PPL principles of flight 080: practice questions and syllabus
In the EASA PPL syllabus, principles of flight run from the airflow around the aerofoil (lift, drag, angle of attack) to the stall, stability, controls, limitations (VNE, VFE, manoeuvring envelope) and the steady turn. The subject turns around a few formulas: load factor, stall speed in a turn. Our bank has 419 questions, a good share of them calculations: a 65 kt stall speed in level flight becomes about 70 kt at 30° of bank.
- explained questions in the bank
- 419
- pass mark per paper (EASA)
- 75 %
What the syllabus covers
The topics of the EASA syllabus for this subject, with what each one lists.
1Subsonic aerodynamics
Newton's laws and Bernoulli's equation, static, dynamic and total pressure, IAS and TAS, lift, drag, angle of attack, aerofoil, lift and drag coefficients, 3D airflow, wingtip vortices, induced and parasite drag, ground effect.
2Stall and high-lift devices
boundary layer and flow separation, stall speed (load factor, CG, mass), stall warning, spin, ice contamination, trailing-edge flaps and leading-edge devices.
3Stability
equilibrium in level flight, static and dynamic longitudinal stability, CG position, lateral and directional stability, spiral dive.
4Control
pitch, yaw and roll, adverse yaw, trimming, aerodynamic and mass balance.
5Limitations and propellers
flutter, VFE, VNO, VNE, manoeuvring envelope, gust envelope, propeller effects (torque reaction, slipstream, asymmetric blade effect).
6Flight mechanics
forces in level flight, climb, descent and glide, steady turn (bank angle, load factor, radius, rate one).
Source: EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (AMC to Part-FCL)
The illustrated course
To understand before you answer: 12 chapters and 86 key points, 64 of them with a diagram or an illustration. The first chapter, « Air and Airflow », is free to read.
- Air and Airflow
- The Aerofoil and the Forces
- Lift, drag and coefficients
- Drag, glide ratio and ground effect
- Climb, descent and landing
- The turn and load factor
- The stall
- Spin and spiral dive
- Flaps and slats
- Stability and balance
- Controls, trim tab and engine effects
- Flight envelope and limiting speeds
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.
Question 1 · 1 Subsonic aerodynamics
The consequence of the appearance of wingtip vortices is:
- Aa decrease in yaw stability.
- Ban increase in yaw stability.
- Cthe creation of additional drag called "induced drag".
- Dthe creation of additional lift called "induced lift".
Show the answer+
Answer: C. the creation of additional drag called "induced drag".
Wingtip vortices are created by the wing as soon as there is an angle of attack. This results in significant drag called induced drag.
Question 2 · 2 Stall and high-lift devices
An aircraft has a wings-level (1g) stall speed of 65 kt. What is its approximate stall speed in a level turn at 30° bank?
- A77 kt
- B70 kt
- C65 kt
- D63 kt
Show the answer+
Answer: B. 70 kt
Load factor n = 1/cos(30°) ≈ 1.15. Vs(turn) = Vs(1g) x √n = 65 x √1.15 ≈ 70 kt.
Question 3 · 3 Stability
In level flight in a stable aircraft, a small gust from below produces a slight increase in angle of attack:
- Aa nose-up moment leads to an increase in attitude.
- Blongitudinal instability must be controlled immediately using the trim.
- Clongitudinal instability becomes impossible to control.
- Da slight nose-down moment returns the aircraft to its initial attitude.
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Answer: D. a slight nose-down moment returns the aircraft to its initial attitude.
Stability is the ability to return to the initial state after a disturbance. A stable aircraft will return to its initial angle of attack after an increase or decrease of it, provided that center of gravity limits are respected.
Question 4 · 4 Control
The adverse yaw experienced when entering a turn is caused by:
- Adeflection of the elevator and assists entry into the turn.
- Bdeflection of the elevator and opposes entry into the turn.
- Cdeflection of the ailerons and assists entry into the turn.
- Ddeflection of the ailerons and opposes entry into the turn.
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Answer: D. deflection of the ailerons and opposes entry into the turn.
By deflecting the ailerons, you cause an increase in drag and lift on the wing that rises, and a decrease on the wing that lowers. Since drag increases, that wing will be slowed relative to the other, causing yaw. As this occurs on the wing outside the turn, it is called adverse yaw, because the direction of yaw is opposite to the desired turn.
Question 5 · 5 Limitations and propellers
What does VFE represent?
- AThe minimum operational speed for flap retraction.
- BThe stall speed in clean configuration.
- CThe optimal speed for glide path recapture on approach.
- DThe maximum flaps-extended speed, a structural limitation that must never be exceeded.
Show the answer+
Answer: D. The maximum flaps-extended speed, a structural limitation that must never be exceeded.
VFE is the maximum flaps-extended speed, a structural limitation: it corresponds to the upper limit of the white arc on the airspeed indicator.
9 more free questions, no sign-up: Free PPL principles of flight questions
How to approach this subject
Everything starts from a few ideas: lift and drag grow with the square of speed, the critical angle of attack sets the stall, the load factor in a level turn is 1 / cos of the bank angle, and the stall speed is multiplied by its square root. Redo the calculations by hand until they are automatic.
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