BASIC HELICOPTER (AIRFRAME) LICENCE EXAMINATION

Ref: BHA/TAA/01/03
2006
(Paper 1 – Category ‘A’ Airframe)
Time allowed: 2 hrs
Answer all Question

1. Which of the following documents is not subject to renewal?

a. Certificate of Airworthiness
b. Certificate of Registration
c. Certificate of Approval

2. Technical log is:

a. Retained at base
b. Carried in the aircraft
c. Kept in the store

3. The certificate valid for one year is

a. Certificate of registration
b. Certificate of Release to Service & Maintenance Statement
c. Certificate of Airworthiness

4. Quarantine store is:

a. Store where fully released items are kept
b. Stores for parts awaiting proof of serviceability
c. Stores for commercial equipment

5. Above what weight is an Air Operators Certificate required

a. 2300 kg
b. 3600 kg
c. all aircraft flying for public transport

6. Tracking on a helicopter means

a. That all blades travel in the same tip path plane
b. That blades are subject to leading edge checks with a straight edge
c. That the rotor keeps fuel helicopter in a straight path in forward flight

7. The purpose of a clutch in a transmission system is to

a. unload the engine during starting
b. give immediate freedom for auto rotation
c. prevent overrun

8. Transmission lubrication is normally carried out by

a. engine oil
b. engine oil, filtered and boosted
c. independent lubrication systems

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9. Movement of the collective stick will
a. alter the pitch of the advancing blades more than the retreating blades
b. alter the pitch on all blades equally
c. tilt the swashplate forward

10. The reason for fitting a tail rotor on a helicopter is

a. to counteract torque
b. to prevent sideways drift
c. to ensure thrust is in the same direction as the couple produced by engine torque

11. The pitch on a puller tail rotor in forward flight with the pedals central is
a. in neutral
b. in positive pitch
c. in negative pitch

12. A Thomas coupling consist of

a. rubber blocks between vanes
b. flexible steel shims
c. a yoke and trunnion

13. The coning angle of the rotor blades is the angle between
a. the normal axis and the rotor blade
b. the rotor blades and the tip path plane
c. the horizontal and the rotor blade

14. The forces which the blades coning angle are:

a. Lift: weight: thrust.
b. Lift: centrifugal force: thrust.
c. Lift: centrifugal force: weight.

15. The RPM of the rotor blades are kept constant, within small limits to:
a. Prevent blades ‘folding up’ during flight
b. Prevent blades overspeeding
c. Reduce torque loading

16. The angle between the chord line of the blade and a plane at right angles to the rotor shaft
is known as the:
a. Angle of attack
b. Pitch angle
c. Coning angle

17. A helicopter is hovering and the pilot applies right pedals assuming the main rotor rotates
anti-clockwise viewed from above, the helicopter will:
a. Descend unless the pilot applies more collective pitch
b. Ascend, unless the pilot decreases rotor RPM
c. Descend unless the pilot inches the throttle open

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18. When the rotor blade is flapping up, the angle of attack is
a. Greater than the pitch angle
b. Is less than the pitch angle
c. The same as the pitch

19. As a helicopter accelerates in forward flight above approximately 15 knots, it will be

necessary to:
a. Reduce power because rotor profile drag is reduced
b. Increased power the rotor RPM are increasing
c. Reduce power because of additional lift in transitional flight

20. A helicopter tail rotor is fitted to

a. Permit directional control
b. Counteract rotor torque and provide rapid turn facilities
c. Counteract engine torque and provide normal directional control

21. Phase lag is due to the blades

a. Speed
b. Weight
c. Inertia

22. The airflow over part of the main rotor will be in the reverse direction:
a. In the vortex ring state
b. In ground cushion effect
c. At high forward speeds

23. Which direction is the air flowing through the main rotor during autorotation?
a. Upward
b. Downwards
c. Parallel to the rotor blade chord line

24. The coriolis effect on the helicopters means

a. The blades which flaps down will accelerate
b. The blade which flaps up will accelerate
c. The axis of rotation is not perpendicular to the plane of rotation

25. Excessive cyclic stick shake felt on a power operated control system could be caused by:
a. Low accumulator nitrogen pressure
b. System regulator cut out pressure set too high
c. Air in the hydraulic actuator

26. Accelerometers are used during tracking of the main rotors

a. To give visual indication of any climbing blade
b. To ensure vibration and its magnitude affecting the aircraft to give
c. An indication of any blade cross over

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27. What adjustments would have to be made to a blade, which tends to climb with an
increase in airspeed?
a. Adjust the pitch change link on the affected blade
b. Raise the tab on the affected blade
c. Lower the tab on the affected blade

28. A mixer box is used in helicopter control systems to ensure that

a. Left and right movements of the anti-torque pedals are moved to change the pitch by
the required amount
b. To prevent the collective input affecting the cyclic input as they move together
c. Twist grip throttles and cyclic can be moved independently

