Flight Theory Notes

Introduction - Key Topics for the Course:


  • Aircraft Categories

    • Lighter Than Air

    • Rotorcraft

    • Airplane

    • Glider

  • Airplane Class

    • Single-Engine Land

    • Single-Engine Sea

    • Multi-Engine Land

    • Multi-Engine Sea

  • International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) : specialized UN agency that was established by the US in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention)

    • Works with the Convention’s 193 Member States and industry groups to reach a common understanding on the international civil aviation standards and recommended practices (SARPs) and policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically sustainable, and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector 

    • Establishes aviation standards and recommended practices on an international level

  • Phonetic Alphabet

  • A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) : contains information that is the establishment, condition or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations

    • Contains time-sensitive information that allows for safer flight operations


Lesson One - AIrcraft Structure:


  • Lift and Basic Aerodynamics

    • Lift: produced by the dynamic effect of air acting on the wing

    • Thrust: The forward force produced by the powerplant/propeller

    • Weight: The combined load of the airplane itself that combats life (crew, fuel, cargo, baggage, weapons, etc.) 

    • Drag: A rearward, retarding force caused by disruption of airflow by the wing, fuselage, and other protruding objects that opposes thrust

  • Aircraft Three Axes

    • Lateral Axis

      • Extends from wingtip to wingtip

      • Aviation term for rotation: Pitch

      • Controlled with Elevator - Pull back on yoke

    • Longitudinal Axis

      • Extends from nose of the aircraft to the tail

      • Aviation term for rotation: Roll

      • Controlled with Ailerons - Move yoke to left/right

    • Vertical Axis

      • Extends through the aircraft vertically

      • Aviation term for rotation: Yaw

      • Controlled with Rudder - Moving rudder pedals left/right

  • Center of Gravity: Specific point where the mass or weight is at the center

    • The point if the aircraft was suspended or balanced where it would be balanced

    • Helps determine

      • Stability

      • Loading operations

      • Flight performance

  • Major Aircraft Components

    • Fuselage: body of the plane

    • Wings: airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage

    • Empennage: entire tail group

    • Landing Gear: supports the aircraft when not flying

    • Powerplant: provides power and thrust to aircraft

  • Instrumentation

    • Old School

      • Ergonomics: science that deals with designing and arranging things so that its more accessible to people

      • Each instrument had a specific purpose but often had to be combined with another to give defined information

      • Pros: Simple to use and analyze

      • Cons: Scattered information all over cockpit (lots of cross checking)

    • Modern Cockpit

      • Utilizes Multi-Function Displays

      • Pros: More info all in one place, easy to identify problems

      • Cons: Requires extensive knowledge to operate effectively 

    • Control Instruments

      • Display immediate attitude and power changes

      • Minimum information to safely fly

      • Normally:

        • Manifold Pressure

        • Attitude Indicator

        • Tachometer

    • Performance Instruments

      • Indicated the aircrafts actual performance

      • Provide the polit with awareness building information

      • Normally:

        • Altimeter 

        • Airspeed

        • Vertical Speed Indicator

        • Heading Indicator

        • Turn and Slip Indicator

        • Others

    • Navigation Instruments

      • Indicate the position of the aircraft in relation to a selected navigation facility or fix

      • Normally

        • GPS (satellites)

        • VOR (very high frequency omni-directional radio range)

        • NDB (non-directional beacon)

        • ILS (instrument landing system)


Lesson Two - Principles of Flight


  • Atmosphere

    • Envelope that0e earth

      • Composed of:

        • 78% Nitrogen

        • 21% Oxygen

        • 1% Other Gasses (argon, helium, etc.)

  • Atmospheric Pressure: pressure of the atmosphere at a given altitude and temperature

    • Constantly changing

    • Standard Day (Sea Level)

      • Pressure = 14.7 PSI

      • 29.92 Inches of Mercury

      • 59°F or 15° C

  • Lapse Rates in Standard Atmospheric Conditions

    • Pressure

      • -1” of mercury for every 1000’ altitude gain

      • -2°C or 3.5°F for every 1000’ of altitude gain

  • Pressure Altitude

    • Height above a Standard Datum Plane (SDP)

      • Can be found by

        • The altitude when the altimeter is set to 29.92

        • Applying a correction factor to the indicated altimeter setting

  • Density Altitude: The vertical distance above sea level in the standard atmosphere at which a given density is to be found

    • Dramatically effects aircraft performance (Density Alt. Charts)

      • Power: Less dense air = reduction

      • Thrust: Less efficient in thin air

      • Lift: Thin air = Less force on airfoil (less force = less lift)

  • Theories in Lift Production

    • Newton’s Basic Laws of Motion

      • Newton’s First Law:

        • “Every object persists in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed on it”

        • An object at rest, stays at rest; an object in motion, stays in motion

        • How does this apply to aviation?

      • Newton’s Second Law

        • Force is equal to the change in momentum per change in time. For a constant mass, force = mass x acceleration

        • The greater the mass of an object, the more force required to accelerate

        • How does this apply to aviation?

      • Newton’s Third Law

        • FOr every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction

        • How does this apply to aviation?

  • Principles of Flight

    • Magnus Effect: Airflow over a cylinder

      • Studied effects of:

        • Rotating Cylinder

        • Moving Flow

    • Bernoulli’s Principle of DIfferential Pressure

      • Venturi Tube

      • Pressure and Velocity changes

  • Airfoil Design

    • Chord Line: Straight line from the leading edge to the trailing edge

    • Camber: Distance from the chord line to the upper and lower surfaces

    • Mean Camber Line: Mean line between the upper and lower surfaces (camber)

  • Airfoil Design Continued

    • Early Designs: Generate lift by traditional Bernoulli’s

    • Later Designs: Higher performance = Higher Demands

      • Inverted flight?

    • How does a modern symmetrical airfoil generate lift?

      • Angle of attack: The angle between the Chord Line and Relative Wind

      • Increased AoA = Increased Lift

      • Critical AoA = Stall (No lift being generated)