In this blog, you can find the basics and the complex of how an aircraft works. We will be talking about:
-The Basics (Aerodynamic/Physical Forces)
-The Wings
-The Engines
-The Control Surfaces (Ailerons, Rudder, Flaps, Slats etc) (Coming Soon)
-The Cockpit and Gauges (Coming Soon)
The Physical Forces (The Basics)
Before we learn more about the aircraft, we have to look at the very basics, firstly lets look at the forces that act on an aircraft when it is in flight.
A=Lift
B=Thrust
C=Weight
D=Drag
B=Thrust
C=Weight
D=Drag
The aircraft generates life by using its wings. The wings are shaped in such a way that the form high and low pressure regions which create lift, more will be explained later on in this blog.The lift then lifts the planes weight up in the air.
Drag is a force which stops the aircraft from moving forward, drag is caused by air resistance.Therefore, there are propellers or engines fitted to an aircraft which produces SO MUCH thrust that the plane overcomes drag and moves forward.
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The Aircraft's Wings and How They Function
The wings are shaped in what is known as an Airfoil. The air flowing over the airfoil creates a low pressure area on the top of the wing, the bottom of the wing creates a high pressure area. The air over the wing is turned into low pressure because the shape of the wing causes the air above the wing to move REALLY fast, the fast moving air then creates low pressure. This in turn causes the air below the wing to move quite slowly and this creates a very HIGH pressure region. This then creates lift as the high pressure want to "explode" therefore it pushes the aircraft upwards while the low pressure regions "pull" the aircraft upwards.
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Here we will talk about Jet Engines. Rotary Engines are COMING SOON!
Here is how the engine functions, Step by Step:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/airplane1.htm
Book: How Stuff Works; Aircraft
The wings are shaped in what is known as an Airfoil. The air flowing over the airfoil creates a low pressure area on the top of the wing, the bottom of the wing creates a high pressure area. The air over the wing is turned into low pressure because the shape of the wing causes the air above the wing to move REALLY fast, the fast moving air then creates low pressure. This in turn causes the air below the wing to move quite slowly and this creates a very HIGH pressure region. This then creates lift as the high pressure want to "explode" therefore it pushes the aircraft upwards while the low pressure regions "pull" the aircraft upwards.____________________________________________________________________
The Engines of An Aircraft and How They Work
Here is how the engine functions, Step by Step:
- The huge fan at the front sucks in a lot of air.
- After the huge fan, if you look carefully, you will see a series of smaller fans, these fans compress the air and when the air is compressed , it HEATS up.
- Then the jet fuel is sprayed into the path of the hot air (this occurs in the combustion chamber) then the air rapidly expands.
- The rapidly expanding air is shot out through the rear nozzle and it propels the plane forward.
- The air also spins turbines at the back so the shaft keeps spinning without constant power so that the entire engine only needs electric power during start-up.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/airplane1.htm
http://www.airliner.net/
Book: How Stuff Works; Aircraft
