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The document describes the three axes of an airplane (longitudinal, lateral, and vertical) and how they relate to the aircraft's movement controlled by the pilot. It details the main components of an airplane, including the fuselage, cockpit, wings, tail, engine, propeller, and landing gear, explaining their functions in flight. Each part is essential for safe operation, emphasizing the pilot's responsibility to ensure all components are in good condition before flight.

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12 views

Name

The document describes the three axes of an airplane (longitudinal, lateral, and vertical) and how they relate to the aircraft's movement controlled by the pilot. It details the main components of an airplane, including the fuselage, cockpit, wings, tail, engine, propeller, and landing gear, explaining their functions in flight. Each part is essential for safe operation, emphasizing the pilot's responsibility to ensure all components are in good condition before flight.

Uploaded by

nouranahmed951
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: Nouran Ahmed Abd El Aal Ahmed

Sec: 2
BN: 40
Assignment: 2

All airplanes have three axes. Visualize three imaginary lines drawn
through the airplane. (Nose to tail, top to bottom, and side to side) The
plane rotates around these three lines, which intersect at the airplane’s
center of gravity.

The Longitudinal Axis


The longitudinal axis is the imaginary line that enters the airplane’s nose,
passes through the center of gravity, and exits out the tail. The plane
rolls around the longitudinal axis. The pilot controls the movement with
the ailerons.
The Lateral Axis
The lateral axis is the imaginary line that enters through the side of the
plane, passes through the center of gravity and exits out the opposite
side. The airplane pitches around the lateral axis, and the pilot controls
the pitching movement with the elevator.
Vertical Axis
The third imaginary line is the vertical axis. This line enters the top of the
airplane, passes through the center of gravity, and exits out the bottom
of the plane. (I bet by now you have guessed that the center of gravity is
going to play a major role in learning to fly.) The airplane yaws around
the vertical axis. The pilot controls the yawing motion with the rudder.
There are many parts of an airplane and each has its own
specific purpose. Let’s look at the main components of an
airplane and get a better understanding of their function.

Fuselage

The plane’s body, or fuselage, holds the aircraft together, with


pilots sitting at the front of the fuselage, passengers and cargo
in the back.
Cockpit

The cockpit is the area at the front of the fuselage from which a
pilot operates the plane. The cockpit contains the:

 Instrument panel

This is similar to a car’s dashboard, providing the pilot with information about
the flight, the engine and the circumstances of the aircraft. Depending on the
aviation electronics (avionics) installed in an aircraft this may be on an
interactive screen or using the typical ‘6 Pack’ for key pieces of information.
 Flight controls

In the cockpit are two seats, one for the pilot and the other for the co-pilot.
 Pilot seats

In the cockpit are two seats, one for the pilot and the other for the co-pilot.
 Rudder pedals

Rudder pedals control yaw in flight and are used for steering on the ground
during a taxi.
 Overhead panel

The overhead panel contains aircraft systems, such as air conditioning,


electrical, fuel and hydraulics.
 Side consoles

Side consoles are for communication instruments and documentation,


depending on the aircraft.

Each of these parts of an airplane are critical in the different


phases of flight.

Wings

An aircraft’s wings are critical to flight through the production of


lift, but they have many parts of the wing to control this lift
amount and direction.

 Ailerons
Ailerons are one of the three primary control surfaces that control a plane
(along with the Elevator and Rudder) and are located on the trailing edge of
the wing to help control the roll of a plane. When a pilot turns to the left in the
cockpit, the left aileron goes up, reducing lift on that side, and the right aileron
goes down, increasing lift causing that side to rise. This causes the plane to
roll to the left and begin a turn.
 Flaps
Flaps, like ailerons, are located on the trailing edge of the wing. Unlike
ailerons, the flaps move symmetrically on each side and create more lift and
drag. Flaps are typically used during takeoff and landing, when aircraft speeds
are lower, to create additional lift and reduce stall speeds.
 Winglet
On an airliner, the tip of the wing is bent up. This is known as a winglet.
Winglets were created to reduce induced drag.
 Slats
Slats are similar to flaps, only located at the front of the wing (a leading-edge
device) and change a wing’s shape temporarily to increase lift.
 Spoilers
Spoilers are used to help the aircraft descend and reduces the lift component
of an airfoil. This allows the plane to descend and lose altitude without gaining
airspeed.

Tail (Empennage)

An aircraft’s tail is mainly used for stability, as well as creating


lift in combination with the wings. It’s comprised of several
parts.

 Horizontal Stabilizer and Elevator

The horizontal stabilizer keeps the airplane’s nose from moving up and down
(pitch). The hinged part on the horizontal stabilizer is the elevator and is one
of the primary flight controls. When the pilot in the cockpit pulls back on the
yoke, the elevators go up, causing more force to push down on the tail, lifting
up the nose of the aircraft. Raising the nose changes the angle of attack on
the wings, increasing lift.
 Vertical Stabilizer and Rudder

The vertical stabilizer allows the airplane to weathervane into the relative
wind. This helps prevent the side-to-side motion of the aircraft’s nose (yaw).
The rudder, which is the primary flight control on the trailing edge of the
vertical stabilizer, is controlled in the cockpit by the pilot using the left and right
pedals. When the pilot pushes the left pedal, the rudder deflects to the left,
pushing the tail right and the nose to yaw left. Using the rudder in combination
with the ailerons causes coordinated turns by the aircraft.

The tail and its various parts are essential to the aircraft, helping
to keep the plane on course.
Engine(s)

The engine(s), or powerplant, of an aircraft creates thrust


needed for the plane to fly. Generally speaking, there are two
types of aircraft engines, reciprocating and turbine. With
reciprocating engines, air flows into the engine, is compressed
and mixed with fuel and an electric spark to combust, with
exhaust gases leaving the back of the engine through the
manifold. The engine spins the propeller which then creates
thrust to move the plane forward. Alternatively, with a turbine
engine, the action of compressing air, mixing with fuel, ignition
and exhaust are similar but occur inline. In this case the power
is generated by the air being exhausted from the engine.
Propeller

An aircraft’s propeller(s) are airfoils, similar to a wing, installed


vertically to create thrust to drive the plane forward. Attached to
the engine, they spin quickly, creating lift from the pressure
difference they create, only instead of this lift causing the plane
to move upwards, it drives the plane forward creating thrust.
This thrust and forward motion in turn causes air to pass over
the wings, creating the vertical lift.
Landing Gear

Landing gear is located under the belly of the plane consisting


of a wheel and strut to soften impact with the ground and may
be retractable into the fuselage. Tricycle type wheels are
common for general aviation with one wheel at the front and two
behind or the reverse for tailwheels with two wheels at the front
of the plane and one under the tail.

All parts of an airplane are crucial for conducting safe flight. A


huge responsibility pilots take on is making sure all aircraft
components are in excellent condition before embarking on
their flight journey.

References: Parts of an Airplane and Their Function - AeroGuard (flyaeroguard.com)

The 3 axes of flight - MySkyForce

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