Transport Canada Commercial Pilot License (CPL) Practice Exam

The inclinometer within the turn coordinator is designed to indicate the coordination of turns by responding to the forces experienced during a turn, specifically centrifugal force and gravity.

In a coordinated turn, as an aircraft banks and changes direction, it creates a centrifugal force that acts outward from the center of the turn. Gravity, acting downwards, affects how the aircraft feels this force and how the pilot should manage the turn. The inclinometer measures the balance between these two forces: if the turn is coordinated, the ball in the inclinometer will reside in the center of the curved tube; if there's too much or too little bank for the turn rate, the ball will move outside the center, indicating the need for corrective action by the pilot.

This balance is crucial for smooth and efficient flight dynamics, as it ensures that the aircraft is not skidding or slipping during the turn. The other choices represent different forces not directly related to the inclinometer's function, such as lift and drag or thrust and weight. These forces are important in other contexts of flight, but they do not govern how the inclinometer reacts in a turn.