This provides pitch maneuverability.
Longitudinal balancing by the trim system.
17. At what speed does Mach tuck occur?
Mcrit.
18. What are the advantages of swept wings?
Better for high-speed flight as they have minimal camber and thickness reducing drag and delaying
Mcrit (higher Mcrit).
More stable in turbulence as they produce less lift and as a result they are less responsive to
updraughts.
19. Explain what coffin corner is and what happens when reaching the coffin corner.
The coffin corner refers to a point at a high altitude where the margin between an aircraft's stall speed
and its critical Mach number becomes dangerously narrow. As an aircraft climbs, the IAS for a stall
increases due to decreased air density, while the critical Mach number decreases because of
aerodynamic limitations. At this point, small speed changes can lead to either stalling or exceeding
Mach limits, creating a precarious flight condition.
20. How do you prevent an aircraft from reaching Mcrit?
Decreasing speed.
21. What is wing loading?
Wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing.
The faster an aircraft flies, the more lift is produced by each unit area of the wing. Correspondingly, the
landing and take-off speeds will be higher and the high wing loading also decreases maneuverability.
22. How does an aerofoil work?
An aerofoil is a body that gives a large lift force compared with its drag when set at a small angle to a
moving airstream.
23. What do high-lift devices do?
High-lift devices increase the lift force produced by the wing at lower speeds, particularly during takeoff
and landing.
24. Where does a swept wing stall first?
At the tip.
25. What is a dihedral?
The upward inclination of a wing from the root to the tip.
26. What is a wing tip?
A wing tip is the part of the wing that is the most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft.
27. If you climb to FL300 at a constant IAS of 250kts, what would happen to the TAS?
TAS will increase.
28. What do you prefer, a high or low wing load?
Low-wing loadings require a larger wing area, meaning a greater need for high-lift devices during
take-off and landing. High-wing loadings provide better handling in turbulence and higher cruising
speeds, and low-wing loadings allow for lower take-off and landing speeds, better climb performance,
and greater maneuverability.
29. What are wingtip vortices?
Wingtip vortices are tubes of circulating air that are left behind a wing that generates lift.