Do You Know Enough About Aviation To Be A Pilot?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Do You Know Enough About Aviation To Be A Pilot?
Image: andresr/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Since the days of the Wright Brothers, millions of Americans have dreamed of soaring through the clouds in the pilot’s seat of a gleaming plane. Some would love to scream through the wild blue yonder in an F-35 fighter, while others would be perfectly content cruising along in a little Cessna. No matter your bird-like dreams, you’ll first need to understand basic aviation principles and figure out how to control various parts of an airplane. How high do you think you can fly in this inspiring aviation quiz?

Many of the basic principles of flight are relatively intuitive. You know that you’re going to need speed in order to get that 747 off the ground. Do you recall how the aircraft’s motors make this happen? And, of course, the aerodynamics of the contraption matter, too – and every plane is a little different. That means a Concorde jet handles a lot different than an Alaskan bush plane.

You may have failed physics in high school, but if you want to be a pilot, you’ll have to remember exactly how various forces come into play during flight. Lift, drag, thrust, as well as pitch, yaw, and roll are all vital aspects of safe aviation.

Climb aboard for this aviation quiz now! And please remember to buckle up, because our tough questions will create a lot of turbulence.

The curve on top of an airplane wing helps to do what?
Offers more space for missiles
Decreases pressure on top of the wing
Controls yaw
Makes it look cooler
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The curve that's on top of a plane's wings reduces air pressure at that location. The bottom of the wing, however, is flat … which increases pressure, providing lift.

What's the purpose of an altimeter?
To reduce drag
To reduce air pressure
To measure height
To measure heart pressure
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The altimeter is one of a plane's most vital instruments. It measures how high the plane is above sea level. So if the altimeter drops to 0 and you're still cruising at 500 MPH, you have a problem.

Airplanes fly by pushing what toward the ground?
Vapor
Air
Water
Gas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Airplanes are fantastic contraptions. Their primary job is to push air toward the ground. This generates lift … which helps planes fly.

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What do the floor pedals in a cockpit control?
Engine power
Airspeed​
Rudder
Height
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pilot must deal with an entire cockpit worth of controls and buttons. The floor pedals help her control the all-important rudder.

Most airplane wings have what on the upper surface?
bald eagle insignia
a slight curve
small terrified children
vents
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Most airplane wings feature a gentle curve on the top surface. This is part of what's called an "airfoil," and it helps the aircraft fly.

What tool do pilots use to control yaw?
Fuselage
Wings
Rudder
Pressure gauge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yaw refers to the plane's side to side turning. The rudder is what controls yaw. Unless the rudder is broken, in which case, you'll have to try to remember whether you packed a parachute for this flight.

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What happens when the pilot pushes the throttle forward?
Pilot's seat ejects
Engine power increases
Wing angles drop
The doors lock
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pilot must maintain careful control of the throttle. Pushing forward on the throttle increases engine power; pulling back does the opposite.

What do the ailerons control?
Spirals
Dive
Roll
Speed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Each wing is fitted with an aileron that moves up or down. When one goes up and the other goes down, the plane goes into a roll.

What happens to air pressure as your altitude climbs?
It decreases.
It increases.
It stays the same.
Both
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As planes climb into the skies, air pressure drops dramatically. So too do oxygen levels, which is why planes require pressurized cabins to provide a normal breathing environment.

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A supersonic plane can exceed which speed?
350 MPH
760 MPH
4,200 MPH
5000 MPH
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Supersonic planes can, by definition, exceed the speed of sound. They can go 760 MPH or even faster.

What part of the plane creates thrust?
Engines
Yoke
Midsection
Wings
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your plane isn't anywhere without some type of engine. Without thrust, there is no lift, and without lift, there is no flight.

What happens if a plane's engines fail?
You'll pass out from lack of oxygen.
You are going to die.
You can glide to the ground.
Sudden plummet to the ground
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Modern plane engines don't often fail. But when they do, the planes still work … you just have to glide them to a safe landing area.

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What's the name of the control wheel on a plane?
Fidget
Driver
Yoke
Axel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The yoke is the "W"-shaped control wheel of the aircraft. Pilots push, pull and turn the yoke from side to side.

