King Schools Private Written Exam
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Four forces of flight - CORRECT ANSWER - Lift, weight, thrust, and drag.
Unaccelerated flight - CORRECT ANSWER - Plane is not changing speed or direction
In unaccelerated flight, the four forces are: - CORRECT ANSWER - in equilibrium. Also
known as straight and level flight. Lift=weight and thrust=drag.
Bernoulli's Law - CORRECT ANSWER - Law stating that pressure in a moving fluid is
less when the fluid is moving faster. Air traveling over curved upper surface (top of wing) causes
lower pressure on the top surface. Pressure is relatively higher under the wing. This will happen
whenever air is flowing smoothly and conforming to the surface of the wing.
Newton's Third Law - CORRECT ANSWER - Every action has an equal and opposite
reaction (to slow a moving object, force must be applied in the opposite direction). As air moves
across the wing and leaves the trailing edge, it's forced to move down. Force is required to make
something change direction, meaning there's an opposite reacting force (lift).
Angle of attack - CORRECT ANSWER - Angle between chord line and relative wind. It
determines how much lift there will be on the wing.
Laminar flow - CORRECT ANSWER - When the air flows smoothly over the wing.
When does a wing stall? - CORRECT ANSWER - A wing stalls when the pitch reaches
the critical angle of attack and lift can no longer be generated because the airflow around the
wings separates (relative wind can no longer conform to the surface of the wing, when it
separates lift is destroyed).
,How would the gross weight change the critical angle of attack? - CORRECT ANSWER -
It wouldn't- the critical angle of attack is always the same. Changing the weight would change
the speed at which the critical angle of attack is reached
Stall speed is the same regardless of: - CORRECT ANSWER - altitude
What is a spin? - CORRECT ANSWER - A spin occurs when the plane stalls but is
uncoordinated, causing one wing to stall more than the other and drop.
How do we recover from a spin? - CORRECT ANSWER - Throttle to idle, ailerons
neutral, full opposite rudder, yolk forward after rudder reaches stop.
What will happen if there is frost on the wings? - CORRECT ANSWER - It may prevent
the plane from becoming airborne at normal takeoff speed because the airflow over the wings is
disrupted. Stall speed may also increase, lift will decrease, and more drag will be created.
What do flaps do? - CORRECT ANSWER - Increase lift, but more importantly, increase
drag, allowing an increased angle of descent without increased airspeed.
Stability - CORRECT ANSWER - If an aircraft is stable, it should be able to return to its
original pitch when the yolk is yanked back. If the yolk is yanked back causing the plane to pitch
up, the plane will then pitch down to compensate. It will kind of oscillate between pitching up
and down with a decreased difference each time until the pitch is back to what it was before
(straight and level flight).
(Longitudinal/pitch stability- pull back on the yolk and let go, plane returns to equilibrium, plane
oscillates, oscillations become smaller and smaller)
What primarily determines longitudinal stability? - CORRECT ANSWER - The location
of the center of gravity in relation to the center of pressure (lift). CG is generally more forward
than the center of lift. Tail needs down force (negative angle of attack) to balance this. Slower
speed=less down force on tail=pitch down, etc.
,CG - CORRECT ANSWER - Center of gravity: The single point where if you could hold
the plane by a string, the plane would balance. Theoretical point where the entire weight of the
plane is considered to be concentrated.
Characteristics of an aft CG - CORRECT ANSWER - Poor stability and controllability
("arm" between CG and back of plane is shorter), good performance, harder to stall but harder to
recover.
The airplane would be tail-heavy. This could result in the elevator becoming ineffective for
stall/spin recovery. Also, higher true airspeed.
Characteristics of a forward CG - CORRECT ANSWER - Good stability, good
controllability (long arm), poor performance (slow cruise, high AOA, drag), more potential to
stall but easier to recover.
The airplane would be nose-heavy. This could result in longer takeoff distances and higher
stalling speeds. Extreme case could cause the nose wheel to strike the runway before the mains
in landing.
