PPL aircraft general knowledge 020: practice questions and syllabus

What the syllabus covers

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

1. 1Airframe and structure

   design, loads and stresses, wings, tail and control surfaces, fuselage, doors, floor and windscreen, structural limitations.

2. 2Systems

   hydraulics, landing gear, wheels, tyres and brakes, flight controls, anti-icing, fuel system.

3. 3Electrics

   direct and alternating current, batteries, static electricity and lightning, generation and distribution.

4. 4Piston engines and propellers

   fuel, carburettor and injection, icing, cooling, lubrication, ignition, mixture, constant-speed propeller, engine handling.

5. 5Instrumentation

   pressure and temperature gauges, fuel gauge and flow meter, tachometer, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, airspeed indicator, magnetic compass, gyroscopes, turn indicator, attitude indicator, heading indicator.

6. 6Communication and alerting

   VHF, HF and SATCOM transmission, alerting systems including the stall warning, electronic displays.

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

The illustrated course

To understand before you answer: 13 chapters and 115 key points, 110 of them with a diagram or an illustration. The first chapter, « Airframe, structure and landing gear », is free to read.

1. Airframe, structure and landing gear
2. Flight controls, trim tabs and high-lift devices
3. Basic handling concepts related to the aircraft
4. The piston engine and its ignition
5. Engine lubrication and cooling
6. Fuel, fuel system and carburettor
7. Mixture strength and abnormal combustion
8. The propeller: fixed-pitch and constant-speed
9. The aircraft electrical system
10. The pitot-static system and the airspeed indicator
11. The altimeter, altimeter settings and the vertical speed indicator
12. Gyroscopic instruments and magnetic compass
13. The glass cockpit (EFIS)

PPL aircraft general knowledge course: contents and chapter 1

5 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 · 1 Airframe and structure

   The part of the wing that experiences the most stress in flight is:

   • Athe leading edge.
   • Bthe trailing edge.
   • Cthe wing root.
   • Dthe wingtip.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: C. the wing root.

   The aircraft's weight acts at the center of gravity, located somewhere in the fuselage, and is a force pulling the aircraft downward. Lift acts on each wing and pulls the aircraft upward. It is therefore at the junction point between the wings and the fuselage that the stresses are greatest.

2. Question 2 · 2 Systems

   You perform a drain check on a fuel tank. This action:

   • Aresults in retaining impurities.
   • Bis carried out at the vent outlet.
   • Callows you to drain off excess fuel before departure.
   • Dis carried out at the lowest point of the tank.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: D. is carried out at the lowest point of the tank.

   Draining the fuel system is used to remove condensation water that may have formed, particularly overnight. Since water is heavier than fuel, it accumulates at the bottom of the tank, which is therefore the ideal place to install the drain valve.

3. Question 3 · 3 Electrics

   Your battery has a capacity of 30 A.h. It can supply:

   • A10 A for 20 minutes.
   • B60 A for 2 hours.
   • C2 A for 60 hours.
   • D10 A for 3 hours.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: D. 10 A for 3 hours.

   Battery capacity is expressed in ampere-hours: current × time. With 30 Ah, you get 10 A for 3 hours (10 × 3 = 30), or 3 A for 10 hours. This is a simplified calculation: the capacity actually available depends on the battery's load, age and temperature.

4. Question 4 · 4 Piston engines and propellers

   Carburetor icing is most likely:

   • Ain dry, hot weather, at high power.
   • Bin high humidity, at low power (low throttle setting).
   • Conly below -20°C outside air temperature.
   • Donly during IFR flight.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: B. in high humidity, at low power (low throttle setting).

   Carburetor icing occurs due to a temperature drop caused by fuel vaporization and air expansion; it is more likely at high relative humidity and low power, even at positive temperatures.

5. Question 5 · 5 Instrumentation

   The instruments that can use the vacuum system are:

   • Athe airspeed indicator and the directional gyro.
   • Bthe altimeter and the artificial horizon.
   • Cthe airspeed indicator and the altimeter.
   • Dthe artificial horizon and the directional gyro.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: D. the artificial horizon and the directional gyro.

   The vacuum system drives the pneumatic gyroscopes. The instruments that depend on it are therefore those that operate with a pneumatic gyroscope, namely the artificial horizon and the directional gyro.

10 more free questions, no sign-up: Free PPL aircraft general knowledge questions

How to approach this subject

For each system (fuel, electrics, engine, instruments), learn the principle and the typical failure: water is drained from the lowest point of the tank, battery capacity is given in ampere-hours (30 Ah is 10 A for 3 hours), carburettor icing is likely in humid air at low power, and the attitude and heading indicators are gyroscopes that the vacuum system can drive.

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