazards resulting from turbulence - CORRECT ANSWER - • Loss of
Control
• Airframe Damage
• Passenger Comfort/Safety
What is the type of aircraft operation in which turbulence produces the greatest frequency of
accidents - CORRECT ANSWER - part 121
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what percent of accidents overall are from turbulence (annual
trend)? - CORRECT ANSWER - 38%
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common time of year? - CORRECT
ANSWER - July (during the summer with the most convection)
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common altitude? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 30,000-35,000 feet
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common phase of flight? - CORRECT
ANSWER - En-route descent and cruise
What is the difference between Flight (or Limit) Load Factor and Design (or Ultimate) Load
Factor? - CORRECT ANSWER - Flight (limit) load factor: category aircraft falls in
Normal is 3.8 Gs to -1.52
Utility is 4.4 to -1.76
Acrobatic is 6.0 to -3.00
,Design (ultimate) load factor: 1.5 greater than Flight Load Factor
(point at which plane breaks)
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the worst place within the airplane? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Back of the airplane (aft)
· Be able to identify the average annual number of injuries from turbulence - CORRECT
ANSWER - 60 per year
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what are is the most common type of person (passengers or
flight attendants) - CORRECT ANSWER - Flight attendants
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what type of turblucence causes the most accidents?
Clear air turbulence
mountain wave turbulence
wake turbulence
unknown turbulence
convective turbulence - CORRECT ANSWER - Convective turbulence
What factors determine the transition from laminar to turbulent flow - CORRECT
ANSWER - - Wind speed
- Surface Roughness
- Air Density
- Stability
- Viscosity
- Other factors
,For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common place of injury on the body? -
CORRECT ANSWER - Lower extremity
What is the FAA definition of turbulence? - CORRECT ANSWER - Irregular fluctuations
occurring in fluid motions
What are two types of turbulent flow - CORRECT ANSWER - - Wave
- Eddies or Vortices
What is the aviation definition of turbulence? - CORRECT ANSWER - Irregular motion of
an aircraft in flight, especially when characterized by rapid up-and-down motion, caused by a
rapid variations of atmospheric wind velocities.
Which scale represents turbulent motions for aircraft - CORRECT ANSWER -•
Turbulence that affects aircraft occurs on the microscale
What are the factors that determine lift? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Coefficient of Lift (CL
)
- Air Density (r)
- Air Speed (V)
- Wing Area (S)
How does the coefficient of lift change with angle of attack? - CORRECT ANSWER - CL
increases with AoA, until you stall at which point Cl decreases
Define load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Ratio of the total air load acting on an
aircraft to the gross weight of the aircraft
What 3 factors affect load factor in turbulence - CORRECT ANSWER - - Strength of gusts
- Airspeed
, - Wing Loading
What are some characteristics of waves and eddies? - CORRECT ANSWER - Wave -
Regular oscillation of wind
Eddies - Vortices embedded in the mean wind flow
How does airspeed affect load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Determines additional lift
force generated by gust
- Slower is better (goal is to stall before exceeding design characteristics)
The higher the airspeed the less the AOA changes with a vertical gust
How do vertical gusts affect load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Results in
• Change of relative wind
• Change in AOA
The stronger the gust compared to airspeed the more the AoA changes
Define wing loading - CORRECT ANSWER - - Ratio of weight of aircraft to wing surface
area
How does wing loading affect load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Gust Load Factor is
Inversely Proportional to Wing Loading
A piper archer is much more affected by turbulence than a 747 because the archer has much less
wing loading
Less wing loading = More affected
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What are the three hazards resulting from turbulence - CORRECT ANSWER - • Loss of
Control
• Airframe Damage
• Passenger Comfort/Safety
What is the type of aircraft operation in which turbulence produces the greatest frequency of
accidents - CORRECT ANSWER - part 121
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what percent of accidents overall are from turbulence (annual
trend)? - CORRECT ANSWER - 38%
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common time of year? - CORRECT
ANSWER - July (during the summer with the most convection)
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common altitude? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 30,000-35,000 feet
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common phase of flight? - CORRECT
ANSWER - En-route descent and cruise
What is the difference between Flight (or Limit) Load Factor and Design (or Ultimate) Load
Factor? - CORRECT ANSWER - Flight (limit) load factor: category aircraft falls in
Normal is 3.8 Gs to -1.52
Utility is 4.4 to -1.76
Acrobatic is 6.0 to -3.00
,Design (ultimate) load factor: 1.5 greater than Flight Load Factor
(point at which plane breaks)
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the worst place within the airplane? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Back of the airplane (aft)
· Be able to identify the average annual number of injuries from turbulence - CORRECT
ANSWER - 60 per year
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what are is the most common type of person (passengers or
flight attendants) - CORRECT ANSWER - Flight attendants
For part 121 turbulence accidents, what type of turblucence causes the most accidents?
Clear air turbulence
mountain wave turbulence
wake turbulence
unknown turbulence
convective turbulence - CORRECT ANSWER - Convective turbulence
What factors determine the transition from laminar to turbulent flow - CORRECT
ANSWER - - Wind speed
- Surface Roughness
- Air Density
- Stability
- Viscosity
- Other factors
,For part 121 turbulence accidents, what is the most common place of injury on the body? -
CORRECT ANSWER - Lower extremity
What is the FAA definition of turbulence? - CORRECT ANSWER - Irregular fluctuations
occurring in fluid motions
What are two types of turbulent flow - CORRECT ANSWER - - Wave
- Eddies or Vortices
What is the aviation definition of turbulence? - CORRECT ANSWER - Irregular motion of
an aircraft in flight, especially when characterized by rapid up-and-down motion, caused by a
rapid variations of atmospheric wind velocities.
Which scale represents turbulent motions for aircraft - CORRECT ANSWER -•
Turbulence that affects aircraft occurs on the microscale
What are the factors that determine lift? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Coefficient of Lift (CL
)
- Air Density (r)
- Air Speed (V)
- Wing Area (S)
How does the coefficient of lift change with angle of attack? - CORRECT ANSWER - CL
increases with AoA, until you stall at which point Cl decreases
Define load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Ratio of the total air load acting on an
aircraft to the gross weight of the aircraft
What 3 factors affect load factor in turbulence - CORRECT ANSWER - - Strength of gusts
- Airspeed
, - Wing Loading
What are some characteristics of waves and eddies? - CORRECT ANSWER - Wave -
Regular oscillation of wind
Eddies - Vortices embedded in the mean wind flow
How does airspeed affect load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Determines additional lift
force generated by gust
- Slower is better (goal is to stall before exceeding design characteristics)
The higher the airspeed the less the AOA changes with a vertical gust
How do vertical gusts affect load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Results in
• Change of relative wind
• Change in AOA
The stronger the gust compared to airspeed the more the AoA changes
Define wing loading - CORRECT ANSWER - - Ratio of weight of aircraft to wing surface
area
How does wing loading affect load factor - CORRECT ANSWER - - Gust Load Factor is
Inversely Proportional to Wing Loading
A piper archer is much more affected by turbulence than a 747 because the archer has much less
wing loading
Less wing loading = More affected
