Aviation Fundamentals and Aircraft Systems
Core airframe and powerplant concepts
Candidates must know the four forces (lift, weight, thrust, drag) and how the airframe, engine, and systems generate and balance them. Learn the primary structure - fuselage, wings, empennage, landing gear - and control surfaces: ailerons (roll), elevators (pitch), rudder (yaw), plus flaps and trim. Understand the piston engine cycle, carburettor versus fuel injection, ignition, propeller pitch, and why mixture control matters at altitude.
Systems you must be able to describe
Electrical (battery, alternator, bus), hydraulic and pneumatic actuation, fuel (tanks, selector, pumps, vents), pitot-static, and gyroscopic instruments. Know what each instrument measures and its power source: the attitude indicator is gyroscopic, the altimeter and airspeed indicator are pitot-static, and the turn coordinator is electrically driven in many light aircraft.
Traps in questions
- Confusing indicated, calibrated, true and groundspeed; only true airspeed rises with altitude for a given IAS.
- Mixing up pitch (elevator) with power (throttle) in climb/descent questions.
- Assuming a vacuum-driven instrument keeps working after engine failure.
- Forgetting that carburettor ice can form in warm, humid air, not just cold.
Worked example: density altitude rule of thumb
Pressure altitude 5,000 ft, temperature 25 °C, ISA temp at 5,000 ft is about 5 °C, so the ISA deviation is +20 °C. Add roughly 120 ft per °C: 20 × 120 = 2,400 ft. Density altitude ≈ 7,400 ft. Higher density altitude means reduced lift, longer take-off roll and poorer climb - a common exam inference.