REVISION NO: INITIAL May 1, 2010

CPL – AIRCRAFT GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

44#1
1. Which statement is true about magnetic deviation of a compass? Deviation

Varies over time as the agonic line shifts

Varies for different headings of the same aircraft
Is the same for all aircrafts in the same locality
44#2
2. Maximum structural cruising speed is the maximum speed at which an
airplane can be operated during

Abrupt maneuvers
Normal operations
Flight in smooth air
44#3
3. Why should flight speeds above Vne be avoided?

Excessive induced drag will result in structural failure

Design limit load factors may be exceeded, if gusts are encountered
Control effectiveness is so impaired that the aircraft becomes uncontrollable
45#7
4. Which airspeed would a pilot be unable to identify by the color coding of an
airspeed indicator?

The never-exceed speed

The power-off stall speed
The maneuvering speed
45#8
5. Calibrated airspeed is best described as indicated airspeed corrected for

Installation and instrument error

Instrument error
Non-standard temperature
46#9
6. True airspeed is best described as calibrated airspeed corrected for

Installation or instrument error

Non-standard temperature
Altitude and non-standard temperature
46#10
7. What is an advantage of an electric turn coordinator if the airplane has a
vacuum system for other gyroscopic instruments?

It is a backup in case of vacuum system failure

It is more reliable than vacuum-driven indicators
It will not tumble as will vacuum-driven indicators
46#11
8. What is an operational difference between the turn coordinator and the turn-
and-slip indicators? The turn coordinator:

Is always electric; the turn-and-slip indicator is always vacuum-driven.

Indicates bank angle only; the turn-and-slip indicator is always vacuum-driven.
Indicates roll rate, rate of turn, and coordination; the turn-and-slip indicator
rate of turn and coordination.
46#12
9. Unless adjusted, the fuel/air mixture becomes richer with an increase in
altitude because the amount of fuel

Decreases while the volume of air decreases

Remains constant while the volume of air decreases
Remains constant while the density of air decreases
47#13
10. Fouling of spark plugs is more apt to occur if the aircraft

Gains altitude with no mixture adjustment

Descends from altitude with no mixture
Throttle is advanced very abruptly
47#17
11. The pilot controls the air/fuel ratio with the:

Throttle
Manifold pressure
Mixture control
48#18
12. Fuel/air ratio is the ratio between the:

Volume of fuel and volume of air entering the cylinder

Weight of fuel and weight of air entering the cylinder
Weight of fuel and weight of air entering the carburetor
48#19
13. The best power mixture is the fuel/air ratio at which

Cylinder head temperatures are the coolest

The most power can be obtained for any given throttle setting
A given power can be obtained with the highest manifold pressure or throttle
setting
48#20
14. The mixture control can be adjusted, which

Prevents the fuel/air combination from becoming too rich at higher

altitudes
Regulates the amount of airflow through the carburetor’s venture
Prevents the fuel/air combination from becoming lean as the airplane climbs
48#21
15. What effect, if any, would a change in ambient temperature or air density
have on gas turbine engine performance?

As air density decreases, thrust increases

As temperature increases, thrust increases
As temperature increases, thrust decreases

48#22
16. Which statement is true concerning the effect of the application of carburetor
heat?
It enriches the fuel/air mixture
It leans the fuel/air mixture
It has no effect on the fuel/air mixture
48#23
17. Applying carburetor heat will

Not affect the mixture

Lean the fuel/air mixture
Enrich the fuel/air mixture
49#24
18. Leaving the carburetor heat on during takeoff

Leans the mixture for more power on takeoff

Will decrease the takeoff distance
Will increase the ground roll
49#25
19. Detonation occurs in a reciprocating aircraft engine when

There is an explosive increase in fuel caused by too rich a fuel/air mixture

The spark plugs receive an electrical jolt caused by a short in the wiring
The unburned fuel/air change in the cylinders is subjected to instantaneous
combustion
49#26
20. Detonation can be caused by:

A “rich” mixture
Low engine temperatures
Using a lower grade of fuel than recommended
49#27
21. The uncontrolled firing of the fuel/air charge in advance of normal spark
ignition is known as:

Instantaneous combustion
Detonation
Pre-ignition
49#28
22. Detonation may occur at high-power settings when:

The fuel mixture ignites instantaneously instead of burning progressively

and evenly
An excessively rich fuel mixture causes an explosive gain in power
The fuel mixture is ignited too early by hot carbon deposits in the cylinder
50#29
23. Before shutdown, while at idle, the ignition key is momentarily turned OFF.
The engine continues to run with no interruption; this

