Aero Dims

aero

pertaining to air

Aerodynamics

relating to the forces of air in motion

aerospace

a combination of aeronautics and space

air

a mixture of gases that contains approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases

aircraft

any machine that is capable of flying through the air included are ultralights, airplanes, gliders, balloons, helicopters, handglides, and parasails

airplane

an aircraft that is kept aloft by the aerodynamic forces upon its wings and is thrust forward by a means of propulsion

airport

a place on either land or water where aircraft can land and take off for flight

altitude

height above sea level or ground level expressed in units

aviation

the art, science, and technology of flight within the atmosphere

aviator

a person who operates an aircraft in flight

camber

the curved part of an airfoil from its leading to trailing edge

chord

a line drawn through an airfoil from its leading to trailing edge

downwash

the downward movement of air behind a wing in flight

dynamic

forces in motiom

Gravity

the natural force pulling everything to earth

leading edge

the front part of a wing or airfoil

lift

the upward force that opposes gravity and supports the weight of an aircraft

relative wind

the flow of air which moves opposite the flight path of an airplane

thrust

the force which moves an aircraft forward in flight

upwash

the upward movement of air ahead of the wing in flight

vortex

a spinning column of air that is created behind the wingtip as a result of air moving from an area of high pressure on the bottom to an area of low pressure on top

wind

air in motion

Icarus

The son of the master craftsman Daedalus. His father gave him wings. He ignored instructions not to fly too close to the sun, and fell to his death

Daniel Bernoulli

observed differential in pressure caused by velocity

Bernoulli's Principle="the pressure of fluids vary inversely with their velocity"

the faster particles move, the lower their pressure air is moving faster above wing, therefore pressure is lower

size of wing makes a difference

Top air flows faster bc of FLOW TURNING (curve of wing pushes air out of way. Wing is moving and disturbing air so it is pushed up and over)

Issac Newton

described the laws of motion and gravity

Bernoulli's Principle

As the speed of a fluid increases, its pressure decreases.

first law of motion

a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force

second law of motion

states that an object acted on by an unbalanced force will accelerate in the direction of the force with an acceleration equal tao the force divided by the object's mass

Third Law of Motion

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

Theory of equal transit time

the molecules of oncoming air split at the front of wing, they traveled over and under this airfoil and met at the back (trailing edge) of the wing at exactly the same time THEORY IS WRONG - top goes faster

The four forces acting on an airplane in flight are

lift, gravity, thrust, drag

vertical axis

A straight line through the center of gravity of the aircraft and at 90° to lateral and longitudinal axis.

Lateral Axis

The horizontal line that passes through the center of gravity of the aircraft, perpendicular to its flight path.

longitudinal axis

Passes from the nose to the tail of the airplane.

center of gravity

the point around which an object's weight is evenly distributed.

roll

The clockwise or counterclockwise rotating motion of an aircraft.

pitch

The up or down movement of an aircraft.

yaw

The movement about the vertical axis produced by the rudder and controlled by pedals.

control surfaces

small surfaces that can be moved to alter airflow and change an airplane's attitude

Horizontal Stabilizer

An airfoil (usually at the back of an airplane) that resists up and down changes in motion.

Stabliator

combined horizontal stabilizer and elevator

rudder pedals

Moves the plane right and left

ailerons

wing flaps that change the shape of the wing of an aircraft to control lift

UAV

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

altitude

Elevation above sea level

Convection

fluid motion between regions of unequal heating

Density

Mass per unit volume

Glide Ratio

a mathematical relationship between the distance an aircraft will glide forward to the altitude loss

lapse rate

The rate at which temperature decreases with an increase in altitude.

soaring

the art of staying aloft by exploiting the energy of the atmosphere

stability

the atmosphere's resistance to vertical motion

thermal

a column of air that moves upwards

tow plane

Usually a singe-engine airplane that will pull a glider from the ground to an altitude where it can be released

wave

a waving action with strong up and down motion started as air moves across mountain ranges

Describe the relationship between Bernoulli's Principle and Newton's Laws of motion and how they were used to develop a machine that could fly

Bernoulli's discovery of the relationship between pressure and fluids in motion became the foundation of the theory of airfoil lift. Using this principle airplane wings are designed to make air flow go fast over the top which causes pressure to drop and moves the wings upward, against gravity.

