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GATE 2019 AE – Question 18

Flight Mechanics & Space Dynamics · Airplane performance: drag polar, take-off and landing, climb and descent, ceilings, range and endurance, load factor, turning flight, V-n diagram, winds · 1 mark · Multiple choice

For the take-off ground roll of a propeller-driven airplane, which statement about a headwind is FALSE?

  1. Drag increases.
  2. Propeller thrust decreases.
  3. Lift increases.
  4. Ground-roll distance increases.

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (D) Ground-roll distance increases.

Explanation

At a fixed ground speed, headwind increases airspeed, raising aerodynamic lift and drag. Under the propeller model intended, greater advance speed reduces thrust. The airplane reaches its required take-off airspeed at a lower ground speed, shortening the ground roll. Therefore the assertion that distance increases is false, D.

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