Chapter 2 Flashcards
Fuselage
Houses cabin and/or cockpit which contains seats for occupants and the controls for the airplane. May also provide room for cargo.
Open truss structure
Visible struts and wire-braced wings.
Stressed Skin
Material covering fuselage
Monocoque
Uses skin to support almost all imposed loads. Can’t tolerate any dents or deformations to surface.
Semi-monocoque
Uses a subframe riveted to the airplane’s skin to maintain the shape of the airplane and increase its strength.
Monoplane
Single set of wings.
Biplane
Plane with two sets of wings.
Ailerons
Extend from midpoint to tip of wing. Cause plane to turn.
Ex. Left turn= left aileron up, right down
Flaps
Extend from fuselage to middle of plane. When flaps are extended they increase lift force. Used for take off and landing.
Empennage
Consists of vertical and horizontal stabilizer.
Rudder
Attached to back of vertical stabilizer. Moves nose left or right.
Elevator
On horizontal stabilizer. Moves nose up and down.
Stabilator
One-piece horizontal stabilizer. Used in lieu of an elevator.
Trim Tab
Used to help minimize your workload by aerodynamically helping you move a control surface, or maintain surface in desired position.
Anti-servo tab
Gives stabilator a control “feel” similar to what you would feel with elevator. May over control plane so be careful.
Main Wheels
Located on either side of fuselage.
Conventional Landing Gear
Rear-mounted landing gear.
Tailwheel
Same as conventional landing gear
Nose wheel
Third wheel at nose of plane.
Tricycle Gear
Nosewheel
Fixed gear
Fixed landing gear. Simplistic, low cost, and lighter.
Retractable gear
Streamlines the airplane. Increased weight and cost.
Oleo Strut
Uses a piston enclosed in a cylinder with oil and compressed air to absorb the bumps and jolts encountered during landing and taxiing operations.
Disc Brakes
Used on typical training airplane.
Differential Braking
Applying varying amounts of pressure on rudder pedal, used to steer plane on ground while taxiing.
Power plant
Engine and propeller.
Engine
- Provides power to propeller
- generate electrical power
- create a vacuum source for some flight instruments
- provide heat source for pilot and passengers
Firewall
Protects occupants and serves as mounting point for engine.
Cowling
- Encloses engine compartment
- streamlines airplane
- helps cool the engine by conducting air around cylinders
Pilot’s Operating Handbook
Provides pertinent information about make and model of plane.
Airplane Flight Manual
In 1979 FAA mandated that approved manual specifically assigned to individual plane and can be accessed by pilot during all flight operations. POH can be AFM.
Pilot’s Information Manual (PIM)
Contains the same info as POH/AFM except for precise weight and balance data and optional equipment specific to a particular airplane. Useful study tool.
Turbine Engine
Costly but extremely powerful.
Reciprocating Engine
Converts chemical energy to mechanical energy occurs within cylinders. Fuel/air mixture is compressed and ignited.
Four-Stroke Operating Cycle
- ) Intake
- ) Compression
- ) Power
- ) Exhuast
Each cylinder of engine operates on different stroke to provide continuous power.
Induction System
Bring outside air into engine, mix it with fuel, and deliver it to the cylinders.
Throttle
Controls engine speed by regulating how much fuel and air mixture that flows into cylinders.
Mixture control
Controls fuel/air ratio.
Intake Port
Where outside air enters induction system. Usually at front of engine compartment.
Carburetor
Mixes incoming air with fuel and delivers it to combustion chamber.
Operating Principle Float-Type Carburetor
Based on pressure difference at venturi throat and air inlet.
What do you do to fuel mixture as you climb higher?
Lean it to prevent engine roughness.
What do you do to fuel mixture as you descend from higher altitude?
Enrich it to prevent high engine temps.
What is the best way to maintain proper fuel mixture?
Monitor engine temp and enrich or lean as necessary.
Carburetor Ice
Occurs due to effect of fuel vaporization and decreasing air in Venturi.
What temp and humidity is carburetor ice more likely to occur at? What temp and humidity can icing happen at?
<21 C (70 F), 80% relative humidity
Even @ 38 C (100F) 50% humidity
First indication of carburetor icing in fixed pitch propeller?
Will be decrease in engine RPM, followed by engine roughness and possible fuel starvation.
Indication of carburetor icing in constant-speed propeller
Reflected by shifts in manifold pressure.
When is carburetor icing most dangerous?
When using reduced power like during descent.