A power reduction in airplanes, other than T-tails, will: - CORRECT ANSWER - decrease
the downwash on the horizontal stabilizer from the wings and propeller slipstream. This is what
causes the nose to pitch down after a power reduction.
What makes a plane turn? - CORRECT ANSWER - Horizontal component of lift (to the
inside of the turn)
Why do you need to use rudder in a turn? - CORRECT ANSWER - Adverse yaw. When
the outside aileron is down, the angle of attack and lift increase, but drag also increases. This
means the outside wing moves both up and back, and the inside wing inversely moves down and
forward (less lift in that wing=less drag). Plane yaws to opposite direction of bank.
The load factor imposed on a plane will _____ as the angle of bank is increased. This is because
of _____. - CORRECT ANSWER - increase. centrifugal force.
, Increasing the load factor/being in a bank will cause an airplane to stall at a _____ airspeed. -
CORRECT ANSWER - higher
The amount of excess load you can place on a plane depends on the _____. - CORRECT
ANSWER - speed. If you slow the plane down, it will stall before you can overstress the
wings, so stop imposing Gs before slowing the plane (get out of bank, etc). Protect plane by
going slowly
Example problem: calculate total load - CORRECT ANSWER - Airplane = 3300 lbs
Bank angle = 30 degrees
Total load = weight x load factor
3300 x 1.2 (found on chart)
Total load = 3960 lbs
P-Factor - CORRECT ANSWER - A left-turning tendency. When plane is pitched up, the
propeller is not pointed into the plane's relative wind. The blades' angle of attacks are affected-
the right blade (going down) takes a greater bite because of a higher aoa, while the left (going
up) takes a smaller bite because of the lower aoa. The right blade produces more thrust than the
left.
Torque Effect - CORRECT ANSWER - Tendency of the plane to turning the opposite
direction of the propeller. Torque effect is less drastic at high speed because there's enough
airflow over the wings for the aerodynamic compensations to take effect. More drastic at high
power because it's the engine/horsepower making the plane want to turn left.
Most drastic: high power, low airspeed, high aoa
In severe turbulence: - CORRECT ANSWER - Reduce airspeed to maneuvering speed or
below
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Four forces of flight - CORRECT ANSWER - Lift, weight, thrust, and drag.
Unaccelerated flight - CORRECT ANSWER - Plane is not changing speed or direction
In unaccelerated flight, the four forces are: - CORRECT ANSWER - in equilibrium. Also
known as straight and level flight. Lift=weight and thrust=drag.
Bernoulli's Law - CORRECT ANSWER - Law stating that pressure in a moving fluid is
less when the fluid is moving faster. Air traveling over curved upper surface (top of wing) causes
lower pressure on the top surface. Pressure is relatively higher under the wing. This will happen
whenever air is flowing smoothly and conforming to the surface of the wing.
Newton's Third Law - CORRECT ANSWER - Every action has an equal and opposite
reaction (to slow a moving object, force must be applied in the opposite direction). As air moves
across the wing and leaves the trailing edge, it's forced to move down. Force is required to make
something change direction, meaning there's an opposite reacting force (lift).
Angle of attack - CORRECT ANSWER - Angle between chord line and relative wind. It
determines how much lift there will be on the wing.
Laminar flow - CORRECT ANSWER - When the air flows smoothly over the wing.
When does a wing stall? - CORRECT ANSWER - A wing stalls when the pitch reaches
the critical angle of attack and lift can no longer be generated because the airflow around the
wings separates (relative wind can no longer conform to the surface of the wing, when it
separates lift is destroyed).
,How would the gross weight change the critical angle of attack? - CORRECT ANSWER -
It wouldn't- the critical angle of attack is always the same. Changing the weight would change
the speed at which the critical angle of attack is reached
Stall speed is the same regardless of: - CORRECT ANSWER - altitude
What is a spin? - CORRECT ANSWER - A spin occurs when the plane stalls but is
uncoordinated, causing one wing to stall more than the other and drop.
How do we recover from a spin? - CORRECT ANSWER - Throttle to idle, ailerons
neutral, full opposite rudder, yolk forward after rudder reaches stop.
