Parts of an Aircraft Flight and Space © 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

What is an Airplane? Aircraft Airplane More general term Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics What is an Airplane? Aircraft More general term Refers to any heavier-than-air object that is Supported by its own buoyancy Supported by the action of air on its structures Airplane Heavier-than-air craft propelled by an engine Uses aerodynamic surfaces (wings) to generate lift

Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics What is an Airplane? Every airplane is an aircraft, but not every aircraft is an airplane. Space shuttle Gliders Helicopters Space Shuttle – No engines for propulsion Gliders – No engines Helicopters – Aerodynamic surfaces are not fixed. They rotate.

Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Why So Many Types? Every modern aircraft is built for a specific purpose. Different altitudes Different speeds Different weight-carrying capacities Different performance

Why So Many Types? Jet fighters Passenger airplanes Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Why So Many Types? Jet fighters Relatively lightweight Highly maneuverable and very fast Carry small amount of weight, including fuel Must refuel on long flights Passenger airplanes Larger, carry more weight, fly longer distances Less maneuverable and slower

Why So Many Types? Wing types Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Why So Many Types? Wing types The characteristic that most readily identifies the type, performance, and purpose of an airplane is the shape of its wings. Each shape allows for premium performance at different altitudes, different speeds, and different loads which must be carried.

Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Why So Many Types? Speed The speed of sound is dependent on altitude and atmospheric conditions Mach is the term used to specify how many times the speed of sound an aircraft is traveling Subsonic: Less than Mach 1 Transonic: Mach .9 to Mach 1.5 Supersonic: All speeds above Mach 1 Hypersonic: All speeds greater than Mach 5 Another important discriminator between airplanes is speed. The suffix “sonic” refers to the speed of sound. Mach 1 is one times the speed of sound. Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound. Mach numbers less than 1 are speeds less than the speed of sound. Aircraft flying at hypersonic speeds can also be said to be flying at supersonic speeds.

Parts of an Airplane Five basic structural components Fuselage Wings Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Five basic structural components Fuselage Wings Empennage (tail structures) Propulsion system Undercarriage

Fuselage Main body structure Contains Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Fuselage Main body structure All other components are attached to it Contains Cockpit or flight deck Passenger compartment Cargo compartment Produces a little lift, but can also produce a lot of drag

Wings Most important lift-producing part of the aircraft Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Most important lift-producing part of the aircraft Also carries the fuel Designed so that the outer tips of the wings are higher than where the wings are attached to the fuselage Called the dihedral Helps keep the airplane from rolling unexpectedly

Wings Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wings

Wing Designs Straight Wing Found mostly on small, low-speed airplanes Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Designs Straight Wing Found mostly on small, low-speed airplanes Good lift at low speeds Not suited to high speeds Creates a lot of drag because the wing is perpendicular to the airflow Provides good, stable flight Cheap and can be made lighter

Wing Designs Sweepback Used on most high-speed airplanes Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Designs Sweepback Used on most high-speed airplanes Less drag, but more unstable at low speeds Amount of sweep depends on the purpose of the airplane Commercial airliner has moderate sweep High speed airplanes (e.g., fighters) have moderate sweep No forward sweep wings are in mass production A commercial airliner has less drag while maintaining stability at lower speeds. Fighters are not very stable at low speeds. They take off and descend for landing at a high rate of speed.

Wing Designs Delta Wings Looks like a large triangle from above Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Designs Delta Wings Looks like a large triangle from above Can reach high speeds Landing speeds are very fast Wing shape found on the supersonic transport Concord

Wing Designs Swing Wing Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Designs Swing Wing This design combines the high lift characteristics of a straight wing with the ability of the sweepback wing to move at high speeds During landing and takeoff, wing swings into an almost straight position During cruise, wing swings into a sweepback Hinges that enable wings to swing are very heavy

Wing Components Trailing edge equipped with flaps Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Components Trailing edge equipped with flaps Move backward and downward Increase the area of the wing and the camber of the airfoil Different from the ailerons, also located on the trailing edge of the wing When an airplane lands, it is desirable to fly as slowly as possible. Ideally for landing, an airplane would have a large wing with a very cambered airfoil. However, airfoils designed to perform well at slow speeds are not good for flying at faster speeds, and vice versa. Airplane designers have developed a set of features that allow the pilot to increase the wing area and change the airfoil shape to compensate for this.

