British Young Pilots · Flying Training · Module FT-1.1
The basic training aeroplane is a fuselage (the body) carrying the wings, the tail, the wheels and an engine. The propeller generates thrust to pull it through the air, and the airflow over the wings generates lift. Take the thrust away and it can still fly: a gliding descent needs no engine at all.
The tail section (empennage) sits well behind the fuselage and provides a balancing, stabilising force. It consists of the vertical stabiliser (fin) and the horizontal stabiliser (tailplane).
FOUNDATIONSThrow a dart backwards and it flips round: the flights drag the tail behind. An aeroplane's tail steadies it the same way.
The cockpit usually seats two abreast, and the pilot-in-command sits on the left.
Source: Pooleys Vol 1 (15th ed.) p.1.
The main controls are the flight controls and the throttle (right hand: forward opens for more power, back closes for less). The flight controls move hinged surfaces that change the airflow around the wings and tail:
A control column, a control wheel (yoke) or a side-stick all do exactly the same job.
Source: Pooleys Vol 1 (15th ed.) p.2–3.
Most modern trainers have a tricycle undercarriage: two main wheels plus a nosewheel, with the nosewheel steered by the rudder pedals on the ground. Some aircraft carry a tailwheel instead. The brakes act on the main wheels.
The typical trainer has a piston engine on Avgas driving a fixed-pitch propeller; power reads as RPM on the tachometer.
STRETCHWhy might a taildragger be harder to steer on the ground than a tricycle type? Think about where the weight sits relative to the main wheels.
Source: Pooleys Vol 1 (15th ed.) p.4.
Same principles, different shapes. Wings mount high, low or mid on the fuselage; the tailplane may ride high on the fin (a T-tail); some designs merge tailplane and elevator into one all-flying surface, the stabilator; a few use a butterfly (V) tail.
FADEC. Some modern trainers use Full Authority Digital Engine Control: an Engine Control Unit adjusts manifold pressure, injected fuel and propeller speed to deliver the selected power. Usually paired with a variable-pitch propeller, two independent ECUs for redundancy, and often Jet A1 fuel rather than Avgas.
Source: Pooleys Vol 1 (15th ed.) p.3–4.
Tap a card to flip it.
Tap a part name, then tap the box pointing at it on the aeroplane.