What were the first powered aircrafts made of?
Bent wood covered in cloth fabric
What was the body of the first aircrafts like?
It was a box with controls or open air where the pilot would lie down
What were the flight controls like on early aircrafts?
Smaller wings were attached either in front or behind the wing, or they were just warping the wing
Through WW1, what where the air structures like?
Truss structures with wire braced and supported wings with material over wood. Mostly designed with engine up front and controls behind
What modification did they bring to airframes during the end of WW1?
-Welded pipe frames
-Stessed skin
They would add bulk heads for strength at certain points
What are the pros and cons of stressed skin?
+Light weight
+Strong
-Easy to dent
-Weak when struck correctly
Think of it like the shell of an egg
What is monocoque design?
Stressed skin. Where the stressed skin wears all of the applied load like how an eggshell would bear force
What is semi-monocoque?
Stressed skin supported by internal framework
What is tortion?
Twisting force
What is shearing force?
An internal force that causes one part of a body to slide relative to another part in an opposite direction
The airframe of a fixed wing aircraft can be divided into 5 principle parts, what are they?
- Fuselage
- Wings
- Stabilizers
- Control surfaces
- Landing gear
Describe the anatomy of a wing
-Internal ribs
-Internal ribs sometimes supported by drag wire x’s throughout a structure
-Prominent shape allows for fuel storage
-Ribs are spars wrapped in streched skin
-Ribs prevent sloshing of the fuel
What is flutter?
Dangerous self-excited vibrations of an aircraft’s parts
Typicaly gets worst and worst until the part breaks
How do we control flutter?
Using mass balences (either internal or as an overhang)
What is a stabilator?
A combination of a horizontal stabilzer and an elevator
How does a trim tab work?
It creates force opposite to the elevator, thus keeping it in desired position
How does the stall tab work?
As an aircraft increases to the AoA inducive of an impending stall, the disrupted airflow lifts the stall tabs upwards which closes a circuit which produce an audible stall warning
What are the 4 main types of flaps?
And what are the advantages and disadvantages of each design?
-Plain
-Slotted
-Split
-Fowler
Other than a stall strip, what are some other devices on the leading edge?
-Slat
-Slot
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Engine Types and Construction(Reciprocating Engines)59
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Turbine Theory44
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Lubrication and cooling44
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Propellers and Governors33
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Turbocharging and Supercharging16
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Pressurization & High altitude operations30
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Mid Term Exam11
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Electrical components and theory47
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Hydraulics, Landing Gear, & Pneumatics57
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Aircraft structures and flight controls20
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Weight and Balence25