Carburetor Heat
Routes air across a heat source before entering carburetor.
Using carburetor heat causes a decrease in engine power. Why?
The incoming air into the carburetor is warmer and therefore less dense. This enriches the mixture.
What will happen if there is carburetor ice on a fixed pitch propeller and you use carburetor heat?
Initially there will be a decrease in rpm followed by a gradual increase in rpm as ice melts.
What will happen if you use carburetor heat when there is no ice present?
Rpm’s will decrease slightly then remain constant.
True/False: You should use full carburetor heat whenever you reduce engine rpm below normal operating range for your airplane, or when you suspect carburetor ice.
True
True/False: normally you do use carburetor heat continuously when full power is required.
False. Carburetor heat drops engine performance and you wouldn’t want to do that when full power is required.
5 benefits of fuel injection system
- ) Lower fuel consumption
- ) Increased horsepower
- ) Lower operating temperatures
- ) Longer engine life
- ) Relatively no induction icing
4 components to fuel injection system
- ) fuel pump
- ) fuel control unit
- ) fuel manifold valve
- ) fuel discharge nozzles
2 disadvantages to fuel injection system
- ) increased sensitivity to fuel contaminants
2. ) more complex starting procedures, especially when engine is hot
Why does engine performance decrease with higher altitudes?
Less dense air. Therefore less fuel/air getting to cylinders and therefore less performance.
Supercharger
Compressed incoming air using a pump driven by engine. Some engine power is used for pump so max power output isn’t achieved.
Turbocharger
Pressurizes incoming air using a mechanism driven by exhaust gases. Therefore it’s more efficient than supercharger, because it’s not stealing power from engine.
True/False: In some airplanes the turbocharger supplies air for cabin pressurization in addition to compressed air for engine induction system.
True.
Afterburning
Introduction of raw fuel to exhaust gases where it is ignited.
How does afterburning increase thrust?
The increased temperature and velocity of gases exiting tailpipe increase thrust by 10-120%!
What is the ignition system?
Provides spark that ignites fuel/air mixture in cylinders.
What makes up the ignition system?
Magnetos, spark plugs, interconnecting wires, and ignition switch.
What is a magneto?
A self-contained engine driven unit that supplies electrical current to spark plugs.
True/False: the magnetos are on the airplanes electrical system too.
False. The magnetos are completely independent of the electrical system. They use a permanent magnet to generate current as the crankshaft rotates.
How many spark plugs does a cylinder have? What benefits does this provide?
- It increases safety and reliability. It also improves combustion with a slightly higher power output.
Ignition switch
Controls operation of magnetos. Left, right, or both on switch.
How can you identify a malfunctioning ignition system in your pretakeoff check?
by observing the decrease in rpm that occurs when you first move ignition switch from BOTH to RIGHT and then from BOTH to LEFT. Consult POH for permissible decrease in rpm.
Why is it so important to turn the ignition switch to OFF following engine shutdown?
Even with battery and master switch off the engine can fire and turn over if you leave ignition switch ON and the propeller moves.
How can loose or broken wires in ignition system cause problems?
If ignition switch ground wire is disconnected the magneto may continue to fire. If this occurs the only way to fix it is to move mixture lever to idle cutoff position.
Detonation
Uncontrolled, explosive ignition of fuel/air mixture within cylinder’s combustion chamber.
What are the problems associated with detonation?
Excessive temperatures and pressures which, if not corrected, can quickly lead to failure of piston, cylinder, or valves. Can also cause overheating, roughness, or loss of power.
When can detonation happen?
Anytime you allow engine to overheat or if you use a lower than recommended fuel grade.
When is potential for engine overheating is greatest?
Takeoff with engine very near maximum allowable temperature, operation at high rpm and low air speed, and extended operations above 75% power with an extremely lean mixture.
What do you do if detonation is suspected?
Retard throttle and climb at slower rate.
Preignition
Fuel/air mixture is ignited in advance of normal timed ignition.
What causes preignition?
Residual hot spot in cylinder such as small carbon deposit on spark plug, a cracked spark plug, or almost any damage around combustion chamber.
If detonation or preignition occur (it’ll be difficult to tell between the two) what should you do?
Retard throttle, enrich fuel mixture, and/or lowering nose attitude.
Fuel-pump system
Usually found on low-wing airplanes where fuel tanks are located below engine.
Auxiliary fuel pump
Used in engine start up and as back up.
Fuel pressure gauge
Helpful in detecting fuel pump malfunctions.