AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

The basic structure and components of an airplane are explained below, including
the fuselage, wings, horizontal stabilizer, and power plant, along with structural
materials and frame design.

Fuselage

The fuselage is the main part of the aircraft, located centrally to the entire aircraft.
It's the area where the passengers and baggage are typically held and the part of the
plane to which the wings and empennage are attached. It's basically a large, hollow
tube that tapers at the back.

Wings

The wings are attached to the fuselage on either side. The wings are the source of
lift for the aircraft. They are attached near the top of the fuselage on high-wing
aircraft like Cessna's 162 and at the bottom of the fuselage on low-wing aircraft,
such as the Terrafugia Transition. The front of the wing is called the leading edge
and the back of the wing is called the trailing edge.

The wing is held together and supported by metal spars, ribs, and stringers, and
covered by a fabric, aluminum or composite shell. On the rear part of the wing (the
trailing edge), you can find the aileron and flaps, which change the shape of the
wing to create more or less lift for different phases of flight.

 Aileron: The aileron is found near the tip of the wing on the trailing edge.
It's a rectangular-shaped airfoil that rises to disturb the airflow over the
wing. Ailerons are used to turn the airplane. They work by disrupting the
airflow over the wing, which creates more lift on one wing than the other.

 Flaps: Flaps are smaller airfoils found on the rear part of the wing nearest to
the fuselage. Flaps can be extended to increase the wing surface area,
creating more lift for takeoff and landing. There are different types of flaps;
designs vary by aircraft. Some types include Plain flap, slotted flap, split
flap, Fowler flap, and the slotted Fowler flap.

Empennage
The empennage consists of the vertical stabilizer (the "tail" of the airplane) and the
horizontal stabilizer or stabilator.

 Rudder: The rudder is a movable piece of the vertical stabilizer that allows
the airplane to turn left or right about the airplane's vertical axis when
activated. The rudder is connected to the foot pedals in the cockpit of the
airplane.

 Elevator: The elevator is located on the rear part of the horizontal stabilizer.
It moves up and down in order to make the airplane's nose move up or down.
The elevator is connected to the yoke. If you were to pull back on the yoke
in the cockpit, the elevator would be moved upward, forcing the horizontal
stabilizer to go down and the aircraft's nose to go up.

 Stabilator: A stabilator is similar to a horizontal stabilizer but doesn't include

an elevator. The stabilator is one large piece of material with an anti-servo
tab that doubles as a trim tab.

 Trim Tab: Trim tabs are small rectangle-shaped pieces of material on the
trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer. They're meant to be moved
gradually, as set by the pilot, to ease control pressure and make the aircraft
easier to handle.

Power plant

The power plant consists of the engine and all engine components, the propeller,
and electrical system. It can be located on the front of the aircraft fuselage or
toward the rear of the airplane. In multi-engine aircraft, the engines are typically
located under the wings on each side.

Landing Gear

The landing gear on most aircraft consists of wheels and struts. Some aircraft have
skis or floats in order to land on snow or water, respectively. A typical single-
ending land airplane will have either tricycle landing gear or conventional landing
gear. Tricycle gear means that there are two main wheels with a nose wheel in
front. On aircraft with conventional gear, there are two main wheels with a single
wheel in back, under the tail. Aircraft with conventional type gear is often called
tailwheel airplanes or taildraggers.
Most airplanes are also steered on the ground with the use of a tricycle type
landing gear configuration.

Aircraft Frame Material

Aircraft can be made of different types of material and methods, including truss,
monocoque, semi-monocoque and composite material.

Truss structure is an older type of structure and is created by welding tubes

together to form a rectangular frame. It could be left open or covered by a cloth or
metal skin, but is not as aerodynamic is more current methods.

Monocoque structures are basically hollow designs with a stretched fabric or

material such as aluminum skin over the open framework. It's simple and pretty
sturdy around the edges, but the inner parts of the structure can't withstand much
external pressure.

Semi-monocoque airplanes are designed in a similar fashion as a monocoque, but

with added support and a substructure.

Composite materials are becoming more popular and are used in modern aircraft
frequently. Composite materials are lighter and stronger than traditional aluminum.
Composite materials such as carbon fiber and fiberglass are more expensive than
traditional materials but are less prone to corrosion and metal fatigue.