Wing Components Slats Located on the leading edge Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Components Slats Located on the leading edge Slide forward and increase the area of the wing and the camber of the airfoil Flaps and slats Used during takeoff and landing Increase lift at slower speeds.

Wing Components Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Components Flaps (green) are used at low speeds to increase maximum lift, and thereby reduce stalling speed. The spoiler is raised upon landing to disrupt the airflow and “spoil” the lift.

Wing Components Spoilers Located on the top of the wings Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Wing Components Spoilers Located on the top of the wings Opposite effect from flaps and slats Reduce lift by disrupting the airflow over the top of the wing Deployed after the airplane has landed and lift is no longer needed Increase drag

Empennage Also known as the tail assembly Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Empennage Also known as the tail assembly Provides stability and control Two main parts Vertical stabilizer (fin) to which the rudder is attached Horizontal stabilizer to which the elevators are attached

Undercarriage Also known as the landing gear, which is made up of Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Undercarriage Also known as the landing gear, which is made up of Struts Wheels Brakes Can be fixed or retractable Many small airplanes have fixed landing gear which increases drag but keeps the airplane lightweight. Larger, faster, and more complex aircraft have retractable landing gear that can accommodate the increased weight. The advantage to retractable landing gear is that the drag is greatly reduced when the gear is retracted. When you fly on a commercial airliner, you will notice that the pilot retracts the landing gear very soon after the airplane leaves the ground. This helps to decrease drag as the airplane ascends.

Propulsion System Provides thrust for the airplane Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Propulsion System Provides thrust for the airplane Many different types of engines Piston engines and propellers Turboprop Turbojet Turbofan Scram jet These will be discussed in a later activity. Propulsion systems will be discussed in more detail in a later activity.

Controls Instruments and Controls Supply information Provide control Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Controls Instruments and Controls Supply information Altitude Direction Provide control Steering in the air and on the ground Engine power Braking If you looked inside the cockpit of an airplane, you would see many instruments and controls. Some of the instruments are designed to supply information about the altitude and direction of the plane.

Controls Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Controls When a plane is in flight, there are three imaginary axes of rotation. These lines run through the weight center (or center of gravity) of the plane. The airplane’s rotation around the y axis is called yaw; rotation around the x axis is called pitch, and rotation around the z axis is called roll.

Controls Roll is controlled by the ailerons Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Controls Roll is controlled by the ailerons Used to raise and lower the wings Turning the control wheel left causes the left aileron to raise and lowers the right aileron. The plane rolls left. Turning the control wheel right causes the right aileron to raise and lowers the left aileron. The plane rolls right.

Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Controls Pitch is controlled by the elevators on the tail of the plane. They are controlled by the control wheel (i.e., stick). If the wheel or stick is pulled back, the elevators go up, causing the nose to point up and the plane to climb. If the wheel or stick is pushed forward, the elevators go down, causing the nose to point down and the plane to lose altitude.

Controls Yaw is controlled by the rudder. Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Controls Yaw is controlled by the rudder. The right foot pedal turns the rudder to the right. This action causes the tail to yaw to the left and the nose to yaw to the right. To smoothly bank a plane or to turn it left or right, the pilot uses the ailerons and the rudder together.

Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Controls On the ground, the plane’s direction is controlled by steering the nose wheel. Pilots use their feet on the rudder pedals to control the ground movement The rudder pedals are also used to apply the brakes.

Parts of an Aircraft PLTW Gateway® Unit 4– Lesson 4.2– Aeronautics Image Resources Microsoft, Inc. (2008). Clip art. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (n.d.). Virtual skies: Aeronautics tutorial. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from http://virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov/aeronautics/tutorial/intro.html