index
airfoil - a structure curved to produce lift (e.g., wings and propeller)
camber - curvature of an airfoil
upper camber - upper curvature of an airfoil
lower camber - lower curvature of an airfoil
mean camber - the average curvature of an airfoil
chord - an imaginary straight line between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the airfoil
chord length - width of airfoil
leading edge - front of airfoil
trailing edge - edge of airfoil
quarter chord - a quarter of the width (chord length) of an airfoil
anatomy -
aileron - at the end of each wing. lift up and down in opposite directions to each other. responsible for roll motion
carburettor - a device used by a gasoline internal engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine`
compressor - a device that increases the pressure of a gas by decreasing its volume
control column - also known as a sidestick or the yoke. used to control pitch and roll
coolant pressure - the force exerted by the coolant within the engine’s cooling system
crank shaft - a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion
direct fuel injection - a system inside an internal combustion engine that injects fuel directly into the combustion chamber, increasing engine efficiency, specific power output, and reducing exhaust emissions
displacement engine - a measure of the volume of fuel displaced by each piston, which has a large effect on the engine’s total power output
elevators - 2 flaps on the horizontal stabiliser than move up and down simultaneously. responsible for pitch motion
float carburettor - a device inside the carburettor of an internal combustion engine which regulates the supply of fuel into the engine. the liquid inside the chamber lifts a float which is linked to a valve. when the fuel is low, the float drops and open the valve, allowing in liquid until the float rises enough to close the valve again
flaps - used to lower the stall speed, allowing the pilot to lower the speed during landing
fuselage - parts of an aircraft designed to carry passengers and cargo, therefore excluding wings, tail, or the engine
horizontal stabiliser - the horizontal part of the tailplane. home to the elevator
intercooler - a heat exchanger used to cool down compressed air before entering the pistons of an internal combustion engine so ensure the increased air temp after compression does not damage the engine
interrupter gear - a device enabling an aircraft to fire its armature through the arc of its spinning propeller without bullets striking the blades
rudder - a single flap on the vertical stabiliser that can move to the left or right. responsible for yaw motion
supercharger - a device that compresses the intake air entering an internal combustion engine, increasing the air’s pressure in order to produce more power from the engine
single speed single stage supercharger - idk
2 speed 2 stage supercharger - idk
taper - the gradual reduction in chord length (wing width)
vertical stabiliser - the vertical part of the tailplane. home to the rudder
angles -
angle of attack (AOA) - angle between chord line and relative airflow. determines a lot of what you can and can’t do
angle of incidence (AOI) - angle between chord line and longitudinal axis. defines the optimal take-off speed. on most aircrafts, this angle is locked in place
banking - the inclination of an aircraft’s wings relative to the horizontal plane
biplane - aircraft with two wings stacked on top of each other. it allowed planes to generate more lift, but also generated more drag
climb rate - aircraft’s vertical speed
forces -
lift - positive vertical force which lifts the aircraft upwards. created by the airfoil, when high pressure air passes below the airfoil and low pressure air passes above. air moves from high to low pressure, therefore making the airfoil (therefore the plane) lift
weight - negative vertical force which pulls the aircraft down. it’s caused by gravity, so always present. its dependent on the mass of the aircraft (as weight = mass x gravitational field constant), so the less mass the less weight
thrust - positive horizontal force, pushing the plane forward. it’s created by the engine (propeller or turbo fan) which creates trust by pushing the air forward and, according to newton’s third law (that every action has an equal and opposite reaction), so the air has a reaction by pushing the aircraft forward, creating thrust
drag - a negative horizontal force that is always present in motion which will slow the aircraft down
equilibrium - forces in one dimension equal 0
vertical equilibrium - lift = weight
horizontal equilibrium - thrust = drag
complete equilibrium - vertical and horizontal equilibrium, therefore constant velocity and no acceleration
CG - centre of gravity. the point at which weight acts through. essentially a pivot
CP - centre of pressure / centre of lift. the point where the lifting forces act through. while it can adjust during flight, it is roughly in the midpoint of the leading and trailing edges of the wing
induced drag - high pressure air passing below the wing mixes with the low pressure air passing above the wing, creating a vortex at the wing tip which takes kinetic energy away from the aircraft
TDF - tail down force. the downwards force exerted by the horizontal stabiliser to resist an aircraft’s tendency to pitch down
g force - the magnitude of force of acceleration experienced in terms of units of the gravitational constant g
positive g - force is directed upwards, and blood rushes from head to toe. e.g., going upwards on a rollercoaster, take-off, driving fast in a car
negative g - force is directed downwards, and blood rushes from toe to head. e.g., going downwards on a rollercoaster, free-falling
horsepower - unit of power (rate at which work is done). 1hp = 745.7 watts
knots - 1 knot = ~1.151 mph
planform - shape of the wing from above
ratios -
air : fuel ratio - the ratio air : fuel present to successfully operate a combustion engine. the ratio depends on a variety of factors
aspect ratio - wing span : wing chord. the higher the ratio, the better at reducing drag. the lower the ratio, the more manoeuvring ability
power : weight ratio - ratio of an aircraft’s engine power : weight. the most important factor dictating the aircraft’s climb rate
relative airflow - airflow with respect to wing. it is opposite to the aircraft motion
stall - rapid drop in lift
total power output - total energy produced by an engine / unit time
turn performance - the efficiency at which an aircraft can turn. measured by the turn radius an aircraft can achieve
sustained turn performance - maximum turn possible without resulting in loss of altitude or speed
turning radius - the minimum space required for a vehicle or aircraft to make a turn
wing -
wing area - average length x average width (same as calculating the area of a rectangle)
wing loading - plane mass / wing area. affects turning radius
wingspan - distance measured from wing tip to wing tip
wing spar - main structural member of a wing, stretching from the fuselage to the wingtip, of which ribs are attached
3 axis of flight - 3 fundamental axis around which all aircraft rotate, dictating aircraft movement
longitude - horizontal axis, following the length of the plane. passes through the centre of gravity
latitude - horizontal axis, following the width of the plane. passes through the centre of gravity
normal / vertical - vertical axis passing through the centre of gravity
roll - rotation about the longitudinal (horizontal) axis to bank the plane left or right
pitch - rotation about the latitude (horizontal) axis to pitch the plane up or down
yaw - rotation about the normal (vertical) axis to turn the plane left or right