Question

Which force might a conventional gear aircraft (tail dragger) experience during takeoff?What will be the resultant effect?

a) Lift, pitch up
b) Drag, roll to the right
c) Precession, yaw to the left
d) Thrust, nose down

Answer 1

During takeoff, a conventional gear aircraft may experience precession, resulting in a yaw to the left. For the physics problem, the kinetic energy of an airplane experiencing a 40 kN rearward drag force will decrease by 40 kN.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force that a conventional gear aircraft (tail dragger) might experience during takeoff is precession, which would result in yaw to the left. This effect occurs due to the gyroscopic effect of the propeller, which produces a yawing moment to the left when the tail of the aircraft raises during takeoff. Such forces and the resulting motion are critical considerations for pilots during the operation of tailwheel aircraft.

Now, concerning the physics problem presented, the net external force acting on the airplane as it's coming in for a landing with a drag force of 40 kN acting rearward will cause the kinetic energy to decrease by 40 kN, assuming no other external forces like thrust or lift are acting on it. This is because the drag force is doing negative work on the airplane, thus reducing its kinetic energy. Given the angle of the velocity is only 5 degrees below the horizontal and no vertical acceleration is indicated, we consider only the horizontal component of motion for this kinetic energy consideration. Hence, the correct answer is "b. decrease, 40 kN."