Aircraft Control Surfaces and Components

Quiz PLTW Aerospace

Wing

Fuselage

Empennage

Power Plant

Landing Gear

Vertical Stabilizer

Rudder

Flaps

Ailerons

Horizontal Stabilizer

Elevator

Trim Tab

Cockpit

Ribs

Spar

Wing Strut

Winglet

An extension of a wing tip used to limit air from recirculating from the high pressure airflow below the wing to low pressure above the wing. This recirculation induces wing tip vortices and increases drag.

Center of Gravity

Point where weight of object is balanced

stability

• Aircraft with positive _________ returns to steady flight after disturbance

• •Aircraft with positive stability returns to steady flight after disturbance

  •Maneuverability is an indication of an aircraft’s ability to handle the stress of maneuvers

  •Controllability is an indication of an aircraft’s ability to react to pilot inputs 

Aircraft Attitude

The orientation of an aircraft in relation to the horizon and other reference points, including pitch (nose up or down), roll (tilting left or right), and yaw (rotation left or right).

longitudinal axis

roll is controlled by the ailerons

lateral axis

pitch is controlled by the elevator

vertical axis

yaw is controlled by the rudder

Center of Pressure

Center of Gravity

• to turn left, the aircraft must roll left

• right wing must raise and left wing must descend

• right aileron is lowered and left aileron is raised

Yoke rotated left

• Left and right flaps lower

• Left aileron raises

• Right aileron lowers

• Flaps level lowered

When are flaps used?

Used during takeoff and landing to increase lift at lower airspeed. The use of _____ at cruising speed would damage the wing.

Push the yoke forward

Lower the elevator

To descent, the pilot reduces power and lowers the elevator to pitch down

what does pushing left pedal away from you do?

To yaw the aircraft nose left, the rudder must deflect left.

Longitudinal Axis

Lateral Axis

Vertical Axis

Why do airplane designs differ?

The differences more than aestheic

Consider how a design affects lift and drag and other characteristics

High Wing

• generates most lift

• improved pilot downward visibility

• high center of gravity

• pusher engine avoids introducing turbulence over wing

Mid Wing

• Generates the least lift of the three

Low Wing

• generates list as a median between high and mid

• increased ground effect increases lift during takeoff

• limited pilot downward visibility

Biplane Wing Configuration

• Increased wing area generates more lift

• increased wing area generates more drag

Canard Wings

• provide forward center of gravity

• improves pitch control

Twin vertical stabilizer

improves yaw control

Triple Verticle stabilizer

• Three vertical stabilizers improve yaw control

• Could be needed to compensate for the limitation of other features

V-tail

• Early versions of the design made it difficult for a pilot to control yaw

• Note the relative percentage of wing that is flap versus aileron.

Tractor Power Plant

Pusher Power Plant

Varaible Direction Power Plant

Oleo Strut

Floats

Tail dragger

Tricycle

Rough field

• Rough field landing gear has smaller wheels to allow large shock absorbers

• Large shock absorbers

  • Absorb impact of a rough terrain

  • Propeller is above tall grass

Soft field

• Soft field landing gear has large wheels to minimize sinking into terrain

Fuselage size

Aircraft can be very large. The aircraft shown is a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The people shown in the image demonstrate the scale of the aircraft.

Engine Size

The Boeing 777 engine is so large that it dwarfs the pilot seated in the engine inlet.

Specialized Configuration

Aircraft may be designed or modified to perform specialty functions. This example is a Boeing 747 modified to transport a space shuttle. The image above is of the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour landing in Los Angeles in September, 2012.