Instruments, Metals and the Concorde: teacher key

Airplanes, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. Jet streams, six instruments, autopilots and aluminum skin all shape how planes cruise. See why the Concorde stretched in flight and how the largest passenger plane compares.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. In which direction do jet streams generally blow?
   • From west to east (answer)
   • From east to west
   • From north to south
2. Which instruments work from gyroscopes?
   • The altimeter, airspeed indicator and vertical speed indicator
   • The fuel gauge and the radio
   • The heading indicator, attitude indicator and turn coordinator (answer)
3. What does the two-axis autopilot in most small airplanes control?
   • Altitude only
   • Pitch and roll (answer)
   • Yaw and fuel
4. Why can aluminum not be used for skin that gets very hot?
   • It loses strength at high temperatures (answer)
   • It is too heavy
   • It cannot be painted
5. What happened to all the Concordes in 2003?
   • They flew across the Pacific
   • They were rebuilt as A380s
   • They were retired (answer)

Words

• gyroscopes: spinning direction sensors
• altimeter: height meter
• composite: mixed material
• supersonic: faster than sound
• autopilot: holds a course