Flight configurations involve adjusting which elements to achieve a specified attitude?

• A. Engine power settings only
• B. Landing gear and flaps only
• C. Aileron trim and vertical speed
• D. Control surfaces including flaps and landing gear

Answer: (D)

Setting a desired flight attitude comes from changing the airplane’s configuration—the parts of the aircraft that shape lift, drag, and the pitching moment. Flaps are a control surface that changes camber, increases drag, and lowers stall speed, which lets you adjust attitude at a given airspeed. Landing gear, when extended or retracted, also changes drag and the aircraft’s aerodynamic moment, influencing how it sits in the air. Together with the other primary control surfaces, these elements let you achieve a specific attitude by selecting the appropriate configuration. The option that mentions control surfaces including flaps and landing gear best captures this idea, since it points to the components that actively alter attitude through changes in lift, drag, and moments. Engine power affects thrust rather than attitude by itself, and the other choices omit either the surfaces or the gear involved in configuration changes.