Source: EASA ECQB-SPL (new questions not in existing set) | 52 questions
Correct: D)
Explanation: Point 4 on the aerofoil diagram (PFA-009) represents the separation point, where the boundary layer detaches from the upper wing surface and turbulent wake forms behind it. This is not the transition point (where laminar flow becomes turbulent), the stagnation point (where airflow splits at the leading edge), or the center of pressure (the resultant aerodynamic force application point).
Correct: B)
Explanation: Point 1 on the aerofoil diagram (PFA-009) is the stagnation point — located at the leading edge where incoming airflow splits, with one stream going over the upper surface and one under the lower surface; velocity here is zero and pressure is at its maximum. The transition point is where laminar flow transitions to turbulent flow, the separation point is where flow detaches from the surface, and the center of pressure is an abstract force application point.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Wing dihedral — the upward V-angle of the wings relative to the horizontal — provides lateral (roll) stability. When one wing drops, the dihedral geometry increases the angle of attack and lift on the lower wing, producing a restoring roll moment. This is a geometric/structural feature, not related to differential aileron deflection or directional stability.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Longitudinal stability refers to the aircraft's tendency to maintain or return to its trimmed pitch attitude, which is rotation around the lateral axis (the axis running wingtip to wingtip). The propeller axis is not a standard stability axis; the longitudinal axis governs roll (lateral stability); the vertical axis governs yaw (directional stability).
Correct: C)
Explanation: Yawing is defined as rotation around the vertical (yaw) axis, producing a nose-left or nose-right movement. Pitching is rotation around the lateral axis, rolling is rotation around the longitudinal axis, and slipping is a lateral flight condition — not a rotational axis term.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Pitching is rotation around the lateral axis (wingtip to wingtip), causing the nose to move up or down. Yawing is rotation around the vertical axis, rolling is rotation around the longitudinal axis, and stalling is an aerodynamic phenomenon — not an axis of rotation.
Correct: D)
Explanation: The elevator controls pitch, which is rotation around the lateral axis. By deflecting the elevator up or down, the tailplane generates a pitching moment that raises or lowers the nose. The vertical axis governs yaw (rudder), the longitudinal axis governs roll (ailerons), and an 'elevator axis' is not a standard aeronautical term.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Only correct loading of the aircraft — placing occupants and baggage within the approved limits — can ensure the center of gravity (CG) remains within the certified forward and aft limits. Trim tabs adjust aerodynamic balance in flight but cannot physically move the CG; aileron trim tabs control roll, not pitch CG; and the CG must be verified before flight, not determined during it.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Differential aileron movement deflects the down-going aileron less than the up-going aileron, which reduces the additional induced drag on the descending wing. This reduces adverse yaw — the unwanted yaw opposite to the intended roll direction — making coordinated turns easier. It does not keep total lift constant during aileron deflection, and it decreases, not increases, the drag-to-lift ratio.
Correct: C)
Explanation: An aerodynamic rudder balance (also called a horn balance or set-back hinge) places part of the control surface ahead of the hinge line, so aerodynamic forces partly assist the pilot's input, thereby reducing the stick/pedal forces required. It does not reduce the size of the control surface, delay stall, or improve rudder effectiveness per se.
Correct: A)
Explanation: A static (mass) balance places counterweights ahead of the hinge line to bring the control surface's center of mass to or forward of the hinge line. This prevents control surface flutter, which is a potentially destructive resonant oscillation. It is not designed to enable trimming without force, increase stick forces, or limit stick forces.
Correct: B)
Explanation: When the elevator trim tab is deflected upward, it generates a downward aerodynamic force on the trailing edge of the elevator, pushing the elevator leading edge up — this produces a nose-down pitching moment. The indicator therefore shows a nose-down (forward) position. Upward trim tab deflection does not result in a neutral, nose-up, or lateral trim indication.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Point 1 in figure PFA-008 represents inverted flight, where the lift polar shows a negative lift coefficient with the aircraft flying upside down. Slow flight, stall, and best gliding angle all correspond to positive (upright) portions of the polar curve, not the inverted segment.
