Three-Dimensional Airflow and Wing DesignAircraft & Engines — DGCA CPL practice questions
Question 1 of 5
Aspect ratio is defined as:
All 5 questions — Three-Dimensional Airflow and Wing Design
Aircraft & Engines · DGCA CPL. The correct option is marked on each.
Q1. Aspect ratio is defined as:
- A.Span divided by chord squared
- B.Wing span squared divided by wing area✓
- C.Tip chord divided by root chord
- D.Wing area divided by span
Why: AR = b²/S. Sailplanes ~35, transport jets ~12, fighters ~3.
Q2. Wingtip vortices are strongest when the aircraft is:
- A.Fast and heavy
- B.Slow, heavy and in the clean configuration✓
- C.Fast and light
- D.On the ground with engines at idle
Why: Vortex strength rises with pressure differential: heavy weight, low speed (high AOA) and clean configuration give the strongest vortices.
Q3. Induced drag is caused by:
- A.Skin friction in the boundary layer
- B.Wingtip vortices tilting the lift vector rearward✓
- C.The mixing of airflows at component junctions
- D.Shock-wave formation
Why: Downwash from the tip vortices effectively tilts total lift rearward; its horizontal component is induced drag — an unavoidable by-product of lift.
Q4. Wake vortex generation begins:
- A.When takeoff power is set
- B.When the nose wheel lifts off at rotation✓
- C.At 50 ft above the runway
- D.When the gear is retracted
Why: Vortices begin at rotation (nosewheel lift-off) and end when the nosewheel touches down on landing.
Q5. To avoid wake turbulence when landing behind a large aircraft, you should:
- A.Stay below its flight path and land short of its touchdown point
- B.Stay above its flight path and land beyond its touchdown point✓
- C.Follow its exact flight path
- D.Land on the upwind edge of the runway
Why: Vortices sink below the generating aircraft's path — stay above the path and touch down beyond its touchdown point.