Brunei DCA CPL(A) Principles of Flight study guide
Brunei DCA CPL(A) Principles of Flight · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Brunei DCA Commercial Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) Principles of Flight examination is one of the theoretical knowledge papers a candidate must pass before holding a CPL(A) issued by Brunei Darussalam's Department of Civil Aviation. It is aimed at pilots who already hold a Private Pilot Licence or have completed ab initio training and are moving toward professional flying, either in Brunei or under a licence conversion pathway. The Brunei DCA CPL(A) Principles of Flight study guide has 10 sections and about 4,666 words.
01Basic Aerodynamics: Atmosphere, Airflow and Aerodynamic Force
Every aerodynamic quantity you will compute depends on the air mass you are flying through. Density falls with altitude, temperature and humidity; pressure falls with altitude.
393 words, about 2 min02Airfoils
An aerofoil is described by its chord line, camber line, thickness distribution and leading-edge radius. Candidates should be able to define chord, camber, angle of attack and angle of incidence without confusion.
389 words, about 2 min03Lift Generation and the Lift Equation
Lift is the net pressure and shear force perpendicular to the relative airflow. Both the pressure difference between upper and lower surfaces and the downward momentum imparted to the air are valid descriptions; exam questions may use either.
376 words, about 2 min04Drag: Parasite, Induced and Total Drag
Parasite drag comprises form drag and skin-friction drag plus interference drag; it rises with the square of speed. Induced drag is the price of lift and arises from the spanwise flow and trailing vortices that reduce the effective angle of attack and tilt the lift vector rearward.
378 words, about 2 min05Thrust and Power Required
In unaccelerated level flight thrust equals drag and power required equals drag times true airspeed. Thrust required therefore mirrors the total drag curve; power required is that curve multiplied by speed, which shifts its minimum to a lower speed than the minimum-drag speed.
378 words, about 2 min06Power Available
Power available comes from the engine-propeller combination or from a jet. For a piston engine, power falls with altitude because density falls, roughly in proportion to density ratio unless the engine is turbocharged.
333 words, about 2 min07Stability: Static and Dynamic
Static stability is the initial tendency to return to equilibrium after a disturbance; dynamic stability describes the subsequent motion over time. An aircraft may be statically stable but dynamically unstable, producing an increasing oscillation.
326 words, about 2 min08Control: Axes, Surfaces, Trim and Control Effectiveness
An aircraft has three axes through the centre of gravity: longitudinal (roll), lateral (pitch) and normal or vertical (yaw). Ailerons control roll about the longitudinal axis, elevators control pitch about the lateral axis, and the rudder controls yaw about the normal axis.
324 words, about 2 min09Stalling, Spinning and High-Angle-of-Attack Aerodynamics
The stall occurs at the critical angle of attack, not at a particular speed. Any combination of speed, weight, load factor and configuration that reaches the critical angle will stall.
363 words, about 2 min10Flight Envelope, Load Factor and Structural Limitations
The flight envelope plots load factor against equivalent airspeed. Its boundaries are the positive and negative limit load factors, the manoeuvring speed, the never-exceed speed and the maximum lift available at low speed.
1,406 words, about 7 min