Principles of Flight

• If lift exceeds weight, the airplane will ascend.
• Air flows faster over the top of a standard wing.
• Four forces act on an aircraft in flight
• Aircraft axes are imaginary lines that intersect at the aircraft's center of gravity, used to describe its orientation in space; these are the longitudinal (roll), lateral (pitch), and vertical (yaw) axes.
• The two types of drag encountered by an aircraft are parasite drag and induced drag.
• Thrust opposes drag on a fixed-wing aircraft.
• Lateral stability in a low wing aircraft design involves geometric arrangements such as dihedral.
• Factors that can lead to a stall of the airfoil include exceeding the critical angle of attack, turbulent airflow, and abrupt control movements.
• If the angle between the chord line and relative wind becomes too high, airflow over the top of the wing can separate, causing a stall.
• The angle between the chord line and the relative wind approaching an airfoil is called the angle of attack.
• The angle between the chord line of the wing and a line at the trailing edge of the wing parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft is called the angle of incidence.
• When one wing is more stalled than the other wing, the aircraft can experience a roll and possibly a spin towards the stalled wing.
• The chord of an airfoil is the straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of the airfoil.
• Thrust opposes drag on a fixed wing aircraft.
• Roll stability can be improved by designing a wing with dihedral (an upward angle from root to tip).
• Yaw stability is maintained through the vertical stabilizer (tail fin).
• Pitch stability is maintained through designs such as the horizontal stabilizer.
• A straight line through the wings of an airplane passing through the center of gravity from wing tip to wing tip is called the lateral axis.
• Bank or Roll is the motion around the longitudinal axis, and it is controlled by the ailerons.
• Yaw is the motion around the vertical axis, controlled by the rudder.
• Pitch is the motion around the lateral axis, controlled by the elevators.
• The combined flight control surfaces on the V-Tail of an aircraft are called ruddervators, which work by deflecting together for pitch control and differentially for yaw control.
• When the pilot pulls the control wheel aft (backwards), the plane pitches up, using the elevator.
• When the pilot moves the control wheel or stick to the left, the plane banks or rolls left, using the ailerons.
• The small movable portions of the trailing edge of the control surface controlled from the cockpit are called trim tabs.
• The purpose of the slot on a wing is to increase lift and delay stall by allowing high-energy air to flow over the wing surface.
• Methods to counteract adverse yaw caused by increased lift on the ascending wing include using aileron-rudder coordination and employing devices like Frise ailerons or spoilers.
• Bank or Roll is controlled by the ailerons.
• One purpose of the spoiler on a wing is to reduce lift and increase drag.
• To relieve pilot input force for a "Nose Up" attitude, the trailing edge of the trim tab on the elevator should be positioned upwards.
• Fowler flaps increase lift and drag by extending both backward and downward.
• Yaw is controlled by the rudder.
• Pitch is controlled by the elevators
• Plain Flap

Flap Types

• Slotted Flap
• Split Flap
• Fowler Flap
• Krüger flaps and slats are two different types of movable leading edge lift augmenting devices.
• The trailing edge tab used to move the flight control surface is called a trim tab.
• The trailing edge of the stabilator assembly uses an anti-servo tab to prevent over controlling and reduce sensitivity.

Control System

• The device is a jackscrew, used for trim.
• The device is a trim tab.
• The auxiliary device circled is a winglet, which reduces induced drag and improves fuel efficiency.
• The auxiliary device circled is a vortex generator, which energises the boundary layer to prevent flow seperation.
• The auxiliary device identified are static wicks, used to dissipate static electricity buildup during flight, preventing radio interference and potential damage to sensitive electronic equipment.
• The auxiliary device identified with the arrows in the picture are wing fences, which redirect the airflow.
• The device circled in the picture is an Angle of Attack (AOA) sensor, which provides information to the pilots or flight control systems about the angle at which the wing is meeting the oncoming airflow.
• The type of auxiliary device is a weather vane, or a Pitot tube.