Airplane Parts And Their Functions

Question 1

The wings are _______

Answer 1

airfoils attached to the fuselage that provide the main lift for the airplane during flight.

Question 2

An airfoil is _______

Answer 2

a surface like a wing, propeller blade, or rudder, that controls lift, direction, stability, thrust or propulsion.

Question 3

Modern aircraft can have different wing _______

Answer 3

designs, shapes and sizes based on the aircraft’s purpose and capabilities

Question 4

Different wing shapes provide _______

Answer 4

different capabilities, advantages and disadvantages.

Question 5

All wing designs work in _______

Answer 5

basically the same aerodynamic way to generate lift.

Question 6

The wings may be attached to the fuselage on _______

Answer 6

top, in the middle, or the bottom, hence the terms high-wing, mid-wing, and low-wing

Question 7

Airplane wings are counted in _______

Answer 7

pairs because you can’t just have a left wing.

Question 8

There are planes with different number of wings, such as _______

Answer 8

monoplane (1 pair), biplane (2 pairs), and also but rarely the triplane (3 pairs)

Question 9

Concerning wings, most airplane nowadays are _______

Answer 9

monoplanes, although there are exceptions such as the crop duster biplane.

Question 10

Some modern aircraft have winglets, which help _______

Answer 10

reduce vortex formation off the back of the wings. These help with increasing lift and improving fuel efficiency.

Question 11

The fuselage or body of the aircraft contains the _______

Answer 11

cockpit, from which the pilots and aircrew control the aircraft’s operations; the cabin if there are any passengers; cargo area if there is one; and attachment points for other major airplane components such as the wings, tail section, and landing gear.

Question 12

Single-engine propeller-driven airplanes usually have the engine in _______

Answer 12

front of the fuselage.

Question 13

There is a fire proof partition called a _______

Answer 13

firewall between the engine compartment and the cockpit/cabin to protect the aircrew and passengers (if any) from engine fire.

Question 14

The 2 general construction designs for the fuselage are _______

Answer 14

truss and monocoque. Truss construction designs have triangular steel or aluminum tubings that run through the whole fuselage (which are called trusses), to get the necessary strength and rigidity. Monocoque designs use bulkheads, stringers (running the length of the fuselage), and formers (perpendicular to the stringers) of various sizes and shapes to help support a stretched or “stressed” skin. Semimonocque includes stringers which help distribute the load of the skin.

Question 15

The wing ribs _______

Answer 15

run laterally across the wings, determine the shape and thickness of the wing (airfoil), divide the interior of the wing into bays and provide attachment points for control surfaces, and also support the aircraft wings and fuselage.

Question 16

Spars _______

Answer 16

attach to the fuselage at the root and run spanwise within the wing, and act as beams to hold the wing shape and prevent excessive deflection under load.

Question 17

There are typically 2 main spars - _______

Answer 17

the forward spar and rear spar. The forward spar handles the majority of the flight load. Additional intermediate spars may be present on larger wings.

Question 18

Wing stringers _______

Answer 18

provide longitudinal reinforcement, stiffness, and support to the wing structure against bending and torsional stresses.

Question 19

The wing strut _______

Answer 19

prevents the lower wing from bending and torsional loads.

Question 20

The principle of telescopic shock absorber:

Answer 20

When the wheel travels upwards, a spring inside the telescopic suspension system compresses to absorb the energy and its rebound action puts it back in its original place, thus allowing a constant cycle of compression and rebound.

Question 21

In aviation, speed is most often expressed in _______

Answer 21

knots (kt). One knot is one nautical mile per hour. In an aircraft the airspeed is “measured” with a pitot tube. Together with the static pressure one can determine not the speed of the aircraft, but the speed of the air flowing around the aircraft, the airspeed. It is usually mounted on the left side of the aircraft, though not always. Some aircraft may have two for redundancy. The pitot tube has an open end facing directly into the airstream. The tube then turns 90 degrees and is routed inside the aircraft to the airspeed indicator. The open end has a small hole pointing forward to measure static pressure.

Question 22

An ammeter is used to monitor the performance of?

Answer 22

the aircraft electrical system which shows if the alternator/generator is producing an adequate supply of electrical power

Question 23

Ammeter pointing indications:

Answer 23

When the pointer of the ammeter is on the plus side, it shows the charging rate of the battery

An ammeter minus indication means more current is being drawn from the battery than is being replaced

An ammeter full-scale minus deflection indicates a malfunction of the alternator/generator

An ammeter full-scale positive deflection indicates a malfunction of the regulator.

