AFOQT Aviation Information ACTUAL
UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Fixed-wing aircraft structure - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Fuselage
2. Wings
3. Tail assembly or empennage
4. Landing gear
5. Powerplant
6. Flight instruments/controls and control surfaces
Fuselage - CORRECT ANSWER - Body of an airplane. Contains the cockpit, the cabin,
the cargo area if there is one, and attachment points for other major airplane components, such as
wings, tail section, and landing gear
Cockpit - CORRECT ANSWER - From which the pilots and the flight crew controls the
aircraft's operations
Two design systems of fuselage construction - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Truss
2. Monocoque
Truss construction fuselages - CORRECT ANSWER - Use steel or aluminum tubing in a
series of triangular shapes (called trusses) to get the necessary strength and rigidity. Consists of
welded steel-tubing longerons separated by diagonal members to endure the loads placed upon
the aircraft.
Monocoque construction fuselages - CORRECT ANSWER - Use bulkheads, stringers,
(running the length of the fuselage) and formers (perpendicular to stringers) of various sizes and
shapes to support a stretched or "stressed" skin. Consists of a thin sheet-aluminum alloy curved
to fit the shell of the fuselage. This metal skin is designed to withstand the stress of loads and
minimize the total weight of the aircraft.
,Wings - CORRECT ANSWER - Airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage that serve as
the main lifting surfaces supporting the airplane in flight
Airfoil - CORRECT ANSWER - An aircraft part or surface (such as wing, propeller blade,
or rudder) that controls lift, direction, stability, thrust, or propulsion for the aircraft
Monoplanes - CORRECT ANSWER - Airplanes with one set of wings
Biplanes - CORRECT ANSWER - Airplanes with two sets of wings
Cantilever wing - CORRECT ANSWER - Requires no external bracing, getting its support
from internal wing spars, ribs, and stringers, as well as the construction of the wing's skin or
covering
Semi-cantilever wing - CORRECT ANSWER - Requires both internal bracing and
external support from struts attached to the fuselage
Ailerons location - CORRECT ANSWER - Extend from about the middle of the wing out
toward the wingtip; they move in opposite directions to create aerodynamic forces that cause the
airplane to roll
Flaps - CORRECT ANSWER - Extend outward from near where the wing joins the
fuselage (called the wing root) to about the middle of the wing's trailing edge. The flaps are
usually flush with the rest of the wing surface when cruising flight; when they are extended, the
flaps move downward together to increase the lift of the wing for takeoffs and landings. Most
common high lift devices
Chord line - CORRECT ANSWER - The distance from the leading edge of the wing to the
trailing edge. Cuts the airfoil into an upper surface and a lower surface
, Mean camber line - CORRECT ANSWER - If we plot the points that lie halfway between
the upper and lower surfaces, we obtain a curve called the mean camber line
Camber - CORRECT ANSWER - The maximum difference between the mean camber line
and the chord line. A measure of the curvature of the airfoil
Thickness - CORRECT ANSWER - The maximum difference between the upper and
lower surfaces. A percentage of the wing chord; typically ranges from 6.5 to 13.5 percent.
Wingtips - CORRECT ANSWER - The ends of the wings
Wingspan - CORRECT ANSWER - The distance from one wingtip to the other
A planform - CORRECT ANSWER - The shape of the wing viewed from above
Dihedral angle - CORRECT ANSWER - When the left and right wings aren't truly
horizontal to the fuselage, but instead meet at this angle. Built into the design for roll stability; a
wing with some dihedral will naturally return to its original position if it encounters a slight
displacement
Three basic wing types on modern airplanes - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Straight
2. Sweep
3. Delta
Straight wings - CORRECT ANSWER - Mostly found on small, low-speed airplanes, as
well as gliders and sailplanes. These wings give the most efficient lift at low speeds, but are not
very good for high speed flight, especially that approaching the speed of sound
Swept wings - CORRECT ANSWER - (Either forward swept or swept back) is the most
common design for modern high speed airplanes. Creates less drag than straight wing designs,
but is somewhat more unstable at low speeds
UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Fixed-wing aircraft structure - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Fuselage
2. Wings
3. Tail assembly or empennage
4. Landing gear
5. Powerplant
6. Flight instruments/controls and control surfaces
Fuselage - CORRECT ANSWER - Body of an airplane. Contains the cockpit, the cabin,
the cargo area if there is one, and attachment points for other major airplane components, such as
wings, tail section, and landing gear
Cockpit - CORRECT ANSWER - From which the pilots and the flight crew controls the
aircraft's operations
Two design systems of fuselage construction - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Truss
2. Monocoque
Truss construction fuselages - CORRECT ANSWER - Use steel or aluminum tubing in a
series of triangular shapes (called trusses) to get the necessary strength and rigidity. Consists of
welded steel-tubing longerons separated by diagonal members to endure the loads placed upon
the aircraft.
