Aircraft Knowledge: Aerostats, Aerodynes, Aerospace

• The material covers aircraft knowledge, including general concepts, powerplant, flight mechanics, instruments, navigation, and orientation.

General Information

• "Aéronefs" are all devices capable of rising and moving in airspace.
• Three types of aircraft are: Aerostats, Aerodynes, and Aerospace.

Different Flying Objects

• Objects lighter than air, also known as Aerostats, are powered by Archimedes' thrust.
• Hot air balloons were created at the end of the 18th century, using air that is lighter than the surrounding air.
• Dirigibles use helium or hydrogen.
• Types of balloons include captive or free balloons, hot air balloons, and helium balloons; meteorological balloons are an example.
• Dirigibles come in flexible, rigid, and powered structures.
• Objects heavier than air, also known as Aerodynes, use dynamics.
• Aerodynes include airplanes, rotorcraft (Giravions), and gliders.
• Non-motorized aerodynes are model aircraft, kites, ultra-light gliders (parachutes, paragliders, hang gliders), and gliders.
• Motorized aerodynes include fixed-wing aircraft, ultra-light motorized aircraft, airplanes, and rotorcraft.
• Aerospace vehicles with ballistic behavior are reduced-scale models of micro-rockets.
• Different types of missiles exist
• Objects designed for space travel include launchers/rockets, satellites, shuttles, and orbital stations.
• Artificial satellites are human-made objects orbiting a planet or its natural satellite.
• Spatial probes are space vehicles designed to study various celestial objects like asteroids and the interstellar medium.
• Drones include both rotating and fixed-wing types.

Aircraft Anatomy

• The main components of an airplane are the airframe, wings, fuselage, empennage, flight controls, landing gear, and powerplant (engine and propeller).

Airplane Composition

• The airframe includes the wings, fuselage, and tail.

The role of the wings

• Ensuring the lift of the aircraft
• The leading and trailing edges, the spar (longitudinal structure) in addition to the general shape

Wings

• The parts of a wing include the leading edge, trailing edge, the extrados (upper surface), and the intrados (lower surface).
• Aspects of wing design include terminology (lift, chord, angle of incidence) and constitution (spars, ribs).
• The characteristics of a wing include the wingspan, wing area, and sweep.
• The aspect ratio is the square of the wingspan divided by the wing area.
• Airplanes like transport planes and gliders have a high aspect ratio for high lift, while fighter planes and aerobatic planes have a low aspect ratio for good maneuverability.
• Wing shapes include straight, trapezoidal, elliptical, biplane, swept, and delta.
• Dihedral is the angle between the horizontal plane and the plane of the wing.
• Wings can be positioned as high, low, or mid mounted on the fuselage.

Wing Lift

• The aerodynamic force "R" is broken down into lift (perpendicular to the relative wind) and drag (parallel to the relative wind).
• Finesse is the ratio of lift to drag or horizontal speed to descent speed.
• Angle of attack is the angle between the chord line and the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.
• Wing performance can be improved by reducing drag through winglets and fairings (Karman).
• Classic wing structure involves spars (longitudinal elements) that support tension and compression, and ribs that resist shear stress.
• The wing joints to the fuselage at the wing root.

Wing Components

• Wing components include ailerons, leading-edge slats, flaps, spoilers, and fuel tanks.

Fuselage

• The fuselage accommodates the crew, fuel, payload, and serves as an attachment point for various parts to ensure cohesion.
• Fuselage shapes include cylindrical (most common), square, and figure-8.

Types of Fuselage Construction

• These include: Trusses, Geodesic structures, Monocoque structures, Semi-monocoque structures

Transport Aircraft Fuselage

• Transport aircraft fuselages include: frames or formers, stringers that run longitudinally, skin or sheathing attached to the stringers and bulkheads.
• Fuselages endure compression, traction, bending, shear, torsion, and pressurization.

Empennages

• Empennages include horizontal and vertical surfaces with fixed and mobile parts.
• The horizontal stabilizer includes fixed horizontal stabilizers and elevators.
• The vertical stabilizer includes a fixed vertical fin (or tailfin) and a rudder.
• Empennage configurations include cruciform, T-tail, V-tail, canard, double vertical, and single vertical.

Flight Controls

• Aircraft direction and attitude are controlled around 3 axes: pitch, roll, and yaw.
• Roll is controlled by the ailerons and spoilers or a combination of both.
• Pitch is controlled by the elevators.
• Yaw is controlled by the rudder.

Landing Gear

• Landing gear is designed to ensure rolling, braking, and control when landing; it is also designed to absorb shock.
• Landing gear creates aerodynamic drag during flight
• Landing gear types include the classic landing gear, tricycle gear, and those with multiple wheels.
• The landing gear can also be a single-track landing gear, or specifically designed with skids, floats, or skis.

Powerplant

• The powerplant (GMP) includes a motor and propeller, fixed to the fuselage structure and isolated by a firewall.
• Types of engines include piston engines, turbojets, electric motors, and turboprops.
• Aircraft can be single-engine, twin-engine, or multi-engine.
• The propeller blades push air backward, creating thrust.

Hélicoptères

• Helicopters generate lift from a main rotor, powered by a turbine engine.
• The tail rotor compensates for the torque from the main rotor which allows it to be piloted.