In either case, consult the AFM or POH for appropriate action to be taken

Question 24

Not all aircraft are equipped with an ammeter-some have _______

Answer 24

a warning light that, when lighted, indicates a discharge in the system as a generator/alternator malfunction

It also indicates whether or not the battery is receiving an electrical charge

Refer to the AFM or POH for appropriate action to be taken

Question 25

Some main parts of the airplanes and their functions:

Answer 25

Flaps increase lift and drag Vertical stabilizer stabilizes yaw Horizontal stabilizer stabilizes pitch Rudder changes/controls yaw Elevators change/control pitch Ailerons change/control roll The cockpit is for command and control The fuselage holds the plane together and carries the payload.

Question 26

Speedbrakes are spoilers that _______

Answer 26

help increase drag to reduce speed and lift to assist in decreasing the rate of descent. They can be one surface or multiple surfaces. They are on top of the wings and always extend upwards. They are only used in flight and are particularly useful when descending. They can be deployed using the lever. Additionally, there are always less speedbrakes than ground spoilers.

Question 27

Ground spoilers are _______

Answer 27

only activated when in the ground, and they help increase drag and improve braking efficiency for landing or reject take off to slow down to a safe speed. They may be activated automatically by landing gear and thrust lever information, but can also be done manually using the lever. Information like the WEIGHT-ON-WHEELS system.

Question 28

Roll spoilers are _______

Answer 28

sometimes used to assist ailerons in a roll maneuver, or to act as backup in case of aileron failure. They provide higher control authority when necessary, like on steep roll maneuvers. On normal cruise flight turns they generally remain retracted.

Question 29

Spoilers are secondary _______

Answer 29

control surfaces and can generally be activated automatically or manually by the pilot.

Question 30

Some spoilers tilt _______

Answer 30

downwards, depending on the design and purpose of the aircraft, but most tilt upwards

Question 31

Slats are _______

Answer 31

aerodynamic surfaces on the leading edge of the wing in some airplanes. They are used to increase lift coefficient, perform low speed maneuvers, and take off and land at shorter distances. Because they increase AOA, they can cause critical AOA.

Question 32

In large commercial aircraft, slats are virtually _______

Answer 32

always extended for take off and landing. Those aircraft are not permitted to turn for take off or final approach without fully locked extended slats as configured by the aircraft manufacturer. Retraction and extension is automated. Failure of slats to extend fully requires an abort of take off or landing, then inspection and repairs before further flight.

Question 33

To overcome the problem of fixed slats, _______

Answer 33

automated slats are used. And, to overcome the problem of automated slats, powered slats are used.

Question 34

There are trim tabs for what control surfaces?

Answer 34

elevator, rudder, and aileron

Question 35

The components of the wing include:

Answer 35

ailerons, spoilers, flaps, and slats.

Question 36

Some flaps can tilt _______

Answer 36

upwards as well as downwards

Question 37

Primary control surfaces include:

Answer 37

ailerons, elevator, and rudder.

Question 38

Secondary control surfaces include:

Answer 38

tabs, flaps, spoilers, and slats

Question 39

Primary control surfaces are required _______

Answer 39

for flight, but secondary control surfaces are used to improve and assist flight performance

Question 40

Turbine engines generate _______

Answer 40

thrust

Question 41

Control surfaces are?

Answer 41

the parts of an airplane the pilot uses to operate it

Question 42

The two primary means by which aircraft are propelled:

Answer 42

Propellers and jet engines.

Question 43

As engine power is increased, the propeller _______

Answer 43

rotations (RPM) are increased.

Question 44

Propeller acceleration produces _______

Answer 44

forward motion.

Question 45

Propellers are an efficient way of producing _______

Answer 45

thrust for lower speed aircraft.

Question 46

Most commercial aircraft use what to generate thrust?

Answer 46

gas turbine propulsion (engines) or jet engines.

Question 47

In a jet engine model, hot _______

Answer 47

exhaust air rushes through a nozzle to generate thrust

Question 48

How a jet engine or turbofan works:

Answer 48

the fan pulls in air around the engine, and sucks in air into the core. In the core, the air then gets compressed tighter and tighter as the rotating blades get smaller and smaller. The compressed hot air then goes into the combustor, gets sprayed with fuel, causing ignition, then the mixed air explodes and shoots out the back of the engine through a nozzle to generate thrust. As the hot air rushes out the nozzle, it spins a turbine which scoops energy to power the shaft that turns the fan and the compressor. Together, the turbine and the fan can help to pull a large slow moving mass of air around the engine and out the back, which helps produce even more thrust

Question 49

The turbo engine can be thought of as _______

Answer 49

a high tech propeller inside a duct called the diffuser

Question 50

Air that bypasses the jet engine core is called?

Answer 50

bypass air

Question 51

There are what types of bypass engines?

Answer 51

high bypass engines and low bypass engines

Question 52

What is a pylon?

