1 / 20

A light aeroplane is in steady, straight and level fight at a low subsonic speed, with no flaps. They enter a 30 degree angle of bank turn, with a load factor of 1.15. In order to maintain level flight during the turn, what must happen to the coefficient of lift, in comparison to straight and level flight?

  • A
    Increases by 32%.
  • B
    Remains constant.
  • C
    Increases by 15%.
  • D
    Increases by 7%.

This one is really easy, no need to calculate anything, just have decent understanding. The load factor = Lift/Weight and is also the amount of G-force the aircraft pulls. If the weight is 1 tonne then in straight and level flight, the wings need to produce 1 tonne of lift.

But if the pilot pulls 2Gs of force, then the wings are having to produce 2 tonnes of lift during that manoeuvre. If they pulled 3Gs (load factor = 3) then the wings would be required to produce 3 tonnes of lift, a nice simple proportional relationship. If our load factor is 1.15, then the lift is 1.15x the weight, or 1.15x the original lift, 15% extra.

To put it another way, in this question, the load factor is 1.15, and the Weight hasn't magically changed, and there is only 1 other part of the equation:

Load Factor = Lift/Weight

So to cause the increase, the Lift had to increase by x1.15, which is the same as increasing by 15%

Your Notes (not visible to others)



This question has appeared on the real examination, you can find the related countries below.

  • United Kingdom
    28
  • Spain
    21
  • Sweden
    9
  • Poland
    8
  • Austro Control
    7
  • Germany
    6
  • Portugal
    6
  • Greece
    5
  • Czech Republic
    3
  • Ireland
    3
  • Italy
    3
  • Slovakia
    3
  • Denmark
    1
  • Latvia
    1
  • Lithuania
    1
  • Norway
    1
  • Switzerland
    1
  • Thailand
    1
Keyboard Shortcut Use Keyboard Shortcuts