Test Pilot

GENERAL

1. From reader Rob Sacks: Why is a maximum-performance climbing turn combined with a 180-degree change in direction called a chandelle?
2. What is a Boeing 717?
3. Who were Clarence Over and Roger Murdock?
4. From reader James T. Brous: What was the first single-engine, piston-powered airplane capable of cruising at more than 2 mph per horsepower?
5. Art and Al originally manufactured their airplanes in Wichita and later developed a popular airplane that in 1977 was selected as the "Airplane of the Year." What was their last name?
6. Why is it customary for the pilot in command of an airplane to sit on the left instead of on the right?
7. From reader Drew Johnson: Why is it customary for the pilot in command of a helicopter to sit on the right instead of on the left?
8. At sea level, V _Y of a typical, normally aspirated (nonturbocharged) single is greater than V _X and decreases with altitude. Similarly, V _X increases with altitude. V _Y and V _X become the same at _____.

TRUE OR FALSE

9. According to Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, an aerobatic maneuver is one in which pitch angle exceeds 30 degrees and bank angle exceeds 60 degrees.
10. During World War II, the pilot of a Japanese warplane bombed the west coast of Oregon.
11. In a given airplane, maneuvering speed (V _A) decreases as gross weight increases.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

12. From reader John Friday: Which of the following does not belong?
    1. black seal
    2. blue seal
    3. gold seal
    4. red seal
13. Cessna 172s manufactured prior to and including 1986 were equipped with three fuel drains. Currently manufactured Skyhawks are equipped with
    1. one master fuel drain.
    2. three fuel drains.
    3. seven fuel drains.
    4. 13 fuel drains.
14. Which of the following explains why air flows faster above a conventional wing than below it?
    1. Coriolis force
    2. Bernoulli's principle
    3. Newton's laws of motion
    4. Venturi effect
15. Which of the following does not belong?
    1. turbine engine
    2. turbofan engine
    3. turbojet engine
    4. turboprop engine

ANSWERS

1. Chandelle is taken from the French expression, monter en chandelle, which means "climb on (or around) a candle" and is similar to the American idiom "turn on a dime."
2. The Boeing 717 is the new name for the McDonnell Douglas MD-95. It was the informal designation for the Boeing KC-135 military refueling aircraft.
3. They were the captain and first officer of Trans American Flight 209 in the movie Airplane.
4. The Wright Flyer, which achieved 30 mph with a 12-hp engine.
5. Mooney. The airplane was the Mooney 201.
6. The custom seems to have evolved from a maritime rule of the road. It states that vessels approaching each other head-on must pass port to port (left side to left side). Sitting on the left afforded the best view of such a passing vessel.
7. Early helicopters had a single collective/ throttle control between the two pilots. Each pilot was provided with a control stick (cyclic). Because it was ergonomically desirable to use the stick with the right hand, this required the pilot in command to sit on the right (and use the collective with his left hand).
8. The airplane's absolute ceiling.
9. False. Part 91.303 defines an aerobatic maneuver as one involving an abrupt change in attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration.
10. True. On September 9, 1942, a Yokosuka E14Y was launched from a submarine and dropped four 168-pound phosphorous bombs near Brookings. No one was injured.
11. False. V _A decreases as gross weight decreases.
12. (d) A blue seal on an airman certificate indicates demonstrated instrument proficiency; a gold seal on a flight instructor certificate indicates a specified level of high achievement; a black seal emblazons all other airman certificates.
13. (d) There are five under each wing and three under the nose. (The new Cessna 182 has 12 drains.)
14. (d) Bernoulli's principle explains why pressure above the wing is reduced as a result of the increase in speed caused by Venturi effect.
15. (a) A turbine engine can be either a turbofan, turbojet, or turboprop engine.