Flight path angle is influenced by which three variables?

Flight path angle is influenced by which three variables?

• A. Thrust, Drag, and Weight
• B. Airspeed, Altitude, and Temperature
• C. Lift, Weight, and Drag
• D. Aileron Deflection, Elevator Deflection, Rudder Input

Answer: (A)

Flight path angle is set by the balance of forces along the aircraft’s direction of travel. The engine provides thrust pushing the airplane forward along the path, drag opposes that motion, and gravity adds a component along the path that depends on how steep the path is (W sin(gamma)). In steady flight, the along-path forces balance, so changes in thrust, drag, or weight directly change the path angle: increasing thrust relative to drag and the weight component tends to raise the flight path angle (a climb), while higher drag or weight without enough thrust tends to lower it (a descent). Airspeed, altitude, and temperature influence air density and thus lift and drag, but they don’t set the along-path force balance by themselves. Lift acts mostly perpendicular to the flight path, and control surface deflections steer the aircraft rather than determine the immediate along-path force balance. Therefore, the variables that most directly influence the flight path angle are thrust, drag, and weight.

Flight path angle is set by the balance of forces along the aircraft’s direction of travel. The engine provides thrust pushing the airplane forward along the path, drag opposes that motion, and gravity adds a component along the path that depends on how steep the path is (W sin(gamma)). In steady flight, the along-path forces balance, so changes in thrust, drag, or weight directly change the path angle: increasing thrust relative to drag and the weight component tends to raise the flight path angle (a climb), while higher drag or weight without enough thrust tends to lower it (a descent).

Airspeed, altitude, and temperature influence air density and thus lift and drag, but they don’t set the along-path force balance by themselves. Lift acts mostly perpendicular to the flight path, and control surface deflections steer the aircraft rather than determine the immediate along-path force balance. Therefore, the variables that most directly influence the flight path angle are thrust, drag, and weight.