Monocoque construction fuselages - CORRECT ANSWER - Use bulkheads, stringers,
(running the length of the fuselage) and formers (perpendicular to stringers) of various sizes and
shapes to support a stretched or "stressed" skin. Consists of a thin sheet-aluminum alloy curved
to fit the shell of the fuselage. This metal skin is designed to withstand the stress of loads and
minimize the total weight of the aircraft.
,Wings - CORRECT ANSWER - Airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage that serve as
the main lifting surfaces supporting the airplane in flight
Airfoil - CORRECT ANSWER - An aircraft part or surface (such as wing, propeller blade,
or rudder) that controls lift, direction, stability, thrust, or propulsion for the aircraft
Monoplanes - CORRECT ANSWER - Airplanes with one set of wings
Biplanes - CORRECT ANSWER - Airplanes with two sets of wings
Cantilever wing - CORRECT ANSWER - Requires no external bracing, getting its support
from internal wing spars, ribs, and stringers, as well as the construction of the wing's skin or
covering
Semi-cantilever wing - CORRECT ANSWER - Requires both internal bracing and
external support from struts attached to the fuselage
Ailerons location - CORRECT ANSWER - Extend from about the middle of the wing out
toward the wingtip; they move in opposite directions to create aerodynamic forces that cause the
airplane to roll
Flaps - CORRECT ANSWER - Extend outward from near where the wing joins the
fuselage (called the wing root) to about the middle of the wing's trailing edge. The flaps are
usually flush with the rest of the wing surface when cruising flight; when they are extended, the
flaps move downward together to increase the lift of the wing for takeoffs and landings. Most
common high lift devices
Chord line - CORRECT ANSWER - The distance from the leading edge of the wing to the
trailing edge. Cuts the airfoil into an upper surface and a lower surface
, Mean camber line - CORRECT ANSWER - If we plot the points that lie halfway between
the upper and lower surfaces, we obtain a curve called the mean camber line
Camber - CORRECT ANSWER - The maximum difference between the mean camber line
and the chord line. A measure of the curvature of the airfoil
Thickness - CORRECT ANSWER - The maximum difference between the upper and
lower surfaces. A percentage of the wing chord; typically ranges from 6.5 to 13.5 percent.
Wingtips - CORRECT ANSWER - The ends of the wings
Wingspan - CORRECT ANSWER - The distance from one wingtip to the other
A planform - CORRECT ANSWER - The shape of the wing viewed from above
Dihedral angle - CORRECT ANSWER - When the left and right wings aren't truly
horizontal to the fuselage, but instead meet at this angle. Built into the design for roll stability; a
wing with some dihedral will naturally return to its original position if it encounters a slight
displacement
Three basic wing types on modern airplanes - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Straight
2. Sweep
3. Delta
Straight wings - CORRECT ANSWER - Mostly found on small, low-speed airplanes, as
well as gliders and sailplanes. These wings give the most efficient lift at low speeds, but are not
very good for high speed flight, especially that approaching the speed of sound
Swept wings - CORRECT ANSWER - (Either forward swept or swept back) is the most
common design for modern high speed airplanes. Creates less drag than straight wing designs,
but is somewhat more unstable at low speeds
