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Chapter 2: Airplanes

Section A: Overview

  • Presenter: Lt Col Arias

  • Citation: Jeppesen Text, Chapter 2, Section A

Key Components of an Airplane

  • Major Parts:

    • Fuselage

    • Wing

    • Empennage

    • Trim Devices

    • Landing Gear

    • Power Plant

    • Pilot’s Operating Handbook Overview

Special Notes

  • Importance of consulting special notes in Jeppesen Text.

  • Winds reported relative to true north.

5 Major Parts of an Airplane

  1. Wing

  2. Empennage

  3. Powerplant

  4. Landing Gear

  5. Fuselage

Fuselage

  • Function: Houses cockpit, cabin, cargo area, and sometimes fuel tanks.

  • Reference ID: APJ-2-30P 1083000-501-004 CO28

Fuselage Types

  • Open Truss:

    • Original construction: cloth fabric over truss structures.

    • Eventually replaced by lightweight metals.

  • Stressed Skin:

    • Monocoque: Very strong but cannot take dents.

    • Semi-Monocoque: Added weight but can take dents, offering flexibility in design.

The Wing

  • Types of Wing Designs:

    • Monoplane: Single wing configuration.

    • High Wing: Wing positioned high on the fuselage.

    • Mid Wing: Wing situated at the midpoint of the fuselage.

    • Low Wing: Wing positioned low on the fuselage.

    • Biplane: Two wings stacked one above the other.

    • Triplane: Three wings stacked one above the other.

Wing Components

  • Control Surfaces:

    • Flaps: Increase lift during slow flight phases.

    • Ailerons: Control roll movement of the aircraft.

  • Configuration Details:

    • Outboard flap, inboard aileron, inboard flap, outboard aileron.

Empennage (Tail Section)

  • Components:

    • Vertical Stabilizer: Stabilizes the aircraft in yaw.

    • Rudder: Control surface that moves vertically, allowing yaw adjustments.

    • Horizontal Stabilizer: Stabilizes the aircraft in pitch.

    • Elevator: Control surface that moves horizontally, allowing pitch adjustments.

    • Stabilator: A combined structure that functions as both elevator and stabilizer.

Empennage Configurations

  • Various designs include:

    • T-Tail

    • H-Tail

    • V-Tail

    • Y-Tail

    • Cruciform

    • Inverted V

    • Twin-Tail

    • Boom-Mounted configurations.

Trim Devices

  • Purpose:

    • Relieve forces on the stick/yoke.

    • Assist in maintaining altitude.

  • Components:

    • Rudder Trim Tabs

    • Elevator Trim

  • Useful video reference: Aircraft Secondary Flight Controls Explained (profpilot.co.uk).

Landing Gear

  • Types of Landing Gear Configurations:

    • Conventional Landing Gear: Main wheels at the rear, tailwheel support.

    • Tricycle Gear: Nosewheel configuration for balance and stability during taxiing.

    • Tandem Gear: Main wheels situated fore and aft along the fuselage.

  • Examples:

    • Conventional landing gear, tricycle landing gear configurations.

  • Gear Types:

    • Fixed Gear

    • Retractable Gear

Landing Gear Struts

  • Types:

    • Rigid Struts: Directly attaches to the airframe.

    • Spring Steel Struts: Flex to absorb shock.

    • Bungee Cord Struts: Transfer shock energy to the airframe.

  • Most Common Type: Oleo Strut - uses enclosed pistons with oil and compressed air to absorb shock during landing.

Side Loads on Landing Gear

  • Importance of aligning the longitudinal axis with the runway during landing, especially with crosswinds.

  • The procedure for a wing-low landing involves lowering the wing on the side of the wind and deflecting rudder opposite the bank direction.

Brakes

  • Types of Brakes:

    • Disc Brakes: Utilize a caliper to press brake pads against a rotor for stopping power.

  • Braking Techniques:

    • Differential Braking: Applying different amounts of brake force to turn the aircraft during taxiing.

    • Hand Brake: Used to hold the aircraft stationary on a slope.

Clarification on Directional Control while Taxiing

  • Proper usage of toe brakes and the importance of applying pressure on the correct pedal.

The Powerplant

  • Components: Includes the engine and propeller.

  • Functions:

    • Provides thrust.

    • Supplies electrical power.

    • Provides cabin pressurization.

    • Supplies vacuum for some instruments.

    • Delivers cabin heat.

Firewall

  • Located between the engine compartment and cockpit.

  • Functions to protect occupants and provide a mounting point for the engine.

Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH)

  • Typically found with the FAA Approved Flight Manual (AFM).

  • Remains with the aircraft at all times.

  • Pilot’s Information Manual (PIM) can be purchased separately for studying specific aircraft information.

  • Difference Between POH and AFM:

    • AFM: Thinner, specific to aircraft serial numbers, carries essential operational regulations (FAR 23.1581).

    • POH: Comprehensive, includes system diagrams and standardized format since 1975.

Review and Summary

  • Important to review the Summary Checklist and Key Terms for Chapter 2A.

  • Recommended to go over the questions in the Jeppesen Test Guide for Chapter 2A.

Review Questions

  1. What does the fuselage house?

    • The cabin and cockpit.

  2. What type of wing placement does this aircraft have?

    • High Wing.

  3. What are the horizontal and vertical stabilizers collectively known as?

    • The empennage.

  4. The moving part of the vertical stabilizer is called the?

    • Rudder.

  5. The moving part of the horizontal stabilizer is called the?

    • Elevator.

  6. An aircraft fuselage with formers, but no stringers is known as?

    • Monocoque.

  7. The structure that protects pilots from severe bird strikes and provides a mount for the engine is called the?

    • Firewall.

  8. An aircraft fuselage frame with both formers and stringers is known as?

    • Semi-monocoque.

  9. What is the purpose of trim tabs?

    • They reduce forces on primary flight controls from wind resistance.

  10. The term for when the main landing gear is in the front with a small tailwheel is called?

    • Conventional landing gear configuration.

  11. The term for when the third wheel is located in the nose is called?

    • Tricycle landing gear.

  12. The maneuver of pressing harder on one brake than the other to assist in a turn is known as?

    • Differential braking.

  13. What provides vacuum power to some in-flight instruments?

    • The power plant (engine).

  14. What manual must remain with the airplane?

    • Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) and FAA approved Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM).

  15. To study material found in the POH, what can one purchase?

    • Pilot’s Information Manual (PIM).

  16. How does an oleo strut absorb shock?

    • It uses a piston with hydraulic fluid/oil and compressed air.

  17. Where are ailerons typically located on a wing?

    • Near the wing tips for greater leverage in roll movement.

  18. An anti-servo tab functions similarly to a?

    • Elevator trim tab.

  19. In disc brakes, brake pads are housed by the?

    • Caliper.

  20. How should brakes be applied with feet?

    • Press down with the toes only.

  21. How to steer the nose wheel?

    • Press down with heels only.