Correct: C)
Explanation: In a coordinated (banked) turn, the lift vector must support both the vertical component (equal to weight) and provide the centripetal force for the turn, so total lift — and hence load factor n — exceeds 1. The higher effective weight means the wing must produce more lift to avoid descending, raising the stall speed Vs above its straight-and-level value. Options with n less than 1 or Vs decreasing are incorrect.
Correct: A)
Explanation: The higher pressure beneath the wing and lower pressure above create a pressure differential. At the wingtips, air flows from the high-pressure lower surface around to the low-pressure upper surface, forming trailing vortices. These vortices tilt the local airflow downward (downwash), effectively reducing the angle of attack and creating induced drag — not laminar flow, profile drag, or additional lift.
Correct: A)
Explanation: At the same mass and in steady glide, lift equals weight regardless of airfoil thickness, so lift remains the same. However, a thicker airfoil has greater form (pressure) drag due to its larger frontal area and more adverse pressure gradients, resulting in more drag with the same lift.
Correct: C)
Explanation: A profile polar (Lilienthal polar) plots the lift coefficient (cA) against the drag coefficient (cD) for a wing profile at various angles of attack. It directly shows the relationship between cA and cD across the operating range. It is not a polar of minimum sink versus best glide, nor does it show total aircraft lift or drag independently.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Any body immersed in a moving fluid (v > 0) will produce drag due to pressure and friction forces opposing the flow. Only specially shaped (lifting) bodies oriented appropriately produce lift; an arbitrarily shaped body has no guaranteed lift but always produces drag. Drag is also not constant — it increases with the square of velocity.
Correct: A)
Explanation: In an aerofoil diagram (PFA-010), line 3 represents the camber line (mean camber line), which is the locus of points midway between the upper and lower surfaces. The chord is the straight line from leading to trailing edge, the chord line is the same geometric reference, and thickness is the vertical distance between upper and lower surfaces at any chordwise station.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Adverse yaw is the tendency of the nose to yaw away from the intended turn direction when ailerons are applied. Differential aileron deflection (the down aileron moves less than the up aileron) reduces the extra drag on the descending wing, thereby reducing the adverse yaw moment. Wing dihedral addresses roll stability, not yaw; full aileron deflection would worsen adverse yaw.
Correct: C)
Explanation: Wing loading is defined as the aircraft's weight (mass times gravity) divided by the wing reference area, expressed in N/m² or kg/m². It is not wing area per weight (that would be the inverse), nor is it related to drag.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Point 5 in figure PFA-008 corresponds to slow flight — a low speed, high angle-of-attack condition on the positive portion of the polar, before stall onset. Inverted flight would appear on the negative lift side, stall at the maximum cA point, and best gliding angle at the cA/cD maximum point.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Extending airbrakes (spoilers/dive brakes) significantly increases profile drag, which is their primary purpose for steepening the glide path. They also partially disrupt upper-surface lift, reducing the total lift generated. The other combinations (less drag, more lift, etc.) are aerodynamically incorrect for airbrake deployment.
Correct: C)
Explanation: Glide ratio (L/D) is maximized by minimizing drag and maintaining the optimum speed. Cleaning the aircraft and taping gaps reduces surface roughness and leakage drag; maintaining the correct (best-glide) speed keeps the aircraft at peak L/D; a retractable undercarriage removes a major source of parasite drag. Higher mass shifts the polar but does not change the maximum L/D ratio itself. A forward CG can actually increase trim drag.
Correct: B)
Explanation: In a spin, one wing is stalled (typically the inner wing) while the other continues to fly, so the aircraft autorotates and descends at near-constant airspeed. In a spiral dive, both wings are flying (neither is stalled), and the aircraft enters an ever-steepening banked dive with rapidly increasing airspeed. Confusing the two is dangerous — recovery techniques differ fundamentally.
Correct: B)
Explanation: The longitudinal position of the center of gravity directly determines the pitch stability, which is stability around the lateral axis. A CG forward of the neutral point provides positive (restoring) pitch stability; too far aft reduces or reverses it. Lateral stability is mainly influenced by wing dihedral, and directional stability by the vertical tail.
Correct: D)
Explanation: A large vertical tail fin acts as a weathervane, generating a restoring yawing moment whenever the aircraft sideslips, thereby providing directional (yaw) stability. Wing dihedral provides lateral (roll) stability; differential aileron deflection reduces adverse yaw; a large elevator contributes to pitch stability, not directional stability.
