AFOQT Aviation Information Exam Questions
and Answers
fixed-wing aircraft structure - -1. Fuselage
2. Wings
3. Tail assembly or empennage
4. Landing gear
5. Powerplant
6. Flight instruments/controls and control surfaces
-fuselage - -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 - -from which the pilots and the flight crew control the aircraft's operations
-Two design types of fuselage construction - -1. truss
2. monocoque
-Truss construction fuselages - -use steel or aluminum tubing in a series of triangular
shapes (called trusses) to get the necessary strength and rigidity
-monocoque designs - -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
-wings - -airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage that serve as the main lifting
surfaces supporting the airplane in flight.
-airfoil - -an aircraft part or surface (such as wing, propeller blade, or rudder) that
controls lift, direction, stability, thrust, or propulsion for the aircraft.
-monoplanes - -airplanes with one set of wings
-biplanes - -airplanes with two sets of wings
-cantilever wing - -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 - -requires both internal bracing and external support from struts
attached to the fuselage
-ailerons - -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 - -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 - -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 - -if we plot the points that lie halfway between the upper and lower
surfaces, we obtain a curve called the mean camber line.
-camber - -the maximum difference between the the mean camber line and the chord line.
A measure of the curvature of the airfoil.
-thickness - -the maximum difference between the upper and lower surfaces
-wingtips - -the ends of the wings
-wingspan - -the distance from one wingtip to the other
-a planform - -the shape of the wing viewed from above
-dihedral angle - -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 - -1. straight
2. Sweep
3. Delta
-Straight wings - -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 - -(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.
-moderate sweep - -commercial jetliner, resulting in less drag while maintaining stability
at lower speeds
-fighter planes have wings with... - -a greater sweep, which do not generate much lift
during low-speed flight and require relatively high speed take-offs and landings
and Answers
fixed-wing aircraft structure - -1. Fuselage
2. Wings
3. Tail assembly or empennage
4. Landing gear
5. Powerplant
6. Flight instruments/controls and control surfaces
-fuselage - -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 - -from which the pilots and the flight crew control the aircraft's operations
-Two design types of fuselage construction - -1. truss
2. monocoque
-Truss construction fuselages - -use steel or aluminum tubing in a series of triangular
shapes (called trusses) to get the necessary strength and rigidity
-monocoque designs - -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
-wings - -airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage that serve as the main lifting
surfaces supporting the airplane in flight.
-airfoil - -an aircraft part or surface (such as wing, propeller blade, or rudder) that
controls lift, direction, stability, thrust, or propulsion for the aircraft.
-monoplanes - -airplanes with one set of wings
-biplanes - -airplanes with two sets of wings
-cantilever wing - -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 - -requires both internal bracing and external support from struts
attached to the fuselage
-ailerons - -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 - -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 - -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 - -if we plot the points that lie halfway between the upper and lower
surfaces, we obtain a curve called the mean camber line.
-camber - -the maximum difference between the the mean camber line and the chord line.
A measure of the curvature of the airfoil.
-thickness - -the maximum difference between the upper and lower surfaces
-wingtips - -the ends of the wings
-wingspan - -the distance from one wingtip to the other
-a planform - -the shape of the wing viewed from above
-dihedral angle - -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 - -1. straight
2. Sweep
3. Delta
-Straight wings - -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 - -(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.
-moderate sweep - -commercial jetliner, resulting in less drag while maintaining stability
at lower speeds
-fighter planes have wings with... - -a greater sweep, which do not generate much lift
during low-speed flight and require relatively high speed take-offs and landings