The pilot pushes the top of the rudder pedals to engage what?
The brakes
The throttle
The windshield wipers
The amount of gas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The rudder pedals also serve as the brakes. These are the pedals the pilot will be frantically stomping as your out-of-control jet hurtles across the tarmac toward the long-term parking lot.

What element do the elevators control?
Radius
Pitch
Which floor of the plane you're on
Wings
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The elevators are mounted to the plane's tail section. The pilot moves the elevators up and down to control pitch.

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What happens when the pilot pushes forward on the yoke?
The plane spins.
The nose tilts down.
Everyone on board screams.
The plane flies up
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The nose is how pilots control pitch. By pushing forward on the yoke, the plane's nose tilts downward. Craterville, here we come!

Big planes experience more of what than little planes?
Gravity
Drag
Teasing
Stall
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Thrust gets your plane moving. Drag tries to slow it down. There are several types of drag, but bigger planes always have to overcome more drag than small planes.

What's it called if a plane experiences a rapid decrease in lift?
Stall
Downwash
Suicide
Drop
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When a plane suddenly experiences a reduction in lift, you have a problem. This is called a stall, and it has caused many crashes in aviation history.

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What happens when you pull back on the yoke?
increases airflow under the wing
slides the ailerons gently off the wings
creates churning sensation in stomach
the plane tilts down
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's one of the basic fundamentals of takeoffs. Pilots pull back on the yoke, increasing airflow under the wings, thus, generating lift and sending the craft soaring.

You must be at least how old to take a recreational pilot knowledge test?
10 years old
15 years old
22 years old
18 years old
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You only have to be 15 years old to take the recreational pilot knowledge test. If you only want to fly a balloon or glider, you take the exam at just 14.

Most commercial jets fall into which of the following speed categories?
Hypersonic
Supersonic
Subsonic
Transonic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Commercial jets are mostly subsonic, meaning they fly between 350 and 750 MPH. And on those red eye flights, even 750 MPH never seems fast enough.

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What's the spinning air behind a plane called?
Wake
Death spiral
Vortex
Hurricane
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As planes zoom along, the air swirls behind them in a vortex. At airfields, pilots must be wary of the vortices caused by planes in front of them.

If you have a recreational pilot's license, you cannot fly a plane that exceeds what horsepower?
180 hp
480 hp
2,030 hp
90 hp
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Maybe you should stick to sports cars. If you have a recreational license, you can only fly planes with engines that max out at 180 hp or less.

How many flight hours do you have to log to become an airline transport pilot?
At least 1,500
At least 4,000
At least 10,000
At least 500
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It takes a lot of flight time to qualify for an airline transport pilot's license. Pilots need to log at least 1,500 hours of flight time to qualify.

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How difficult is it to fly an airplane?
Not very hard
Pretty tough
Impossible for ordinary people
Anyone could do it
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the early days of aviation, airplanes were rickety death traps. These days, anyone who applies themselves to coursework can learn to fly a plane.

If you have a sport pilot's license, what is a major restriction on your flight plans?
no afterburners
no night flying
no flying to the moon
no flying more than 50 miles away
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sport pilot licenses are very restrictive. You obviously will never have afterburners at your disposal, and you'll never fly at night, either.

Recreational pilots are only allowed​ to fly how many miles from their home airport?
50 miles
500 miles
5,000 miles
100 miles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A recreation pilot's license offers very limited range. The laws only allow you to fly up to 50 nautical miles from your home airport.

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Which part of a plane generates lift?
Every part
Just the wings
The nose
The engine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Every part of the plane generates lift. But the wings obviously are what create the most lift, and without lift, you're going nowhere.

What's one of the most important modern flight tools?
auto-pilot
laser sights
radios
yoke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are thousands of planes in the skies at any given moment. Without radios, the skies would resemble one big game of high-speed chicken.

If the pilot raises the nose of the plane, he or she is changing what?
Angle of attack
Pitch
Specific gravity
Height
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

By raising (or lowering) the nose of the plane, the pilot adjusts pitch. As you can imagine, pitch is one of the most basic (and important) flight fundamentals.

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