Flight Study Guide

October, 2012 Key Concepts

Air has mass, takes up space, and exerts pressure Air moving over an object creates a force called lift Gravity is a force that results from masses being attracted to other masses The force of gravity depends on mass; it does not depend on air. In any natural situation, a region of higher pressure will move or expand into a region of lower pressure Bernoullis Principle states that moving air exerts less pressure than stationary air. So wherever air moves faster, air pressure is lower.

There are four forces that act on flying objects: drag is the force that slows it down gravity is the force pulls it to the ground thrust is the force that moves it forward lift is the force that keeps it in the air Many different objects can fly. Hovercrafts fly centimetres from Earth whereas spacecraft fly millions of kilometres from Earth.

Vocabulary

Below are some examples of the terms that could be on the test. Make sure you look through your notes for any key terms that I might have missed. fuselage aerodynamics streamlined resistance pressure struts roll compress yaw propel thrust the body of an aircraft that holds passengers or cargo. the study of air in motion. a shape designed to offer as little resistance as possible. the slowing down or stopping effect that one thing exerts on another. the force exerted by one thing on another. supporting bars or braces. a motion where one wing tip moves up while the other wing tip moves down. to squeeze or squash. the side-to-side movement of the nose of a plane. drive or push an object forward. the force exerted by a rocket or jet engine that moves something forward

thermals rudder rotor ailerons assembly elevators angle horizontal vertical

currents of warm air rising through cooler surrounding air a hinged piece of metal at the rear of an aircraft used for steering the part of an aircraft that rotates to give it lift small sections of an aircraft wing, for rolling and banking during flight a set of parts put together the parts on a plane used to control the planes up-and-down movement the space between two lines that extend in different directions from the same point flat and level at right angles to a horizontal

Sample Questions
Name the forces involved in flight. What does each force do? What is drag or air resistance? Why is drag an important concept in flight? What creates lift? What is an example of an aircraft that can soar like an eagle? How are planes designed to reduce drag? Why do you think fuel is stored in a jumbo jets wing? What is a hot-air balloon? How do hot-air balloons work? What are some of the problems with hot-air balloons? Why dont people use hot-air balloons for business travel or transportation on a family vacation? Why do you think ballooning is a popular sport?