Basics of Aeronautical Engineering

Introduction

• Overview of lecture topics:
  • Parts of an airplane, airframe design, and construction
  • Aerodynamic forces and airfoils
  • Airplane control mechanisms
  • Landing gear, brake systems, and navigation lights
  • Aircraft propulsion systems

Parts of an Airplane

• Fuselage
  • Contains the cockpit, enclosed by a fiberglass canopy.
• Wings
  • Attached to the fuselage with fairings.
  • Engine with propeller covered by engine cowlings.
• Empennage (Tail Section)
  • Includes horizontal and vertical stabilizers.
  • Control surfaces like ailerons, elevators, and rudder.
• Landing Gear
  • Three fixed landing gears with fairings.
• Aircraft Skin
  • Made of aluminum sheets for outer and inner surfaces.

Airplane Construction

• Fuselage Construction
  • Built with bulkheads, formers, longerons, and stringers.
  • Made from materials like wood, composites, and aluminum alloys.
  • Engine firewall made of stainless steel.
• Wing Construction
  • Main components: wing spars and ribs.
  • Ribs designed in an airfoil shape to generate lift.
  • Wet wings for fuel storage.

Aerodynamic Forces and Airfoils

• Four Main Forces
  • Lift, weight, thrust, drag.
• Airfoil Design
  • Cambered (asymmetric) and symmetric airfoils.
  • Lift is generated by pressure differences due to airfoil shape (Bernoulli's Principle and Newton's Laws).
• Angle of Attack
  • Angle between the chord line and incoming airflow.
  • Cambered airfoils can generate lift at zero angle; symmetric airfoils cannot.

Airplane Control Mechanisms

• Primary Control Surfaces
  • Ailerons (roll), elevators (pitch), rudder (yaw).
  • Roll achieved by differential movement of ailerons.
• Secondary Control Surfaces
  • Flaps enhance lift during takeoff and landing.

Landing Gear and Brake System

• Landing Gear
  • Tricycle configuration, fixed gears.
  • Nose gear steering achieved via differential braking.
• Brakes
  • Hydraulic brakes controlled by rudder pedals.
  • Differential braking used for steering.

Navigation Lights

• Location and Purpose
  • Green light on right wing, red on left, white beacon on vertical stabilizer.
  • Strobe lights increase visibility.

Propulsion System

• Engine Details
  • Example: UL 520 is engine, 5.2L, 6-cylinder, 200 hp.
  • Propeller is fixed pitch, made of airfoil shapes for thrust.

Conclusion

• The lecture provides a basic understanding of how airplanes fly and are controlled.
• Future topics will include drag, weight, types of engines, and control surfaces.