Basic Aeronautics

Know the principles of basic aeronautics. 1. Describe the theory of flight. 2. Describe airfoils and flight. 3. Describe the effects of relative wind. 4. Describe the effects of angle of attack. . !dentify the four forces of flight.

"verview
1. 2. 3. 4. . #heory of $light Airfoils and $light %elative &ind Angle of Attack #he $our $orces of $light

#heory of $light
' Aerodyna(ics
' #he science relating to the effects produced by air or other gases. ' #he ter( co(es fro( the )reek words aero (eaning air and dynamics (eaning power. ' Ancient )reeks described air as having the *ualities of (oisture and heat. !t was observed to shift in response to heating and cooling.

#heory of $light
' Aerodyna(ics
' A lifting force is re*uired for heavier+than+air flying. An ob,ect can be pushed upward by applying (uscle power- an e.plosion- a hoistor other (eans of force.
' !t cannot re(ain aloft without decreasing the air pressure fro( above and increasing lift pressure fro( below. ' !ncreasing the speed of the ob,ect can increase the flow of air. ' #he flying ob,ect (ust be shaped to for( an airfoil. ' Air flows faster over the curved surface of an airfoil.

#heory of $light
' Aerodyna(ics
' Bernoulli principle
' /As the air velocity increases- the pressure decreases0 and as the velocity decreases- the pressure increases.1 ' A (a,or part of the knowledge base needed in the design and develop(ent of aircraft. ' 2ontributed to the work of ).B. 3enturi- an !talian scientist- who first noted the effects of constricted channels on the flow of fluids. A round tube- such as a no44le or ,et engine- designed to increase the speed of flowing gases and li*uids is called a venturi.

#heory of $light
' Aerodyna(ics
' Aristotle
' #he first useful studies of (otion are attributed to Aristotle. 5e believed there were two kinds of (otion6 natural and violent. ' 5e concluded- and later stated as a natural law- that the velocity or speed of an ob,ect depends entirely on the force being applied to it and the resistance it (eets. #his law was later proven to be inaccurate.

#heory of $light
' Aerodyna(ics
' )alileo )alilei
' "bserved that an ob,ect in hori4ontal (otion would continue to (ove at the sa(e speed with no additional force. ' #his truth was accepted by 7ir !saac 8ewton and beca(e the first of three laws of (otion stated by 8ewton.

#heory of $light
' 8ewton9s :aws of ;otion
' $irst :aw of ;otion
' /A body at rest tends to re(ain at rest- and a body in (otion tends to stay in (otion- unless an outside force acts on the body.1 !t is so(eti(es referred to as the :aw of !nertia. ' "ne of the (ost co((on places people feel this law is in a fast (oving vehicle. !f you were standing inside a train and it suddenly stopped- you would continue to (ove forward even though the train had co(e to a stop.

#heory of $light
' 8ewton9s :aws of ;otion
' 7econd :aw of ;otion
' /#he acceleration of an ob,ect as produced by a net force- is directly proportional to the (agnitude of the net force in the sa(e direction as the net force and inversely proportional to the (ass of the ob,ect.1 ' 5itting a golf ball is a co((on e.a(ple of 8ewton9s second law. #he golf club is a force that causes the ball to (ove <overco(ing inertia=- and picks up speed <acceleration= and since the golf ball is relatively light- it picks up speed rapidly.

#heory of $light
' 8ewton9s :aws of ;otion
' #hird :aw of ;otion
' /&henever one body e.erts a force upon a second body- the second e.erts an e*ual and opposite force upon the first body.1 7i(ply stated- $or every action there is an e*ual and opposite reaction.1

#heory of $light
' 8ewton9s :aws of ;otion
' #hird :aw of ;otion
' #his law is e.e(plified by what happens if you step off a boat onto the shore. As you (ove forward toward the shore- the boat tends to (ove in the opposite direction.

#heory of $light
' Acceleration
' #he rate of increase in the velocity of so(ething. ' %epresents a change in velocity.

' 3elocity
' #he rate of (otion in a given direction. ' #he change of rate of (otion in a given direction per unit of ti(e.

#heory of $light
' $orce
' #he power or energy e.erted against a (aterial body in a given direction. ' $orce has both (agnitude and direction.

' ;ass
' #he *uantity of (aterial <(atter= contained in a body- while weight <which is often confused with (ass= is really the a(ount of gravity being e.erted on a *uantity of (atter.

#heory of $light
' #he four forces in balance with one another hold the plane in the air. ' #he four forces are lift- weight- thrustand drag.

Airfoils and $light

' Airfoil Design
' An airfoil is designed to produce lift. An airfoil has a leading edge- a trailing edge- a chord- and ca(ber.

