Aircraft General Knowledge - Airframe, Systems, Powerplant, Electrics
Systems you must know
Candidates should understand the airframe structure (primary and secondary structure, load paths, fatigue and corrosion), flight controls and their actuation, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, fuel system layout and feed logic, pressurisation and air-conditioning, ice and rain protection, and landing gear. On the powerplant side, learn the gas-turbine cycle: intake, compressor, combustion, turbine, exhaust; the difference between a turbojet, turbofan and turboprop; and the meaning of EGT, N1, N2 and fuel flow as parameters. Electrical knowledge includes the busbar architecture, the difference between a generator and an alternator, the role of the battery, and what happens when a bus fails.
Traps in questions
A frequent trap is confusing a system's indication with its actual state - for example, a green light may show a valve is commanded, not that it has moved. Another trap is assuming redundancy: a dual-channel system may still have a single point of failure. Questions also test whether the pilot understands that some systems are automatic and some require manual selection, and the order of actions after a failure.
Worked example
"The left generator fails in flight; the battery is the only remaining source. What is the priority?" Answer: shed non-essential loads, conserve battery for essential equipment and radio, and land as soon as practicable. Rule of thumb: know what is lost when each bus goes dark.
Key points
- Learn the gas-turbine cycle and the meaning of EGT, N1 and N2.
- Distinguish an indication from the actual system state.
- Redundancy does not remove single points of failure.
- Know the load-shedding priority after a generator failure.
- Understand the busbar architecture and battery role.