29. Helicopter transmissions are designed to reduce engine rpm to the main rotor, this is to
a. Keep rotor tip speeds subsonic
b. Reduce the amount of engine power absorbed
c. Limit the forward speed of the helicopter

30. Transmission drive shafts are fitted with flexible couplings to

a. Allow free wheeling in autorotation
b. Absorb torsional loads and flexible
c. To supply break points on long shafts

31. Some helicopters have stabilizer bars, they are

a. Connected through linkage to the rotating swashplate and rotor blades
b. Connected to the swashplate and pilots controls
c. Fixed to the pitch change mechanism only

32. What is the purpose of the swashplate fitted to the main rotor mast of a helicopter?
a. To permit cyclic selections to be input to the rotor blades as they rotate
b. To permit collective selections to the rotor blades from interfering with cyclic
selections already made.
c. To permit cyclic and collective inputs to be made to the rotor blades individually
or simultaneously whilst the blades rotate.

33. Elastomeric bearing used in helicopter rotor heads are constructed from:
a. Steel with white metal liners
b. A sandwich of rubber and steel washers bonded together
c. Roller bearings lubricated by oil from reservoirs on top of the head

34. B.I.M indicators are fitted to some aircraft:

a. To give an indication of cracks in the rotor blade spar
b. To give an indication of contamination of the transmission oil system
c. To give warning of a crack in the rotor head trunnion.

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35. What is the purpose of counter weights fitted to some rotor heads?
a. To assist the blade CTM which tends to increase the pitch angle
b. To counter the blade CTM which tends to increase the pitch angle
c. To counter the blade CTM which tends to decrease the pitch angle

36. What could be the likely result of a defective rotor head damper?
a. It could cause a lateral vibration to be felt in the aircraft
b. It could affect the tracking of the blade
c. It could cause a vertical vibration to be felt in the aircraft.

37. In the event of an in-flight engine failure on an aircraft with hydraulically powered
controls, flying control operational would:
a. Revert to manual control
b. Be unaffected since the hydraulic pump is geared to the transmission
c. Be operated by an electrically driven pump

38. Why is freewheel unit necessary on a helicopter transmission system?

a. To enable the engine to be started
b. So that when the helicopter is in forward flight the freewheel unit takes the load
c. In the event of an engine failure the rotor will continue to turn.

39. What is the purpose of flapping restrainers fitted to helicopters?

a. To restrict the flapping of a blade at low rotor RPM
b. To restrict the flapping of a blade in flight
c. To control the speed of a blade as it flaps during flight

40. Are droop stops in or out during flight?

a. In forward flight-in
b. In
c. Out

41. What defects could possibly cause a helicopter to go into ground resonance?
a. Out of balance rotor and incorrectly filled oleos
b. Hovering too close to the ground
c. Tail rotor out of balance

42. Rotor brakes are used on most helicopters

a. to stop the rotor to prevent sailing in gusty conditions
b. to stop the engine and rotor after shut down
c. to bring the blade to feather

43. An intermediate gearbox is fitted into a transmission to

a. Break a long transmission shaft
b. To change the drive angle
c. To reduce load on the main rotor gearbox

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44. On some installations, a coupling gearbox is used, its function is to
a. Couple two engines to a single output
b. Couple the engine to the main rotor gearbox
c. Allow two engines to run on a single freewheel unit

45. Engine speed to the main rotor is reduced through

a. A double hyperelliptical reduction gear
b. A simple spur type reduction gear
c. A sun and planet reduction gear

46. Why are force gradients used in helicopter control systems?

a. To relieve the pilot of the stick forces created by moving his cyclic controls
b. To provide a fond of artificial feel to power operated controls which is
proportional to the amount of control movement
c. To provide the necessary force to move the controls against high air loading

47. If during a ground tracking check, one blade of an articulated head were seen to fly low,
what adjustments would you make?
a. Raise the low blade by adjusting the pitch change link
b. Lower the high blades by adjusting the pitch change links
c. Raise the low blade and lower the high blades until they all fly in the same tip path
plane.

48. Bell cranks are frequently used in aircraft control systems

a. To reduce the length of control rods used
b. To change the direction of control movement
c. To convert rotary control movement to linear control movement

49. What type of gear are most likely to be fitted in a tail rotor gear box?
a. Helical, to provide a thrust load for pitch change operation
b. Worm gear in order to alter the input/output speed ratio
c. Spiral bevel gears for smooth quiet operation

50. If the input gear to a tail rotor gear box had 31 teeth on it and the output gear has 21 teeth
on it, what would the tail rotor speed be relative to the input drive speed?
a. Faster than the input drive speed
b. Slower than the input drive speed
c. The same as the input drive speed

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