%elative &ind
' #he (ove(ent of the aircraft through the air creates the relative wind. ' #he ter( relative wind (eans the wind that is (oving past the airfoil and the direction of the wind is parallel to the flight path and relative to the attitude of position of the airfoil. ' #he pilot controls the direction of the relative wind.

Angle of Attack
' $or(ed by the cord of the airfoil and the direction of the relative wind or between the chord line and the flight path. ' !s not constant during a flight. !t changes as the pilot changes the attitude of the aircraft. ' "ne of the factors that deter(ines the aircraft9s rate of speed through the air.

#he $our $orces of $light

' According to the Bernoulli >rinciplethere is an increase in the velocity of air as the airflow around an airfoil shape0 therefore- there is an increase of the relative wind as it flows above and below the surface of the airplane wing.

#he $our $orces of $light

' :ift can be increased in two ways
' !ncreasing the forward speed of the airplane. ' !ncreasing the angle of attack.

' #he pilot can increase the forward speed of the aircraft by applying (ore power.

#he $our $orces of $light

' :ift 3ariables
' #he pilot (ust have so(e way to control the a(ount of lift the airfoils generate. ' #here are variables acting on the a(ount of lift generated.

#he $our $orces of $light

' Angle of Attack

#he $our $orces of $light

' Angle of Attack
' #he su( of all the tiny forces over the surface of the wing is called the resultant.

#he $our $orces of $light

' Angle of Attack
' #his resultant has (agnitude- direction- and location. #he point of intersection of the resultant with the chord of the wing is called the center of pressure <2?>=.

#he $our $orces of $light

' Angle of Attack
' #he angle at which lift stops increasing and begins to decrease is called the burble point.

#he $our $orces of $light

' Angle of Attack
' #he point at which the a(ount of lift generated is no longer sufficient to support the aircraft in air is called the stalling point.

#he $our $orces of $light

' 3elocity of %elative &ind
' #he velocity of the airfoil through the air is another i(portant factor in deter(ining the a(ount of lift generated. ' !f an airfoil is (ade to travel faster through the air- greater pressure differences between the lower and upper surfaces of the airfoil result.

#he $our $orces of $light

' :ift 3ariables
' 3elocity of %elative &ind

#he $our $orces of $light

' Air Density and :ift
' :ift varies directly with density. !f flying at 1@-AAA feet where the density is about half that at sea level- an aircraft will need to travel 1.414 ti(es as fast as it would at sea level to (aintain altitude. ' !f so(ething reduces the lift by half- we will have to increase the speed so that the s*uare root of the new velocity is twice the s*uare of the original velocity.

#he $our $orces of $light

' Airfoil 7hape
' !t is e.tre(ely i(portant to preserve the characteristic curve that the designers built into the airfoil. ' Dents- (ud- and ice are three co((on things that can spoil the built+in shape of the airfoil and interfere with the perfor(ance of the entire aircraft.

#he $our $orces of $light

' &ing Area and :ift
' #he greater the surface area of the wing- the greater the a(ount of lift that will be generated. ' )liders and sailplanes are very good e.a(ples of how a large wing surface generates lift.

#he $our $orces of $light

' &eight
' #here is a point in the relationship of airfoil to angle of attack where lift is destroyed and the force of gravity <weight= takes co((and. ' 7o(e of the (ost powerful ,et fighter types and aerobatic sport airplanes can- for a short ti(e and distance- cli(b straight up without any significant help fro( their airfoils.

#he $our $orces of $light

' &eight
' #here is another situation where lift can no longer overco(e weight. ' #he at(osphere beco(es less and less dense as altitude increases. ' #he airplane (ust be constructed of the lightest weight (aterials that can be used. ' #he weight of whatever the airplane carries also receives very careful consideration.

#he $our $orces of $light

' &eight
' &here the weight- or useful load- is placed in the airplane is another factor that has a pronounced effect on how well an airplane will fly.

#he $our $orces of $light

' #hrust and Drag
' #hrust is the force that propels the aircraft forward. ' An airplane cannot gain altitude or (aintain straight and level flight unless its engine is producing enough thrust. ' &ithout the needed thrust- weight has (ore influence than lift and pulls the airplane toward the ground.

#he $our $orces of $light

' #hrust and Drag
' Drag is present all the ti(e and can be defined as the force that opposes thrust. ' #he friction of air particles rubbing against all parts of the airplane causes part of the total drag. ' #he shape of so(ething (ay create low+ pressure areas and turbulence that retard the forward (ove(ent of the aircraft.

7u((ary
1. 2. 3. 4. . #heory of $light Airfoils and $light %elative &ind Angle of Attack #he $our $orces of $light