Correct: D)
Explanation: In straight and level flight at constant engine power, the aircraft flies at a fixed speed and the wing operates at a specific angle of attack. In a climb at the same power, airspeed is lower (more energy goes into altitude gain), so the wing needs a higher angle of attack to generate sufficient lift. Therefore, the level-flight angle of attack is smaller than in a climb.
Correct: B)
Explanation: The horizontal tail (stabilizer and elevator) provides pitch stability — resistance to and recovery from pitch disturbances — which is stability around the lateral axis. It does not primarily provide lateral (roll) axis stability (that is the wing dihedral's role), nor does it initiate turns around the vertical axis or stabilize around the vertical axis.
Correct: B)
Explanation: The rudder deflects left, generating a leftward aerodynamic force on the tail, which yaws the nose to the left around the vertical axis. Pitching (nose up/down) is a movement around the lateral axis controlled by the elevator, not the rudder.
Correct: C)
Explanation: Differential aileron deflection reduces adverse yaw — the undesired nose movement opposite to the roll direction — by giving the down-going aileron less deflection, thereby reducing the extra induced drag on the descending wing. It is not used to reduce wake turbulence, prevent stalls, or increase the rate of descent.
Correct: B)
Explanation: In a banked turn, the lift vector is tilted sideways, so its vertical component is less than the total lift. To maintain altitude, the pilot must increase total lift above the straight-and-level value. The increased lift must balance both the weight (vertical component) and provide centripetal force (horizontal component). Load factor n = 1/cos(bank angle) and is always greater than 1 in a level turn.
Correct: B)
Explanation: A retractable (stowable) engine and propeller arrangement on a TMG allows the powerplant to be fully folded into the fuselage when not in use, eliminating all associated parasite drag and enabling pure glider performance. Fixed nose- or tail-mounted engines and fixed fuselage mounts all produce significant drag even when the engine is off.
Correct: D)
Explanation: Adverse yaw occurs because deflecting the ailerons asymmetrically changes the induced drag on each wing. The down-deflected aileron increases lift and — more importantly — also increases induced drag on that wing. This extra drag on the rising wing yaws the nose toward the descending wing, opposite to the intended direction of roll. Option C is incorrect because it states 'up-deflected aileron' causes more drag.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Close to the ground, the ground surface restricts the downward development of wing-tip vortices. This reduces the induced downwash angle, which effectively increases the local angle of attack and thus lift, while simultaneously reducing induced drag. At altitude, vortices develop freely, downwash is stronger, and induced drag is higher.
Correct: B)
Explanation: The rudder is the primary yaw control, rotating the aircraft around the vertical axis. Rudder deflection generates a sideways aerodynamic force on the fin/rudder assembly, which yaws the nose left or right. The lateral axis governs pitch (elevator), and the longitudinal axis governs roll (ailerons).
Correct: D)
Explanation: An upward gust suddenly increases the aircraft's angle of attack, momentarily generating more lift than needed for level flight — this additional lift acts as a load on the structure, increasing the load factor n above 1. Lower air density reduces lift (would decrease, not increase, load factor at the same speed); CG position and weight affect handling but not the instantaneous load factor from a gust.
Correct: C)
Explanation: The McCready ring is set to the expected climb rate in the next thermal (2 m/s), and the pilot reads the recommended inter-thermal cruise speed at the point on the variometer scale corresponding to the current sink rate (3 m/s). Setting the ring to the current sink rate (3 m/s) would be incorrect; the ring is always set to the anticipated thermal strength.
Correct: B)
Explanation: During approach and landing, changing the camber flap setting from positive (increased camber) to negative (reduced or reflexed camber) would dramatically reduce lift and could lead to an abrupt loss of lift very close to the ground — a potentially fatal situation. Positive camber should be maintained throughout the approach. Negative camber settings are typically used only for high-speed cruise.
Correct: D)
Explanation: Point 3 on the aerofoil diagram (PFA-009) represents the transition point — the location where the boundary layer changes from smooth laminar flow to turbulent flow. The stagnation point is at the leading edge (point 1), the separation point is further aft where flow detaches, and the center of pressure is the theoretical point of resultant lift application.
