Examius

🇺🇸 Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) · subject

Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge Syllabus

The Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge syllabus for Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) in full: 3 chapters, 11 topics and 19 sub-topics, every one listed below, plus 50 Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge flashcards with answers.

3Chapters
11Topics
19Sub-topics
50Flashcards

Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge syllabus: all 3 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Aerodynamics and Principles of Flight

     4 topics
    • Four Forces of Flight
      • Lift, weight, thrust, and drag relationships
      • Bernoulli's principle and airfoil behavior
      • Angle of attack and stalls
    • Flight Controls and Axes
      • Pitch, roll, and yaw
      • Ailerons, elevators, and rudder
      • Primary versus secondary controls
    • Aircraft Structures and Systems
      • Fuselage, wing, and empennage components
      • Powerplant, fuel, and electrical basics
    • Stability and Maneuvering
      • Load factor and turns
      • Center of gravity effects

  2. Flight Instruments and Navigation

     4 topics
    • Pitot-Static Instruments
      • Airspeed indicator, altimeter, vertical speed indicator
    • Gyroscopic Instruments
      • Attitude indicator, heading indicator, turn coordinator
    • Reading the Instrument Panel
      • Interpreting attitude and altitude from a panel image
    • Navigation Basics
      • Headings, bearings, and the compass rose
      • Magnetic versus true north

  3. Airport, Airspace, and Regulations

     3 topics
    • Airport Operations
      • Runway numbering and markings
      • Traffic pattern legs
    • Airspace Classes
      • Controlled and uncontrolled airspace
    • Communication and Procedures
      • Basic radio phraseology and the phonetic alphabet

Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge flashcards — 50 questions with answers

  1. What are the four forces of flight acting on an aircraft?

    Lift, weight (gravity), thrust, and drag.

  2. In steady, unaccelerated level flight, how do the four forces relate?

    Lift equals weight and thrust equals drag (all forces are in equilibrium).

  3. What produces lift on a wing according to Bernoulli's principle?

    Air moving faster over the curved upper surface creates lower pressure than the slower air below, and the pressure difference produces upward lift.

  4. What is the angle of attack?

    The angle between the wing's chord line and the relative wind (oncoming airflow).

  5. What is an aerodynamic stall?

    A loss of lift that occurs when the wing exceeds its critical angle of attack and airflow separates from the upper surface.

  6. What are the two main types of drag?

    Parasite drag (form, skin friction, interference) and induced drag (the byproduct of producing lift).

  7. How does induced drag change with airspeed?

    Induced drag increases as airspeed decreases (high at low speeds), while parasite drag increases with airspeed.

  8. Name the three primary flight control surfaces and the axis each controls.

    Ailerons control roll (longitudinal axis), elevator controls pitch (lateral axis), and rudder controls yaw (vertical axis).

  9. Around which axis does an aircraft roll, and what controls it?

    The longitudinal axis (nose-to-tail); controlled by the ailerons.

  10. Around which axis does an aircraft pitch, and what controls it?

    The lateral axis (wingtip-to-wingtip); controlled by the elevator.

  11. Around which axis does an aircraft yaw, and what controls it?

    The vertical axis (top-to-bottom through the center); controlled by the rudder.

  12. What is the purpose of flaps?

    To increase lift and drag at low speeds, allowing slower, steeper approaches and shorter takeoff/landing distances.

  13. What is the function of trim tabs?

    To relieve control pressures by holding a control surface in a set position, reducing pilot workload.

  14. What are the main structural components of an airplane?

    Fuselage, wings, empennage (tail), landing gear, and powerplant.

  15. What components make up the empennage?

    The vertical stabilizer with rudder and the horizontal stabilizer with elevator (the tail assembly).

  16. What is adverse yaw and how is it counteracted?

    The tendency of the nose to yaw away from a turn due to differential aileron drag; counteracted by coordinated rudder input.

  17. What is the difference between static stability and dynamic stability?

    Static stability is the initial tendency to return to equilibrium after a disturbance; dynamic stability describes the motion over time (oscillations damping out, staying constant, or increasing).

  18. What is positive static stability?

    The aircraft's initial tendency to return to its original attitude after being disturbed.

  19. In a coordinated standard-rate turn, what is the turn rate?

    3 degrees per second, completing a 360-degree turn in 2 minutes.

  20. How does load factor change in a level turn?

    Load factor (G-force) increases as bank angle increases because more lift is required to maintain altitude.

Show the other 30 Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge flashcards

  1. What four instruments operate on the pitot-static system?

    The airspeed indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator (airspeed uses both pitot and static; altimeter and VSI use static only).