Answer 52

ˈpīˌlän a structure on the wing of an aircraft used for carrying an engine, weapon, fuel tank, or other load

Question 53

When the elevator is not cut in half, it is one _______

Answer 53

surface, which is called a stabilator

Question 54

Turbojet engine:

Answer 54

essentially a turbofan engine without the fan section and the bypass duct

Question 55

How a ramjet engine works:

Answer 55

At supersonic speeds, air enters the inlet, gets compressed and heated because of its high velocity, then goes through the combustion zone where it is mixed with fuel and burned, then exhausted through a nozzle to generate thrust

Question 56

The ramjet engine does not have a _______

Answer 56

compressor and turbine like a turbojet engine does

Question 57

A ramjet engine works best at _______

Answer 57

supersonic speeds, but is inefficient at subsonic speeds because in order for the ramjet engine to work, air entering the inlet must be fast to get compressed more

Question 58

The components of a ramjet engine include:

Answer 58

an inlet/intake, a combustion zone, and a nozzle

Question 59

Deploying both spoilers help descend _______

Answer 59

without gaining speed

Question 60

The most common trim system on small airplanes is _______

Answer 60

a single trim tab on the trailing edge of the elevator, usually manually adjusted with a small control wheel or crank.

Question 61

Pilots normally establish this before trimming the airplane:

Answer 61

they normally establish the desired power, pitch, attitude, and configuration first, then they adjust trim to relieve control pressures that may exist in that flight condition

Question 62

What will normally be necessary any time power, pitch, attitude, or configuration are changed?

Answer 62

retrimming will normally be necessary to relieve control pressures for the new flight condition

Question 63

Flaps can be used to adjust the _______

Answer 63

landing point and approach angle. The more extended, the steeper the descent

Question 64

There are 4 types of flaps:

Answer 64

Plain flaps, split flaps, slotted flaps, and flower flaps

Question 65

What are plain flaps?

Answer 65

Plain flaps are the simplest types of flaps and they move the CP backwards, which create nose-down pitching that increases as it reaches a stall point

Question 66

What are split flaps?

Answer 66

Split flaps are attached to the lower surface of the wing, and they provide more lift, as well as more drag than the plain flaps. This design creates more turbulent airflow, which leads to increased drag

Question 67

What are slotted flaps?

Answer 67

Slotted flaps are the most popular types, and they provide significantly more lift than the plain and split flaps. When extended, they create a gap between the wing and the flap, through which air can flow through, leading to increased lift. Some airplanes use double as well as triple-slotted flaps for maximum lift possible.

Question 68

What are flower flaps?

Answer 68

Flower flaps are types of slotted flaps, but they slide backwards instead of hinging downwards, which lead to increased lift and minimal drag since they only increase the surface area of the wing.

Question 69

What are leading edge devices?

Answer 69

Leading edge devices are attached to the front of the wings to increase lift

Question 70

The most common leading edge devices are:

Answer 70

Fixed slots, movable slats, leading edge flaps, and leading edge cuffs

Question 71

What are fixed slots?

Answer 71

Fixed slots are used to direct the airflow upwards, increasing lift.

Question 72

What are movable slots?

Answer 72

Movable slots are attached to the leading edge of the wing on a track. As the AOA increases, they automatically open, which makes the air below the wing move upwards, increasing lift.

Question 73

What are leading edge flaps?

Answer 73

Leading edge flaps are typically used with trailing edge flaps to increase lift by increasing surface area. These increase lift more than drag, and also reduce nose-down pitching.

Question 74

What are leading edge cuffs?

Answer 74

Leading edge cuffs are fixed to the front of the wings to make it more aerodynamic and deflect the airflow to the upper surface of the wing.

Question 75

What are spoilers for?

Answer 75

To spoil the air.

Question 76

What are trim systems designed for?

Answer 76

Trim systems are designed to help reduce control pressure and the pilots workload when trying to maintain desired flight.

Question 77

Some examples of trim systems include:

Answer 77

Trim tabs, balance tabs, antiservo tabs, and ground adjustable tabs

Question 78

What are balance tabs?

Answer 78

Balance tabs generate a force that eases the movement of the flight control. They are hinged to the elevators and coupled with the control rod for the elevator. When elevators are adjusted, they move in opposite directions automatically to counterbalance air pressures for more control.

Question 79

What are antiservo tabs?

Answer 79

Antiservo tabs move in the same direction as the elevator and a bit more to reduce flight control sensitivity and allow the pilot to be more precise.

Question 80

What are ground adjustable tabs?

Answer 80

Ground adjustable tabs are used to reduce control pressure of the rudder. They are unmovable trim tabs hinged to the rudder and are adjusted while on the ground, requiring trial and error.