THEORY OF FLIGHT Flashcards
pertaining to air
AERO
relating to the forces of air in motion
AERODYNAMICS
the science of flight within the atmosphere
AERONAUTICS
a combination of aeronautics and space
AEROSPACE
a mixture of gases that contain
approximately 79% nitrogen, 19%
oxygen and 2 other gases
AIR
any machine that is
capable of flying through the air.
Ultralights, airplanes, glider balloons,
helicopters are all included
AIRCRAFT
an aircraft that is kept aloft
by the aerodynamic forces upon its
wings and is thrust forward by a
propeller, or other means of
propulsion such as a jet or rocket
AIRPLANE
component, such as a wing,
that is specifically designed to
produce lift, thrust or directional
stability
AIRFOIL
a place on either land or
water where aircraft can land and
take off for flight
AIRPORT
a place on either land or
water where aircraft can land and
take off for flight
ALTITUDE
the art, science and
technology of flight within the
atmosphere
AVIATION
a person who operates an
aircraft during flight
AVIATOR
the curved part of an airfoil
that goes from the leading to the
trailing edge
CAMBER
a line drawn through an airfoil
from its leading to its trailing edge
CHORD
a force which retards the
forward movement of an aircraft in
flight
DRAG
forces in motion
DYNAMIC
the front part of an airfoil
LEADING EDGE
the upward force, which opposes
gravity, that supports the weight of an
aircraft
LIFT
the flow of air which
moves opposite the flight path of an
airplane
RELATIVE WIND
standing still, or without motion
STATIC
faster than the speed of sound
SUPERSONIC
below the speed of sound
SUBSONIC
the force which moves an
aircraft forward in flight
THRUST
the back part of an airfoil
TRAILING EDGE
air in motion
WIND
In what year did Leonardo da Vinci drew plans
for a flying machine?
1940
The Wright brothers’ first practical flying
machine, with Orville Wright at the controls,
passing over Huffman Prairie, near Dayton,
Ohio, October 4, 1905
The Wright brothers’ first practical flying
machine, with Orville Wright at the controls,
passing over HUFFMAN PRAIRIE, NEAR DAYTON, OHIO, OCTOBER 4, 1905.
A pressure of one atmosphere is equal to
14.7 pounds per square inch
If after disturbance, an aircraft initially returns to its equilibrium state means that
It is neutrally unstable
The three axes concerned with stability of an aircraft have
longitudinal axis nose to tail,
lateral axis at furthest span point,
normal axis through center of pressure
All the factors that affect lift produced by an airfoil are
angle of attack , velocity , wing area, airfoil shape, air density
A wing section suitable for high speed would be
thin with little or no camber
Profile drag consists of what types of drag
form, skin friction, and interference
flown around the year 400 B.C.
in China were ancestors of modern
aviation and the airplane
KITE
Leonardo da Vinci spent most of his
life exploring flight and left the world
about _______ documents of sketches
and observations about flight.
160
A great Italian thinker
LEONARDO DA VINCI
(1250 to 1750)
Envisioned & sketched of an
Ornithopter in the 15th century
LEONARDO DA VINCI
(1250 to 1750)
His surviving manuscript reaches to
35, 000 novel & 500 sketches.
LEONARDO DA VINCI
(1250 to 1750)
Brothers that designed the first successful flying
craft.
Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier
(1750 to 1850)
first aviators
duck, rooster, and a sheep
how long did first flight without human passenger
Lasted for 8 mins.
how long did first flight with human passenger?
when?
25 mins.
1:54 PM Nov. 21, 1783
Balloon Carrying
Pilatre De Rozier - Marquiz D Arlandez
Designed a round oval shaped
balloon (BLIMP)
Henri Gliffard
The Hindenburg Zeppelin Disaster on _______ caused the end for these large airships.
1937
He is the 1st person to propose
separate mechanism for the
generation of lift & propulsion.
GEORGE CAYLEY
(1850 to 1900)
He is the grandparent of the concept
of the modern airplane & the first true
aeronautical engineer.
GEORGE CAYLEY
(1850 to 1900)
Father of Aeronautics
GEORGE CAYLEY
(1850 to 1900)
He was the first to discover how wings work.
GEORGE CAYLEY
(1850 to 1900)
In 1896, the German engineer, tested several monoplane and biplane gliders.