What will happen if there is frost on the wings? - CORRECT ANSWER - It may prevent
the plane from becoming airborne at normal takeoff speed because the airflow over the wings is
disrupted. Stall speed may also increase, lift will decrease, and more drag will be created.
What do flaps do? - CORRECT ANSWER - Increase lift, but more importantly, increase
drag, allowing an increased angle of descent without increased airspeed.
Stability - CORRECT ANSWER - If an aircraft is stable, it should be able to return to its
original pitch when the yolk is yanked back. If the yolk is yanked back causing the plane to pitch
up, the plane will then pitch down to compensate. It will kind of oscillate between pitching up
and down with a decreased difference each time until the pitch is back to what it was before
(straight and level flight).
(Longitudinal/pitch stability- pull back on the yolk and let go, plane returns to equilibrium, plane
oscillates, oscillations become smaller and smaller)
What primarily determines longitudinal stability? - CORRECT ANSWER - The location
of the center of gravity in relation to the center of pressure (lift). CG is generally more forward
than the center of lift. Tail needs down force (negative angle of attack) to balance this. Slower
speed=less down force on tail=pitch down, etc.
,CG - CORRECT ANSWER - Center of gravity: The single point where if you could hold
the plane by a string, the plane would balance. Theoretical point where the entire weight of the
plane is considered to be concentrated.
Characteristics of an aft CG - CORRECT ANSWER - Poor stability and controllability
("arm" between CG and back of plane is shorter), good performance, harder to stall but harder to
recover.
The airplane would be tail-heavy. This could result in the elevator becoming ineffective for
stall/spin recovery. Also, higher true airspeed.
Characteristics of a forward CG - CORRECT ANSWER - Good stability, good
controllability (long arm), poor performance (slow cruise, high AOA, drag), more potential to
stall but easier to recover.
The airplane would be nose-heavy. This could result in longer takeoff distances and higher
stalling speeds. Extreme case could cause the nose wheel to strike the runway before the mains
in landing.
A power reduction in airplanes, other than T-tails, will: - CORRECT ANSWER - decrease
the downwash on the horizontal stabilizer from the wings and propeller slipstream. This is what
causes the nose to pitch down after a power reduction.
What makes a plane turn? - CORRECT ANSWER - Horizontal component of lift (to the
inside of the turn)
Why do you need to use rudder in a turn? - CORRECT ANSWER - Adverse yaw. When
the outside aileron is down, the angle of attack and lift increase, but drag also increases. This
means the outside wing moves both up and back, and the inside wing inversely moves down and
forward (less lift in that wing=less drag). Plane yaws to opposite direction of bank.
The load factor imposed on a plane will _____ as the angle of bank is increased. This is because
of _____. - CORRECT ANSWER - increase. centrifugal force.
, Increasing the load factor/being in a bank will cause an airplane to stall at a _____ airspeed. -
CORRECT ANSWER - higher
The amount of excess load you can place on a plane depends on the _____. - CORRECT
ANSWER - speed. If you slow the plane down, it will stall before you can overstress the
wings, so stop imposing Gs before slowing the plane (get out of bank, etc). Protect plane by
going slowly
Example problem: calculate total load - CORRECT ANSWER - Airplane = 3300 lbs
Bank angle = 30 degrees
Total load = weight x load factor
3300 x 1.2 (found on chart)
Total load = 3960 lbs
P-Factor - CORRECT ANSWER - A left-turning tendency. When plane is pitched up, the
propeller is not pointed into the plane's relative wind. The blades' angle of attacks are affected-
the right blade (going down) takes a greater bite because of a higher aoa, while the left (going
up) takes a smaller bite because of the lower aoa. The right blade produces more thrust than the
left.
Torque Effect - CORRECT ANSWER - Tendency of the plane to turning the opposite
direction of the propeller. Torque effect is less drastic at high speed because there's enough
airflow over the wings for the aerodynamic compensations to take effect. More drastic at high
power because it's the engine/horsepower making the plane want to turn left.
Most drastic: high power, low airspeed, high aoa
In severe turbulence: - CORRECT ANSWER - Reduce airspeed to maneuvering speed or
below
