Parts of an Aircraft

Parts of an Aircraft

© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

Flight and Space

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

What is an Airplane?

Every airplane is an aircraft, but not every
aircraft is an airplane.
– Space shuttle
– Gliders
– Helicopters

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

– 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

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

Parts of an Airplane

• Five basic structural components

– Fuselage
– Wings
– Empennage (tail structures)
– Propulsion system
– Undercarriage

Aircraft Components

Five typical components

Empennage

Fuselage

Wing

Landing

Gear

Power Plant

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

• 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

Multiple Choice

An aircraft's tail group. Includes the rudder, elevators, horizontal and vertical stabilizers

• Wing

• Fuselage

• Empennage

• Horizontal stabilizer

• Vertical stabilizer

Multiple Choice

The main lifting surface of an airplane

• Wing

• Fuselage

• Empennage

• Horizontal stabilizer

• Vertical stabilizer

Multiple Choice

The fixed part of a horizontal airfoil that controls the pitch of an aircraft

• Wing

• Fuselage

• Empennage

• Horizontal stabilizer

• Vertical stabilizer

Multiple Choice

The fixed part of a vertical airfoil that controls the yaw of an aircraft

• Wing

• Fuselage

• Empennage

• Horizontal stabilizer

• Vertical stabilizer

Multiple Choice

An aircraft's main body structure housing the flight crew, passengers, and cargo

• Wing

• Fuselage

• Empennage

• Horizontal stabilizer

• Vertical stabilizer

Multiple Choice

Supports the aircraft when it is not in the air, allowing it to take off, land, and taxi on the ground without damage

• Trailing edge

• Leading edge

• Airfoil

• Landing gear

• Propeller

Multiple Choice

A device for propelling an aircraft that has blades on an engine-driven shaft and that, when rotated, produces thrust

• Trailing edge

• Leading edge

• Airfoil

• Landing gear

• Propeller

Wings

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

– 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

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

– 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
– 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

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

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

• 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
– Struts
– Wheels
– Brakes

• Can be fixed or

retractable

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.

Controls

• Instruments and Controls

– Supply information

• Altitude
• Direction

– Provide control

• Steering in the air

and on the ground

• Engine power
• Braking

Controls

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.

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 pushed
forward, the elevators go down,
causing the nose to point down
and the plane to lose altitude.

If the wheel or stick is pulled back,
the elevators go up, causing the
nose to point up and the plane to
climb.

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.

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.

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

Multiple Choice

Which airplane motion is controlled by the elevators?

• Roll

• Pitch

• Yaw

Multiple Choice

Which airplane motion is controlled by the rudder?

• Roll

• Pitch

• Yaw

Multiple Choice

Which airplane motion is controlled by the rudder?

• Roll

• Pitch

• Yaw

Multiple Choice

Which airplane motion is controlled by the ailerons?

• Roll

• Pitch

• Yaw

Multiple Choice

This surface controls pitch about the lateral axis of the aircraft

• Ailerons

• Elevators

• Rudder

• Flaps

Multiple Choice

This surface controls yaw about the vertical axis of the aircraft

• Ailerons

• Elevators

• Rudder

• Flaps

Multiple Choice

This surface controls roll about the longitudinal axis of the aircraft

• Ailerons

• Elevators

• Rudder

• Flaps