OTTO LILIENTHAL
OTTO LILIENTHAL achieved, 2,500 successful
gliders in history
1891 – 1896
when did the world’s first successful airplane
At 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 1903
Twelve seconds later it landed 100 yards
away on the soft sand at Kill Devil Hills near
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
TWELVE SECONDS later it landed 100 yards
away on the soft sand at KILL DEVIL HILLS NEAR KITTY HAWK, NORTH CAROLINA.
The WRIGHT BROTHERS
ORVILLE WRIGHT
WILBUR WRIGHT
The Wright brothers had made their own
engine that weighed _____________ and had
__________ cylinders.
200 pounds
four (4)
The world’s first successful airplane
known as the ________.
FLYER
first transcontinental flight
WRIGHT BIPLANE
the first transcontinental flight was
made by ______________, in 1911.
Calbraith P. Rodgers
the 1st airplane crash fatality
September 17, 1908
After the war, He became an advocate for military aviation.
General Billy Mitchell
He offered a trophy to promote high speed flight and began a NATIONAL CRAZE for air races that the American public began to take notice.
Ralph
Pulitzer
The first Mail wing was built by ___________.
Pitcairn Aviation, Inc
He completed the first transatlantic flight. He instantly became a world hero.
Charles Lindbergh
She was the first woman to fly
solo across the Atlantic in 1928.
Amelia Earhart
It was first used in 1943 and became the premier carrier fighter plane.
Grumann F6F Hellcat
It allowed the
British ground stations to detect and identify
the size, speed, distance, and trajectory of
the German bombers and send their
Spitfires on perfect intercept missions.
RADAR
In 1947, it broke the sound barrier.
Chuck Yeager
They were the world’s heaviest
bombers and could hold up to 99,206
pounds of bombs.
B-47 and B-52 bombers
the first American
commercial jet, was put into
service by the Boeing Company
THE 707
By 1966 both Lockheed and Douglas Aircraft
Corporations had entered the commercial
industry giving rise to competition and the
development of new technologies.
By 1966 both Lockheed and Douglas Aircraft
Corporations had entered the commercial
industry giving rise to competition and the
development of new technologies.
The world’s first supersonic
commercial passenger aircraft operating
regular scheduled flights
CONCORDE
This jet
was designed to avoid detection and
mount precision attacks.
Nighthawk (F-117A)
It is the first stealth
combat aircraft in the world.
Nighthawk (F-117A)
Nighthawk (F-117A)
1st flew = 1981
begin combat =1989
This aircraft is
amphibious, which means it can be
operated from land or water.
CL-415, or “Firebird,”
3 Aviation Community
Public Air Transportation
Military Aviation
General Aviation
the part of civil aviation (both
general aviation and scheduled airline
service) that involves operating aircraft for
hire to transport passengers or cargo
Public Air Transportation
The aircraft flown by the armed forces
constitute.
Military Aviation
Any aeronautical activity that does not fall
into one of these two sector is called
general aviation.
General Aviation
2 Aircraft Classification
Heavier-than-Air
Lighter-than-Air
a powered aircraft that
derives its lift from the movement of air
over fixed lifting surfaces
Airplane
an aircraft that derives its
lift from rotating lifting surfaces(usually
called blades).
Rotorcraft
It is a fixed wing aircraft that is
supported in flight by the dynamic
reaction of the air against its lifting
surfaces, and whose free flight does
not supported on an engine
Gliders
Unpowered lighter than aircraft.
Balloons
It obtain thrust from a rocket engine
Rocket
8 Aircraft Categories
Transport
XCommuters
Restricted
Limited
Experimental
Provisional
Aerobatic
Normal / Utility
5 Major Components of an Aircraft
Fuselage
Wings
Empennage
Powerplant
Landing Gear
It is the central body of an
airplane and is designed to accommodate
the crew, passengers, and cargo.
FUSELAGE
It provides the structural connection for the
wings and tail assembly.
FUSELAGE
3 Types of Fuselage Structures
Truss type
Monocoque
Semi-Monocoque Type
Consists of oval formers or bulkheads held together by stringers
Monocoque
Most commonly used fuselage type in general aviation today
Semi-Monocoque Type
Longerons are the principle members
Truss type
Those are airfoils attached to
each side of the fuselage and are the main
lifting surfaces that support the airplane in
flight.
WINGS
Airplanes with a single set of wings
monoplanes
Airplanes with a two set of wings
biplanes
3 Principal Structural Parts of the Wing
Spars
Ribs
Stringers
It affects the lateral stability of the aircraft.
dihedral angle
It is used to move the airplane’s nose left and right.
