Airplane Parts And Their Functions Flashcards
The wings are _______
airfoils attached to the fuselage that provide the main lift for the airplane during flight.
An airfoil is _______
a surface like a wing, propeller blade, or rudder, that controls lift, direction, stability, thrust or propulsion.
Modern aircraft can have different wing _______
designs, shapes and sizes based on the aircraft’s purpose and capabilities
Different wing shapes provide _______
different capabilities, advantages and disadvantages.
All wing designs work in _______
basically the same aerodynamic way to generate lift.
The wings may be attached to the fuselage on _______
top, in the middle, or the bottom, hence the terms high-wing, mid-wing, and low-wing
Airplane wings are counted in _______
pairs because you can’t just have a left wing.
There are planes with different number of wings, such as _______
monoplane (1 pair), biplane (2 pairs), and also but rarely the triplane (3 pairs)
Concerning wings, most airplane nowadays are _______
monoplanes, although there are exceptions such as the crop duster biplane.
Some modern aircraft have winglets, which help _______
reduce vortex formation off the back of the wings. These help with increasing lift and improving fuel efficiency.
The fuselage or body of the aircraft contains the _______
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.
Single-engine propeller-driven airplanes usually have the engine in _______
front of the fuselage.
There is a fire proof partition called a _______
firewall between the engine compartment and the cockpit/cabin to protect the aircrew and passengers (if any) from engine fire.
The 2 general construction designs for the fuselage are _______
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.
The wing ribs _______
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.
Spars _______
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.
There are typically 2 main spars - _______
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.
Wing stringers _______
provide longitudinal reinforcement, stiffness, and support to the wing structure against bending and torsional stresses.
The wing strut _______
prevents the lower wing from bending and torsional loads.
The principle of telescopic shock absorber:
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.
In aviation, speed is most often expressed in _______
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.
An ammeter is used to monitor the performance of?
the aircraft electrical system which shows if the alternator/generator is producing an adequate supply of electrical power
Ammeter pointing indications:
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
Not all aircraft are equipped with an ammeter-some have _______
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
Some main parts of the airplanes and their functions:
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.
Speedbrakes are spoilers that _______
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.
Ground spoilers are _______
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.
Roll spoilers are _______
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.
Spoilers are secondary _______
control surfaces and can generally be activated automatically or manually by the pilot.
Some spoilers tilt _______
downwards, depending on the design and purpose of the aircraft, but most tilt upwards
Slats are _______
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.
In large commercial aircraft, slats are virtually _______
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.
To overcome the problem of fixed slats, _______
automated slats are used. And, to overcome the problem of automated slats, powered slats are used.
There are trim tabs for what control surfaces?
elevator, rudder, and aileron
The components of the wing include:
ailerons, spoilers, flaps, and slats.
Some flaps can tilt _______
upwards as well as downwards
Primary control surfaces include:
ailerons, elevator, and rudder.
Secondary control surfaces include:
tabs, flaps, spoilers, and slats
Primary control surfaces are required _______
for flight, but secondary control surfaces are used to improve and assist flight performance
Turbine engines generate _______
thrust
Control surfaces are?
the parts of an airplane the pilot uses to operate it
The two primary means by which aircraft are propelled:
Propellers and jet engines.
As engine power is increased, the propeller _______
rotations (RPM) are increased.
Propeller acceleration produces _______
forward motion.
Propellers are an efficient way of producing _______
thrust for lower speed aircraft.
Most commercial aircraft use what to generate thrust?
gas turbine propulsion (engines) or jet engines.
In a jet engine model, hot _______
exhaust air rushes through a nozzle to generate thrust
How a jet engine or turbofan works:
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
The turbo engine can be thought of as _______
a high tech propeller inside a duct called the diffuser
Air that bypasses the jet engine core is called?
bypass air
There are what types of bypass engines?
high bypass engines and low bypass engines
What is a pylon?
ˈpīˌlän
a structure on the wing of an aircraft used for carrying an engine, weapon, fuel tank, or other load
When the elevator is not cut in half, it is one _______
surface, which is called a stabilator
Turbojet engine:
essentially a turbofan engine without the fan section and the bypass duct
How a ramjet engine works:
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
The ramjet engine does not have a _______
compressor and turbine like a turbojet engine does
A ramjet engine works best at _______
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
The components of a ramjet engine include:
an inlet/intake, a combustion zone, and a nozzle
Deploying both spoilers help descend _______
without gaining speed
The most common trim system on small airplanes is _______
a single trim tab on the trailing edge of the elevator, usually manually adjusted with a small control wheel or crank.
Pilots normally establish this before trimming the airplane:
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
What will normally be necessary any time power, pitch, attitude, or configuration are changed?
retrimming will normally be necessary to relieve control pressures for the new flight condition
Flaps can be used to adjust the _______
landing point and approach angle. The more extended, the steeper the descent
There are 4 types of flaps:
Plain flaps, split flaps, slotted flaps, and flower flaps
What are plain flaps?
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
What are split flaps?
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
What are slotted flaps?
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.
What are flower flaps?
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.
What are leading edge devices?
Leading edge devices are attached to the front of the wings to increase lift
The most common leading edge devices are:
Fixed slots, movable slats, leading edge flaps, and leading edge cuffs
What are fixed slots?
Fixed slots are used to direct the airflow upwards, increasing lift.
What are movable slots?
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.
What are leading edge flaps?
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.
What are leading edge cuffs?
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.
What are spoilers for?
To spoil the air.
What are trim systems designed for?
Trim systems are designed to help reduce control pressure and the pilots workload when trying to maintain desired flight.
Some examples of trim systems include:
Trim tabs, balance tabs, antiservo tabs, and ground adjustable tabs
What are balance tabs?
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.
What are antiservo tabs?
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.
What are ground adjustable tabs?
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.
