Aircraft Anatomy

Question 1

Wing- Spar?

Answer 1

the main load bearing structural member and provide a lot of strength

Question 2

Wing - Ribs?

Answer 2

What the skin is attached to. They provide the wing cross-sectional shape and transfer loading from the skin to the spars

Question 3

Wing - stringers?

Answer 3

They take bending loads and prevent the skin from buckling.

Question 4

Skin

Answer 4

often made from composite materials such as glass or carbon fibre or some metals.

Question 5

Spoilers?

Answer 5

Spoils lift on upper surface of the wing to provide more weight on wheels - shorter landing distance

Question 6

Winglets?

Answer 6

Reduces air spilling from the lower to upper surface, reducing induced drag

Question 7

Types of wing anti-icing?

Answer 7

Pneumatic, electro-thermal or bleed air operated

Question 8

Vertical stabilizer?

Answer 8

Acts to return the aircraft to its original position following a disturbance in yaw without pilot input.

Question 9

Horizontal stabiliser?

Answer 9

Acts to return the aircraft to its original position following a disturbance in pitch without pilot input.

Question 10

Two main types of engine?

Answer 10

Piston, Gas turbine

Question 11

Purpose of the propeller?

Answer 11

To convert rotational motion of engine to a linear force (thrust).
It does this by accelerating air rearward

Question 12

Types of fuselage?

Answer 12

Truss, monocoque, semi-monocoque

Question 13

Characterisitcs of truss?

Answer 13

Strength comes from frame works

Members on tension and compression

Question 14

Characteristics of Monocoque?

Answer 14

Skin carries structural load, for lighter aircraft

Small dents or stresses can cause complete failure

Question 15

Characteristics of Semi- Monocoque?

Answer 15

Skin fastened to sub-structure
Load shared between structure and skin
Modern method

Question 16

Why are AC windows small?

Answer 16

Aircraft windows are small to maximise the area of the fuselage structure between them which maximises the strength of the airframe. Larger windows could blow out under cabin pressurisation.

Question 17

What makes up a landing gear?

Answer 17

Tires
Brakes
Shock absorbers

Question 18

Purpose of LDG gear?

Answer 18

Support the aircraft on the ground
Absorb loading from landing and braking
Give minimum rolling friction during take-off
For a given strength be light and produce minimum drag

Question 19

Two LDG gear configs?

Answer 19

Tricycle & taildragger

Taildraggers have limited ground visibility

Question 20

Benefits of retractable LDG?

Answer 20

Reduced form & interference drag

Used when aerodynamic gains outweigh cost and weight

Question 21

Type of power associated with helicopters?

Answer 21

Shaft power

Question 22

What is an airship?

Answer 22

A lighter than air aircraft, which can navigate through the air under its own propulsion.

Question 23

What were the historical uses for airships?

Answer 23

Transoceanic luxury travel
Freight & mail transportation
Political propaganda
Bombers in WW1

Question 24

Future uses for airships?

Answer 24

Freight and logistics
Scenic tourism
Surveillance
Mass transport to remote areas

Question 25

6 Primary aircraft instruments?

Answer 25

``` Attitude Indicator Airspeed Indicator Altitude Indicator (Altimeter) Direction Indicator Vertical Speed Indicator Turn Co-ordinator (Balance) ```

Question 26

Purpose of primary instruments?

Answer 26

Primary instruments are the most safety critical instruments that are used to determine exactly what the aircraft is doing in the air.

Question 27

Types of pressure related to ASI & Alt?

Answer 27

ASI - Dynamic pressure | Alt - Static pressure

Question 28

Secondary instruments?

Answer 28

Engine Temperature and Pressures Engine RPM Fuel gauges Navigation Instruments (VOR/DME/GPS/NDB)

Question 29

Why are engines important?

Answer 29

Engines provide a force that is typically used to provide thrust for for forward motion or direct lift to counter gravity

Question 30

Five engine considerations?

Answer 30

``` Lightweight Small (minimise drag) Powerful (rapid climb) Reliable Repairable ```

Question 31

4 Major types of engines

Answer 31

Piston Engines Gas Turbine Engines Rocket Engines Electric Engines

Question 32

Piston engine configurations?

Answer 32

Radial Inline Inverted Inline Horizontally opposed

Question 33

Radial engines

Answer 33

Large size, more drag Douglas DC3 North-American T-6 Texan

Question 34

Inline Engine

Answer 34

When air-cooled, furthest back cylinder gets too hot | Dehavilland tiger moth, gipsy moth

Question 35

Horizontally opposed engines

Answer 35

Cessna 172 By having the pistons oppose each other, any forces are cancelled out, and the weight is evenly distributed. Having a wider engine with less cylinders on either side means that air cooling is feasible without the drag of radial engines.

Question 36

Rotary engines

Answer 36

Fixed crankshaft & rotating cylinders Gyroscopic forces difficult to control Sopwith Snipe

Question 37

Pros and cons of piston engines

Answer 37

Cheap to buy & maintain Efficient at low alt Hard to get right mix at high alt Needs a prop, limits top speed

Question 38

Wankel engine

Answer 38

Lightweight, compact, reliable, vibrationless, high power to weight ratio inefficient at low rpm due to unburnt fuel Used in light aircraft & UAV

Question 39

Four different gas turbine engines

Answer 39

Turbojet, Turbofan, Turboprop, Turboshaft

Question 40

Turbojet

Answer 40

Fuel inefficient since thrust just comes from exhaust Used for supersonic More efficient at higher alt

Question 41

Turbofans

Answer 41

Engine feeds power back to fan, as well as compressors - fan also provides thrust Low bypass - military jets like F-35 High bypass - like Boeing 787

Question 42

Turboprop

Answer 42

Engine powers a shaft that transforms rotational power to the propeller to create propulsion

Question 43

Turboshaft

Answer 43

Uses a free power turbine to power a shaft

Question 44

Main disadvantage of gas turbine

Answer 44

Cost of purchasing & maintaining | Inefficiency at low alt (relative)

Question 45

Rocket engines

Answer 45

Light compared to other engines | Least efficient, in fuel use

Question 46

Electric engines

Answer 46

Convert electrical to mechanical energy Very efficient Limited by ability to store & obtain electric power