DGCA Technical General: Propellers Questions

193 exam-style Propellers questions for the DGCA Technical Generalpaper (CPL & ATPL). The first 12 are free below with answers and explanations — sign up free to practise all of them with progress tracking.

  1. Q1

    What is the most common reason for increasing the number of blades on a propeller?

    • AIncrease aerodynamic efficiency.
    • BReduce propeller noise.
    • CIncrease power absorption capability.
    • DIncrease the effectiveness of the constant speed unit.
    Show answer

    Correct answer: C. Increase power absorption capability.

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  2. Q2

    Propeller blade angle is

    • A The angle between the blade chord and the plane of rotation
    • BThe angle between the relative airflow and the chord
    • C Dependent upon RPM and TAS
    • D The difference between effective pitch and geometric pitch
    Show answer

    Correct answer: A. The angle between the blade chord and the plane of rotation

    Propeller blade angle is the angle between the blade chord line and the plane of rotation of the propeller disc. It should not be confused with angle of attack, which is measured from the relative airflow.

  3. Q3

    Which of the following will increase the gyroscopic precession effect of a propeller?

    • Alncreased angle of attack.
    • BDecreased TAS.
    • CPitch and roll.
    • Dlncreased RPM
    Show answer

    Correct answer: D. lncreased RPM

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  4. Q4

    Why is a propeller blade twisted

    • A To reduce the thrust at the root of the blade
    • B To prevent the blade from fully feathering
    • CTo reduce the tip speed
    • D To even out the thrust force along the length of the blade
    Show answer

    Correct answer: D. To even out the thrust force along the length of the blade

    A propeller blade is twisted, or has washout from root to tip, because the higher rotational speed at the tip would otherwise generate far more thrust there than at the slow-moving root. Decreasing the blade angle toward the tip evens out the thrust, and hence the loading, along the whole blade.

  5. Q5

    A constant speed propeller aircraft is descending with the throttle closed and KPM lever set at 2000 RPM. What would be the effect of retarding the propeller lever?

    • ARate of descent would remain constant and RPM would increase.
    • BRate of descent would remain constant and RPM would decrease.
    • CRate of descent and RPM would increase.
    • DRate of descent and RPM would decrease.
    Show answer

    Correct answer: D. Rate of descent and RPM would decrease.

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  6. Q6

    What effect does the torque reaction of a single right handed tractor propeller have during the take-off roll?

    • AWeight on the right wheel increases while that on the left decreases.
    • BWeight on the right wheel decreases while that on the left increases.
    • CWeight on the right and left wheels decreases.
    • DWeight on the right and left wheels increases.
    Show answer

    Correct answer: B. Weight on the right wheel decreases while that on the left increases.

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  7. Q7

    What would be the result of propeller slipstream effect when taking-off using a single right handed tractor propeller?

    • APitch up.
    • BPitch down
    • CYaw to the right.
    • DYaw to the left.
    Show answer

    Correct answer: D. Yaw to the left.

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  8. Q8

    432.How do we achieve efficient angle of attack over the propeller blade?

    • A By increasing blade angle from propeller root to propeller tip
    • BReducing blade angle from propeller root to propeller tip
    • C increasing blade angle from propeller tip to propeller root
    Show answer

    Correct answer: B. Reducing blade angle from propeller root to propeller tip

    Because the tip of a propeller blade travels much faster than the root, the blade is twisted so the blade angle reduces progressively from root to tip, keeping the angle of attack efficient along the entire blade.

  9. Q9

    Which of the following statements about propellersis true?

    • AAngle of attack is the angle between the chord line of the blade and the plane of rotation.
    • BCritical tip speed is the RPM at which there is a risk of some part of the blade stalling.
    • CGeometric pitch is the distance that a propeller would move forward in one turn if there were no slip.
    • DBlade angle is the angle between the chord line of the blade and the shaft axis.
    Show answer

    Correct answer: C. Geometric pitch is the distance that a propeller would move forward in one turn if there were no slip.

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  10. Q10

    What happens to the angle of attack of a fixed pitch propeller as the aircraft accelerates down the runway

    • AIncreases
    • B Decreases
    • C Remains the same
    • D Blade angle changes to compensate for forward speed
    Show answer

    Correct answer: B. Decreases

    With a fixed pitch propeller the blade angle cannot change, so as the aircraft accelerates the increasing forward speed alters the relative airflow and the blade angle of attack decreases. This is why a fixed pitch propeller is only efficient at one speed and RPM combination.

  11. Q11

    Which of the following conditions will occur when a propeller is feathered?

    • AThe highest windmilling speed.
    • BThe maximum D:L ratio.
    • CMinimum aerodynamic drag on the propeller.
    • DLowest blade angle.
    Show answer

    Correct answer: C. Minimum aerodynamic drag on the propeller.

    This Explanation is Coming Soon

  12. Q12

    What happens to the AoA of a VP propeller with increasing TAS if the RPM and throttle levers are not moved.

    • ABlade angle remains constant to compensate for forward speed
    • B Increases
    • C Decreases
    • D Remains the same
    Show answer

    Correct answer: D. Remains the same

    With the levers untouched, the constant speed unit maintains the selected RPM by coarsening the blade angle as true airspeed increases. Because the blade angle increases in step with the changing relative airflow, the blade angle of attack remains essentially the same.

181 more Propellers questions in the full bank

Create a free account to practise every Propellers question with instant scoring, chapter tests, previous DGCA papers and full-length mock exams.

Start practising free

More DGCA Technical General topics