RUDDER
It is used to move the nose of the airplane up and down during flight.
ELEVATOR
It functions as
a trim tab to relieve control pressures and
helps maintain the stabilator in the desired
position.
ANTISERVO TAB
the principal
support of the airplane when parked,
taxiing, taking off, or landing.
LANDING GEAR
Landing gear with a rear mounted
wheel
Two main wheels and a tail wheel
CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR
Two main wheels and a nose wheel
TRICYCLE LANDING GEAR
The primary
function of the engine is to provide the
power to turn the propeller.
POWERPLANT
It generates electrical power, provides a
vacuum source for some flight instruments,
and in most single-engine airplanes,
provides a source of heat for the pilot and
passengers.
POWERPLANT
4 Regions of Atmosphere
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
It is the space around
the Earth which is filled by a mixture of
gasses held against the Earth by the force
of gravity.
ATMOSPHERE
The boundary between the
troposphere and the stratosphere
TROPOPAUSE
It is the property of a fluid that
causes it to resist flowing.
Viscosity
It exists between any
two materials that contact each other.
Friction
It is the force applied in a
perpendicular direction to the surface of an
object.
Pressure
Flight Instruments
Altimeter
Airspeed Indicator
Vertical Speed Indicator
Manifold Pressure Gauge
average pressure exerted by the weight of
the atmosphere
approximately 14.70 pounds per square inch (psi) of surface ; OR
1,013.2 millibars (mb)
The standard atmosphere at sea level is a surface temperature of 59 °F or 15 °C and a surface pressure of 29.92 inches of mercury (“Hg) or 1,013.2 mb.
The standard atmosphere at sea level is a SURFACE TEMPERATURE of 59 °F or 15 °C and a SURFACE PRESSURE of 29.92 inches of mercury (“Hg) or 1,013.2 mb.
An ____________ is a surface designed to obtain lift from the air through which it moves.
AIRFOIL
It is the angle
between the oncoming air or relative wind
and a reference line on the airplane or
wing.
Angle of attack (AOA)
4 Forces of Flight
GRAVITY
THRUST
DRAG
LIFT
It is the invisible force created
by Earth that pulls objects, including
airplanes, down.
GRAVITY
The gravitational field produced by
Earth pulls objects downwards
9.807 m/s²
It is the force produced by an
airplane that moves it forwards.
Thrust
It is the force acting against an
object in motion.
DRAG
It is the force that keeps an
airplane in the air, preventing it from falling
to the ground below.
LIFT
3 Axis of Rotation
longitudinal (AILERONS)
vertical (RUDDER)
lateral (ELEVATOR)
3 Primary Flight Control Surface
AILERONS (ROLL)
RUDDER (YAW)
ELEVATOR (PITCH)
Their purpose is to
increase lift during low speed operations
such as takeoff, initial climb, approach and
landing.
SLATS
They are a high lift device consisting
of a hinged panel or panels mounted on
the trailing edge of the wing.
Flaps
5 Common Flap Designs
Plain Flap
Split Flap
Slotted Flap
Fowler Flap
Double Slotted Fowler Flap
Speed brakes are purely
drag devices while spoilers simultaneously
increase drag and reduce lift.
Speed brakes are PURELY
drag devices while spoilers SIMULTANEOUSLY
increase drag and reduce lift.
They are panels mounted on the
upper surface of the wing that, when
extended, both increase drag and
decrease lift by disrupting the airflow over the wing.
SPOILERS
They are used to relieve the pilot of the need to maintain constant pressure on the flight controls, and usually consist of flight deck controls and small hinged devices attached to the trailing edge of one or more of the primary
flight control surfaces.
TRIM SYSTEMS
5 Common Types of Trim Systems
Trim Tabs
Balance Tabs
Anti-servo Tabs
Ground Adjustable Tabs
Adjustable Stabilizer
It is the science of air
vehicle orientation and control in three
dimensions.
Flight dynamics
2 Parts of Hydro-Mechanical Flight Control System
mechanical circuit
hydraulic circuit
2 Types of Ailerons
Differential Ailerons
Frise Ailerons
Extension of FOWLER trailing edge flaps causes?
a nose-down pitching moment.
The speed of sound is affected by the?
temperature of the air.
flight phenomena can happen at Mach Numbers below the critical Mach Number?
Dutch roll.
