ATPL principles of flight 081: practice questions and syllabus

What the syllabus covers

The topics of the EASA syllabus for this subject, with what each one lists.

1. 081 01Subsonic aerodynamics

   basic laws and definitions, two-dimensional airflow about an aerofoil, coefficients, three-dimensional airflow, total drag, ground effect, relation between lift coefficient and speed, high-lift devices, aerodynamic degradation.

2. 081 02High-speed aerodynamics

   speeds, shock waves, effects of exceeding the critical Mach number (MCRIT), means to influence MCRIT.

3. 081 03Stall, Mach tuck, upset prevention and recovery

   the stall, buffet onset boundary, situations in which buffet or stall can occur, stall recognition.

4. 081 04Stability

   static and dynamic stability, longitudinal, static directional and lateral stability, dynamic lateral and directional stability.

5. 081 05Control

   pitch, yaw and roll control, roll–yaw interaction, means to reduce control forces, fly-by-wire, trimming.

6. 081 06Limitations

   operating limitations, manoeuvring envelope, gust envelope.

7. 081 07Propellers

   conversion of engine torque to thrust, engine failure, power absorption, secondary effects of propellers.

8. 081 08Flight mechanics

   forces acting on the aeroplane, asymmetric thrust, significant points of the polar curve.

Source: EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (AMC to Part-FCL)

The illustrated course

To understand before you answer: 14 chapters and 136 key points, 136 of them with a diagram or an illustration. The first chapter, « Basics: physical laws, air and airspeeds », is free to read.

1. Basics: physical laws, air and airspeeds
2. The aerofoil, the wing and lift
3. The boundary layer and separation
4. Drag, the polar curve and ground effect
5. High-lift devices, spoilers and speed brakes
6. The stall and stall protection
7. High-speed aerodynamics
8. Flight envelope at altitude and buffeting
9. Longitudinal stability
10. Directional stability and lateral stability
11. Flight controls and trimming
12. Load factor, limitations and gusts
13. Propellers
14. Flight mechanics

ATPL principles of flight course: contents and chapter 1

3 questions to practise

Taken from the site's English bank and checked one by one. Read the question, choose your answer, then open the explanation. Like every explanation on the site, they may contain errors.

1. Question 1 · 081 01 Subsonic aerodynamics

   The lift force, acting on an aerofoil :

   • Ais mainly caused by overpressure at the underside of the aerofoil.
   • Bis maximum at an angle of attack of 2 degrees.
   • Cincreases, proportional to the angle of attack until 40 degrees.
   • Dis mainly caused by suction on the upperside of the aerofoil.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: D. is mainly caused by suction on the upperside of the aerofoil.

   Lift is mainly caused by reduced (suction) pressure on the aerofoil's upper surface.

2. Question 2 · 081 02 High-speed aerodynamics

   Some aeroplanes have a 'waist' or 'coke bottle' contoured fuselage. This is done to

   • Aapply area rule.
   • Bimprove the low speed characteristics.
   • Cfit the engine intakes better to the fuselage.
   • Dincrease the strength of the wing root junction.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: A. apply area rule.

   A 'coke-bottle' waisted fuselage shape applies the area rule, smoothing the aircraft's total cross-sectional area distribution to reduce transonic wave drag.

3. Question 3 · 081 04 Stability

   Sensitivity for spiral dive will occur when :

   • Athe dutch roll tendency is too strongly suppressed by the yaw damper.
   • Bthe static directional stability is positive and the static lateral stability is relatively weak.
   • Cthe static directional stability is negative and the static lateral stability is positive.
   • Dthe static lateral and directional stability are both negative.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: B. the static directional stability is positive and the static lateral stability is relatively weak.

   Spiral instability appears when directional (weathercock) stability is strong and lateral stability (dihedral effect) is weak. After a disturbance the nose follows the sideslip and the bank increases, leading into a steepening spiral dive.

9 more free questions, no sign-up: Free ATPL principles of flight questions

How to approach this subject

Learn the qualitative relations: ground effect reduces induced drag, stall speed increases with mass, T-tails are prone to deep stall, directional stability is about the normal axis. Also redo the simple calculations: Mach = TAS / speed of sound, load factor in a turn.

How ForAllPilots trains you

• Series of 20 or 30 questions

  New questions, mistakes to review or a mix of both, with the answer and its explanation straight away.

• Flashcards

  Question on the front, explained answer on the back, filtered by subject, to learn without a timer.

• Timed mock exam

  100 questions in 150 minutes, drawn from the whole ATPL bank: a training format, not a copy of an official paper.

• AI instructor, optional

  From €4.99 a month on top of the Private pilot or PRO offer: it quizzes you in writing and explains your mistakes. A beta tool, it does not replace an approved instructor.

ATPL access comes with the PRO offer (which also includes Private pilot): €19.99 a month, cancel anytime, or €129 once with the Exam Pass (18 months of access, nothing renews). Prices include all taxes.