  2. Which pressure sources does the airspeed indicator use?

    Both ram (pitot) pressure and static pressure; it measures the difference between them.

  3. Which instruments use only static pressure?

    The altimeter and the vertical speed indicator (VSI).

  4. What happens to the airspeed indicator if the pitot tube becomes blocked but the drain hole is open?

    The airspeed indicator reads zero because ram pressure can no longer enter.

  5. What does a blocked static port do to the altimeter?

    The altimeter freezes at the altitude where the blockage occurred and no longer responds to altitude changes.

  6. What setting must be put in the altimeter's Kollsman window for accurate readings?

    The current local barometric (altimeter) setting in inches of mercury.

  7. What does the vertical speed indicator (VSI) display?

    The rate of climb or descent, typically in feet per minute.

  8. What principle do the attitude indicator, heading indicator, and turn coordinator rely on?

    Gyroscopic principles (a spinning gyro's properties).

  9. What are the two fundamental properties of a gyroscope?

    Rigidity in space and precession.

  10. What does the attitude indicator (artificial horizon) show?

    The aircraft's pitch and bank relative to the horizon.

  11. What does the heading indicator display and why must it be reset?

    It shows magnetic heading; it must be periodically aligned with the magnetic compass because it drifts (precesses) over time.

  12. What does the turn coordinator's ball (inclinometer) indicate?

    Whether the turn is coordinated; a centered ball means coordinated, ball toward the inside means slipping, ball toward the outside means skidding.

  13. What are the six instruments of the standard 'six-pack' panel?

    Airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter (top row); turn coordinator, heading indicator, vertical speed indicator (bottom row).

  14. Which instrument is the primary reference for pitch and bank during instrument flight?

    The attitude indicator.

  15. On a heading indicator, what magnetic heading is shown when the aircraft points due west?

    270 degrees.

  16. What do the cardinal compass headings 360/N, 090, 180, and 270 correspond to?

    North (360/0), East (090), South (180), and West (270).

  17. What is true airspeed (TAS) versus indicated airspeed (IAS)?

    Indicated airspeed is read directly from the instrument; true airspeed is IAS corrected for altitude and temperature (air density).

  18. What is the relationship between heading, track, and wind?

    Heading is the direction the nose points; track is the actual path over the ground; wind (crosswind drift) causes the difference, requiring a wind correction angle.

  19. What is magnetic variation?

    The angular difference between true north and magnetic north at a given location.

  20. What is the formula relating distance, speed, and time in navigation?

    Distance = speed x time (so time = distance / groundspeed).

  21. If groundspeed is 120 knots, how far does the aircraft travel in 30 minutes?

    60 nautical miles (120 x 0.5).

  22. What is the standard traffic pattern direction at most airports?

    Left-hand turns (left traffic) unless otherwise specified.

  23. Name the legs of a standard airport traffic pattern.

    Upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and final approach.

  24. How are runways numbered?

    By their magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, with the last zero dropped (e.g., Runway 27 points to about 270 degrees).

  25. What device indicates wind direction at an airport, and into which direction do aircraft take off and land?

    The windsock indicates wind direction; aircraft take off and land into the wind (headwind).

  26. What are the controlled airspace classes from highest to surface?

    Class A, B, C, D, and E (Class G is uncontrolled airspace).

  27. What is Class A airspace?

    Airspace from 18,000 feet MSL up to FL600, where IFR flight and ATC clearance are required.

  28. What does Class B airspace surround and what is its typical shape?

    The busiest airports; shaped like an upside-down wedding cake with layered rings, requiring ATC clearance to enter.

  29. What is the difference between Class G and controlled airspace?

    Class G is uncontrolled airspace where ATC has no authority/responsibility; the other classes (A-E) are controlled and provide ATC services.

  30. What is the correct order of items in a standard radio communication call?

    Who you are calling (facility), who you are (aircraft ID), where you are (position), and what you want (request/intentions).

Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge FAQ

What is in the Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge syllabus?

Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge is split into 3 chapters: Aerodynamics and Principles of Flight, Flight Instruments and Navigation and Airport, Airspace, and Regulations. Together they contain 11 topics and 19 sub-topics.

How many chapters are in Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge?

3 chapters, containing 11 topics and 19 sub-topics. The largest chapter is Aerodynamics and Principles of Flight, with 4 topics.

Are there flashcards for Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge?

Yes — a 50-card Aviation and Aircrew Knowledge deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.