SIFT Army Aviation Information Practice Test

A pilot can worsen a helicopter's pendular action by:

1. Applying too much angle of incidence.

2. Over-controlling the aircraft.

3. Moving the cyclic left while pushing on the right pedal.

4. Moving the cyclic left while pulling up on the collective.

The correct answer is: Over-controlling the aircraft.

Worsening a helicopter's pendular action occurs when a pilot's control inputs oscillate excessively, leading to a destabilizing effect. Over-controlling the aircraft refers to making abrupt or exaggerated inputs on the controls, which can exacerbate pendular action. When a pilot over-controls, their inputs can create a feedback loop where the helicopter begins to rock back and forth excessively. This results in a lack of smoothness in flight and can make it difficult to stabilize the aircraft. In terms of the other options, applying too much angle of incidence is more related to performance than pendular action itself. Moving the cyclic left while pushing on the right pedal may introduce yaw, but does not directly correlate with the pendular type of oscillation caused by excessive lateral movements. Similarly, moving the cyclic left while pulling up on the collective might change the helicopter's pitch and altitude without inherently worsening pendular action. Thus, the best explanation for worsening pendular action lies in the concept of over-controlling the aircraft.