Airplane Parts
The main parts of an aircraft are:
- the fuselage,
- the wings,
- the horizontal stabilizer,
- the vertical stabiliser,
- the landing gear, and
- of course the engine(s)
Control Surfaces: Right and Left Aileron, Elevator, Rudder, and Trim Tabs
Aircraft Forces
Four Forces on an Airplane
The four forces which act upon an aircraft in flight are:
- Lift
- Drag
- Thrust
- Weight.
- LIFT acts upwards at right angles to the airflow through the centre of pressure. In simple terms, Lift is perpendicular to the Relative Wind.
- DRAG is the backward force which opposes the forward motion of the aircraft and acts parallel and in the reverse direction to the aircraft movement.
- THRUST is the forward propulsive force provided by the engines.
- WEIGHT is the total weight which acts vertically downwards through the centre of gravity.
- LIFT<up and down>WEIGHT
- THRUST<forward and back>DRAG
Aerodynamics
Pressure
Resources
NASA's Beginners Guide to Aerodynamics - Supplement your of study aerodynamics at your own pace and to your own level of interest. Some of the topics included are: Newton's basic equations of motion; the motion of a free falling object, that neglects the effects of aerodynamics; the terminal velocity of a falling object subject to both weight and air resistance; the three forces (lift, drag, and weight) that act on a glider; and finally, the four forces that act on a powered airplane. There are many interactive pages designed to illustrate aerodynamics.
Aerodynamics Lesson - Gold Seal Master CFI trainer Robert Still video presents basics of Aerodynamics in an easy to understand format.
See How It Flies - Free online book (in HTML format) running through aerodynamics and techniques for flight.
Wikipedia Aircraft - A definition of Aircraft and examples of various types of aircraft.
Wikipedia Aerodynamics - Technical overview of aerodynamics and the physics of flight.
FAA Aircraft - FAA information on Registration and Certification of Aircraft, Advisories and Guidance, Regulations and Policy, Forms, and Technical Information. Includes a searchable database of aircraft registered in the US.