Name: _____________________________________________

Review the pages on Center of Gravity, Climbs, and Descents, then try to answer these questions, then check your work.

CENTER OF GRAVITY

1. The ____________________ of gravity (CG) is the _______________________ from which an airplane would hang if it were suspended by a cable. It's also the point at which the _____________________, vertical, and ______________________ axes ______________________________.
2. To ensure that an airplane is __________________________ in flight and responds properly to control inputs, you must load your airplane carefully to keep the CG within its design range.
3. Objects placed ____________________________ of the original CG tend to tip the airplane forward. Objects placed behind the CG tend to tip it __________________________. The amount of ________________ _____________________ or "moment" depends on the weight of the object and its "_______________"—the distance between the object and an arbitrary reference line called the ____________________. In many airplanes the datum is the ____________________ that separates the engine compartment from the cockpit.
4. Before every flight a pilot must ensure that the CG of the loaded airplane falls between the _____________________ and _______________ limits specified by the ___________________.
5. As the CG moves aft, an airplane becomes less _____________________ in _______________________. If the CG is too far aft, it may be impossible to ________________________ the nose to recover from a stall.If the CG is too far _______________________________________, the airplane is "nose heavy," making it difficult or impossible to flare during the final phase of ____________________

CLIMBS

1. An airplane climbs when its engine or engines produce more ______________________ (thrust) than is required to maintain level flight at a particular weight and angle of attack. Airplanes do not ____________________ because the ______________________ generate more lift.
2. If power determines rate of climb, then it's apparent that the ___________________, not the control yoke, is the primary "up-down" control in an airplane. Pulling back on the ______________________ to increase an airplane's pitch attitude usually does _______________________ a climb. But an increase in _____________________ drag quickly counteracts the boost in lift.
3. Try It  -- If discussions of lift vectors and power seem a little confusing, you can see the principles at work in Flight Simulator. Try the lesson "Climbs, Turns, and Descents." You will redo this lesson later during your formal simulator exercises but it is a good iontroduction now.  You will need headsets to accomplish this exercise.

DESCENTS

1. Many people assume that to descend you simply push _____________________ on the control yoke or stick to point the airplane's nose down. In fact, the pilot must adjust both ____________________ and _________________ to establish a stable descent at a constant _____________________.
2. You can descend with the airplane in a _______________________ or even nose-up ______________________. Remember that if you hold an airplane's pitch attitude constant, _________________—__________________—determines whether the airplane maintains altitude, climbs, or descends. If the engine produces more _________________________ than is required to maintain level flight, the airplane ______________________. It _________________________ if you reduce power.
3. As a rule of thumb, limit descents in unpressurized airplanes to about ______________________ ft/min (152 m/min). This rate allows passenger's _________________________ to adjust to pressure changes during the descent.
4. Spend some time with the airplanes in Flight Simulator to familiarize yourself with the performance that you can expect at different power settings and airspeeds. Remember, the lower the power, the greater the rate of descent. Also practice stopping a descent by smoothly adding power.

.