Newton's discovery of the Third Law of Motion is used to explain how an aircraft can lift against the force of gravity. When an airplane is angled slightly upward, it receives lift from oncoming air. The airflow is the action and the lift is the reaction.

Why is the angle of take-off important?

The angle of lift off determines the amount of downwash created and therefore the amount of lift is increased or decreased dependent on the angle.

How do gliders use the environment to gain lift?

Gliders use thermals to lift the aircraft. Glide ratio determines how long the aircraft is able to stay in the air. The glider then glides back to Earth due to gravitational pull.

altimeter

an instrument to measure height above sea level

balloon

an aircraft that uses lighter-than-air gas for its lift, with no built-in means of horizontal control

burner

the heat source for filling the envelope with hot air

buoyancy

to rise or float on the surface of water or within the atmosphere

crown

the top of the hot air balloon's envelope

envelope

the main body of the balloon, usually made of nylon, that is filled with lighter-than-air gas

gondola

a wicker basket, hanging below the envelope, used to transport passengers and propane tanks

gore

one of several vertical panels that make up the envelope of a hot air balloon

Montgolfier

the name of the two French brothers who created the first successful, manned, hot air balloon in 1783

parachute panel

located in the top of the balloon's envelope that allows it to be deflated

Propane

a lightweight, low carbon fuel used in hot air balloon burners

Thermistor

an instrument which measures the temperature within the envelope

variometer

an instrument to determine the rate of climb or descent; sometimes referred to as vertical velocity indicator

Define the principle of buoyancy and how this relates to the flight of a balloon

Because hot air is lighter (more buoyant) than cold air, with enough hot air a balloon will lift itself.

Combustion

the chemical process of burning

combustion chamber

An enclosed container in which fuel and air are burned for the production of energy

Compression

the act of making a given volume of gas smaller

cycle

a recurring series of events. The airplane engine has four cycles: intake, compression, power, and exhaust

fuel

a chemical substance which is used as a source of energy; aircraft fuels include gasoline, kerosene, and propane

lean mixture

a mixture of gasoline and air in which there is less fuel and more air

magneto

an electrical generator that produces power when rotated

meter/metering

in terms of fuel for an engine, this is the process of allowing a precise amount of fuel to pass (An example would be a passageway that allows only so many molecules of gasoline to pass in a given unit of time.)

powerplant

a term which applies to the airplane engine and accessories

reciprocating

a type of engine that processes air and fuel by a back and forth movement of its internal parts

rich mixture

a mixture of gasoline and air in which there is more gasoline and less air than needed for normal combustion

stoichiometric

a ratio of fuel to air in which, upon combustion, all of the fuel is burned.

stroke

in the example of an airplane engine, it is the movement of the piston to its limits within the combustion chamber

ionsphere

a region of the atmosphere where elections are gained or lost

lapse rate

the rate of decrease with an increase in height for pressure and temperature

mesosphere

a layer of the atmosphere extending from about 30 to 50 miles

stratosphere

a layer of the atmosphere extending from the tropopause to a bout 30 miles

ozonosphere

a region of the atmosphere where ozone is created

thermosphere

a layer of the atmosphere extending from 50 to about 300 miles

Tropopause

boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere

troposphere

first layer of the atmosphere where most of the earth's weather occurs

Neil Armstrong

first man to walk on the moon

Roger Bacon

increased the range of rockets

William Congreve

designed rockets for military use

Jean Froissart

improved the accuracy of rockets by launching them through tubes

Yuri Gagarin

a Russian; the first man in space and the first man to orbit the Earth

John Glenn

first American to orbit the earth

Robert Goddard

experimented with solid and liquid propellant rockets; is called the "Father of Modern Rocketry"

William Hale

developed the technique of spin stabilization