Aviation Fundamentals: Learning the Basics of Flight
The four forces in balance
Every aircraft in steady flight is a study in equilibrium. Lift opposes weight, thrust opposes drag, and any imbalance produces acceleration in the direction of the larger force. Lift is generated by airflow over the wing; it increases with airspeed squared, angle of attack, air density and wing area. The trap is the common belief that lift comes from air travelling faster over the top surface alone - the examinable idea is that lift depends on angle of attack and dynamic pressure, and that exceeding the critical angle of attack causes a stall at any airspeed and any attitude.
Stability, control and the axes
Pitch is rotation about the lateral axis (elevator), roll about the longitudinal axis (aileron), yaw about the normal axis (rudder). Learn which surface and which axis pair together, because questions swap them deliberately. Note that the rudder produces yaw and adverse yaw accompanies aileron deflection, which is why coordinated flight needs rudder input.
Load factor and the stall speed relationship
Load factor (n) is lift divided by weight. In a level 60-degree bank, n = 2, so the stall speed rises by √2, about 41 percent. In a 30-degree bank, n = 1.15 and stall speed rises about 7 percent.
Worked rule of thumb
Stall speed scales with the square root of load factor: Vs(new) = Vs × √n. If an aircraft stalls at 40 knots in level flight, at 60 degrees of bank it stalls near 40 × 1.41 ≈ 56 knots. A question offering 'stall speed doubles at 60 degrees' is a distractor.
Traps to expect
Mixing up induced and parasite drag (induced drag decreases with speed, parasite drag increases); assuming density altitude affects only engine power when it also affects lift and true versus indicated airspeed; and confusing true airspeed with groundspeed when wind is present.