Is normal because the engine is usually stopped by moving the mixture to idle
cutoff
Should not normally happen. Indicates a magneto not grounding in OFF
position
Is an undesirable practice, but indicates that nothing is wrong

50#30
24. A way to detect a broken magneto primary grounding lead is to

Idle the engine and momentarily turn the ignition off

Add full power, while holding the brakes, and momentarily turn off the ignition
Run on one magneto, lean the mixture, and look for a rise in manifold pressure
20#31
25. The most probable reason an engine continues to run after the ignition
switch has been turned off is:

Carbon deposits glowing on the spark plugs

A magneto ground wire is in contact with the engine casing
A broken magneto ground wire

50#32
26. A detuning of engine crankshaft counterweights is a source of overstress
that may be caused by:

Rapid opening and closing of the throttle

Carburetor ice forming on the throttle valve
Operating with an excessively rich fuel/air mixture
51#33
27. If the ground wire between the magneto and the ignition switch becomes
disconnected, the engine

Will not operate on one magneto

Cannot be started with the switch in the BOTH position
Could accidentally start if the propeller is moved with fuel in the cylinder
51#34
28. For internal cooling, reciprocating aircraft engines are especially dependent
on:

A properly functioning cowl flap augmenter

The circulation of lubricating oil
The proper freon/compressor output ratio
51#35
29. An abnormally high engine oil temperature indication may be caused by:

A defective bearing
The oil level being too low
Operating with an excessively rich mixture
51#36
30. Frequent inspections should be made of aircraft exhaust manifold-type
heating systems to minimize the possibility of:

Exhaust gases leaking into the cockpit

A power loss due to back pressure in the exhaust system
A cold-running engine due to the heat withdrawn by the heater
52#37
31. Propeller efficiency is the:

Ratio of thrust horsepower to brake horsepower

Actual distance a propeller advances in one revolution
Ratio of geometric pitch to effective pitch

52#38
32. The reason for variations in geometric pitch (twisting) along a propeller blade
is that it:

Permits a relatively constant angle of incidence along its length when in cruising
flight
Prevents the portion of the blade near the hub from stalling during cruising flight
Permits a relatively constant angle of attack along its length when in
cruising flight
52#39
33. A fixed-pitch propeller is designed for best efficiency only at a given
combination of:

Altitude and RPM

Airspeed and RPM
Airspeed and altitude
52#40
34. Which statement best describes the operating principle of a constant-speed
propeller?

As throttle setting is changed by the pilot, the prop governor causes pitch angle
of the propeller blades to remain unchanged
A high blade angle, or increased pitch, reduces the propeller drag and allows
more engine power for takeoffs
The propeller control regulates the engine RPM and in turn the propeller
RPM
53#44
35. In aircraft equipped with constant-speed propellers and normally-aspirated
engines, which procedure should be used to avoid placing undue stress on
the engine components? When power is being:

Decreased, reduce the RPM before reducing the manifold pressure

Increased, increase the RPM before increasing the manifold pressure
Increased or decreased, the RPM should be adjusted before the manifold
pressure
53#45
36. A propeller rotating clockwise as seen from the rear, creates a spiralling
slipstream. The spiralling slipstream, along with torque effect, tends to rotate
the airplane to the

Right around the vertical axis, and to the left around the longitudinal axis
Left around the vertical axis, and to the right around the longitudinal axis
Left around the vertical axis, and to the left around the longitudinal axis
25#1
37. One of the main functions of flaps during the approach and landing is to:

Decrease the angle of descent without increasing the airspeed

Provide the same area amount of lift at a slower airspeed
Decrease lift, thus enabling a steeper-than-normal approach to
be made

47#15
38. The basic purpose of adjusting the fuel/air mixture control at altitude is to:

Decrease the fuel flow to compensate for decreased air density

Decrease the amount of fuel in the mixture to compensate for increased air
density
Increase the amount of fuel in the mixture to compensate for the decrease in
pressure and density of the air

39. Which equipment failure would require immediate ATC notification when
operating above 24,000 feet?

DME
Third altitude reference system.
Transponder
40. Errors in both pitch and bank indicator or an attitude indicator are usually at
a maximum as the aircraft rolls out of a:

Three hundred sixty (360) degrees turn.

One hundred eighty (180) degrees turn.
Ninety (90) degrees turn