Correct: C)
Explanation: Number 2 in figure PFA-010 represents the chord line — the straight reference line drawn from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the aerofoil. The profile thickness is the perpendicular distance between upper and lower surfaces, and the angle of attack is the angle between the chord line and the relative airflow direction.
Correct: B)
Explanation: The angle of attack (alpha) is the angle between the chord line of the aerofoil and the relative direction of the oncoming airflow (free-stream velocity vector). It is not the lift angle, which is not a standard aeronautical term; the angle of incidence is the fixed geometric angle between the chord line and the aircraft's longitudinal axis.
Correct: B)
Explanation: When the right aileron deflects upward (reducing lift on the right wing) and the left aileron deflects downward (increasing lift on the left wing), the aircraft rolls to the right. Simultaneously, the down-deflected left aileron creates more induced drag on the left (rising) wing, yawing the nose to the left — this is adverse yaw. Rolling to the left or yawing to the right would be opposite to the aileron input described.
Correct: D)
Explanation: Water ballast must be kept above freezing level to prevent the water from freezing in the wings, which could jam ballast dump valves, shift the CG unpredictably, and damage wing structure. Water ballast increases wing loading and shifts the best-glide speed higher, but the best glide angle (L/D ratio) remains theoretically unchanged. CG shifts with water ballast are typically minor and managed within approved limits.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Static stability means that when an aircraft is disturbed from its equilibrium by an external force (e.g., a gust), aerodynamic restoring forces automatically tend to return it toward the original position. An aircraft that moves further away from equilibrium has static instability; one that stays in the displaced position is neutrally stable; active rudder input is a pilot correction, not static stability.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Adding water ballast increases total aircraft weight, which requires flying faster to maintain the lift needed for level flight. The best-glide speed (minimum drag speed) therefore increases. However, the L/D ratio — and hence the best gliding angle — is a geometric property of the wing aerodynamics and remains unchanged for the same aircraft shape; water ballast does not change the aerodynamic efficiency, only the speed at which it is achieved.
Correct: D)
Explanation: An aerodynamic rudder balance (horn balance or inset hinge) extends part of the control surface ahead of the hinge line. The aerodynamic pressure on this forward portion creates a moment that partially counteracts the hinge moment, reducing the force the pilot must apply to deflect the control surface. The T-tail is a configuration choice affecting downwash; vortex generators delay stall; differential aileron reduces adverse yaw.
Correct: B)
Explanation: Any body placed in a moving airstream (v > 0) will experience drag, which is the component of the aerodynamic resultant force parallel to the free-stream direction. This is true regardless of shape. Only specially shaped lifting bodies produce lift; drag is not constant but varies with velocity squared; and lift without drag is physically impossible.
Correct: A)
Explanation: Longitudinal stability describes the aircraft's tendency to maintain or return to a trimmed pitch attitude — rotation around the lateral axis. The lateral axis runs from wingtip to wingtip. The propeller axis is not a stability axis; the longitudinal axis governs roll (lateral stability); the vertical axis governs yaw (directional stability).
Correct: C)
Explanation: Wing loading = aircraft weight / wing reference area (e.g., N/m² or kg/m²). A higher wing loading means the wing must work harder to generate sufficient lift, resulting in higher stall speeds and better penetration of turbulence. 'Wing area per weight' is the inverse (specific wing area); drag per weight is the drag-to-weight ratio; drag per wing area is not a standard performance metric.
Correct: D)
Explanation: Adverse yaw results from the asymmetric induced drag created by differential aileron deflection. When the pilot deflects the ailerons to roll, the down-going aileron on the rising wing creates more induced drag than the up-going aileron on the descending wing. This extra drag on the rising wing pulls the nose toward the descending wing — opposite to the intended roll direction. Option C incorrectly attributes adverse yaw to the up-deflected aileron.
Correct: B)
Explanation: In ground effect (within approximately one wingspan of the ground), the ground surface physically prevents the wing-tip vortices from fully forming and rolling downward. This reduces induced downwash, increasing the effective angle of attack and thus lift, while simultaneously reducing induced drag. Pilots experience this as a 'cushion' during flare. Options with decreased lift or increased induced drag are aerodynamically incorrect.
