Aircraft General Knowledge
Airframe, systems and powerplant
This domain covers the aircraft as a machine: structure, flight controls, hydraulics, electrical, fuel, ice protection, pressurisation and the piston or turbine engine. You need to know what each system does, what powers it, and what happens when it fails.
Structure: understand the load paths of the wing, fuselage and empennage, the difference between primary and secondary controls, and why mass-and-balance limits exist. Engines: for pistons, know the four-stroke cycle, mixture, carburettor icing and detonation; for turbines, know the compressor–combustion–turbine sequence and the meaning of N1 and N2. Electrical: know what the battery and alternator/generator each supply and what is lost on alternator failure.
Traps: questions that confuse cause and effect - carburettor icing occurs in warm, humid air at reduced power, not only in winter; detonation and pre-ignition are different phenomena. Magnetos are independent of the electrical system, so an engine keeps running with a failed alternator. In turbine engines, N1 relates to the fan/low-pressure spool and N2 to the high-pressure spool. Hydraulic and electrical redundancy questions often turn on which system is essential versus advisory.
Rule of thumb
For any system-failure question, ask three things in order: what is lost, what remains available, and what the pilot must do. That sequence resolves most "what happens if…" items. For mixture, remember: lean for altitude, rich for power; peak EGT is the reference point.