Questions and Answers
What provides lift to an aerostat?
What is the main feature that distinguishes a blimp from a semi-rigid or rigid airship?
What is the primary source of heat in a hot air balloon?
What is the term for an aircraft that is kept buoyant by a body of gas that is lighter than air?
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What is suspended beneath the envelope of a hot air balloon?
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What type of aircraft relies on the shape of its wings to generate lift?
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What is the primary difference between a helicopter and a gyroplane?
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What is the term for the area where helicopters take off and land?
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What provides lift in a glider during flight?
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What type of axis does a helicopter's rotor spin on?
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What is the purpose of a rotor in a rotorcraft?
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What type of aircraft is the Boeing 787?
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What is unique about a helicopter's design?
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What type of propulsion system does a gyroplane have?
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What is the main characteristic of a rotorcraft?
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What is the primary source of propulsion for a gyroplane?
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What is the primary purpose of an airplane's empennage?
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What is the defining characteristic of a glider?
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What is the primary advantage of an airplane over other types of aircraft?
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What is the main difference between a helicopter and a gyroplane?
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What is the common characteristic among all classes of aircraft?
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What is the term used to describe the type of aircraft of the same design, including all modifications?
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Study Notes
Aircraft Types
- An aircraft is a machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air against its surfaces, intended for navigation in the air.
- Aircraft can be classified into four types: Airplanes, Rotorcraft, Gliders, and Free Balloons.
Airships
- An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power.
- Airships gain their lift from large gasbags filled with a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
- Blimps are non-rigid airships that rely on the pressure of the lifting gas inside the envelope and the strength of the envelope to maintain their shape.
Gliders
- A glider is a non-power-driven aircraft, deriving its lift in flight chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surfaces that remain fixed and conditions of flight.
- Gliders are aircraft having no engine, capable of free flight only while descending through the air.
Rotorcraft
- Rotorcraft can be easily recognized by their large overhead propeller called the main rotor.
- There are two classes of rotorcraft: Helicopters and Gyroplanes.
- Helicopters are heavier-than-air aircraft in flight, chiefly by the reaction of the air on one or more power-driven rotors on a substantially vertical axis.
- Gyroplanes are rotorcraft whose main rotors are not connected to the engine except for the initial spin up, with aerodynamic forces causing the main rotor to spin during normal flight.
Fixed Wing Aircraft
- Fixed wing aircraft include Airplanes, Gliders/Sailplanes, and Seaplanes.
- Airplanes are powered aircraft with a wing and a tail.
- Gliders/Sailplanes are aircraft having no engine, capable of free flight only while descending through the air.
- Seaplanes are aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water.
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Description
Learn about airships, also known as dirigible balloons, and gliders in the field of aviation. Understand their characteristics and differences.
