The Main Parts of an Airplane

 

Airplanes are transportation devices which are designed to move people and cargo from one place to another. Airplanes come in many different shapes and sizes depending on the mission of the aircraft.

For any airplane to fly, you must lift the weight of the airplane itself, the fuel, the passengers, and the cargo. The wings generate most of the lift to hold the plane in the air. To generate lift, the airplane must be pushed through the air. The jet engines, which are located underneath the wings, provide the thrust to push the airplane forward through the air. The air resists the motion in the form of aerodynamic drag. Some airplanes use propellers for the propulsion system instead of jets.

To control and maneuver the aircraft, smaller wings are located at the tail of the plane. The tail usually has a fixed horizontal piece (called the horizontal stabilizer) and a fixed vertical piece (called the vertical stabilizer). The stabilizers' job is to provide stability for the aircraft, to keep it flying straight. The vertical stabilizer keeps the nose of the plane from swinging from side to side, while the horizontal stabilizer prevents an up-and-down motion of the nose.

At the rear of the wings and stabilizers there are small moving sections that are attached to the fixed sections by hinges. The hinged part of the vertical stabilizer is called the rudder; it is used to deflect the tail to the left and right. The hinged part of the horizontal stabilizer is called the elevator; it is used to deflect the tail up and down. The outboard hinged part of the wing is called the aileron; it is used to roll the wings from side to side.

The wings have additional inboard hinged rear sections that are called flaps. Flaps are deployed downward on take-off and landing to increase the amount of force produced by the wing. On some aircraft, the leading edge of the wing will also deflect. Slats are used at take-off and landing to produce additional force. Spoilers are small plates that are used to disrupt the flow over the wing and to change the amount of force by decreasing the lift when the spoiler is deployed. They are used during landing to slow the plane down and to counteract the flaps when the aircraft is on the ground.

The fuselage or body of the airplane, holds all the pieces together. The pilots sit in the cockpit at the front of the fuselage. Passengers and cargo are carried in the rear of the fuselage. Some aircraft carry fuel in the fuselage; others carry the fuel in the wings.

The landing gear provides support for the airplane during static and ground operations. The commercial jet airplanes are equipped with a tricycle type landing gear employing two sets of main wheels and one set of nose wheels. The landing gear is normally retracted and extended using hydraulic power. Brakes are installed on the main wheels.

 

Ex.10. Insert the words from the box:

 

a) monoplane, b) to develop, c) retractable, d) essential parts, e) fuel and oil, f) landing speed, g) to transport, h) wing, i) biplane, j) control, k) function

 

1. The principal use of an aircraft is … people or things by air.

2. An airplane is of five …: the power plant, the fuselage, the flight … surfaces, the wings, the landing gear.

3. Each part of the airplane has its ….

4. The function of the power plant is … thrust which causes the airplane to fly.

5. The fuselage houses the crew, equipment, load, control devices, … tanks, power plant.

6. The … is a surface supporting an airplane in the air.

7. The function of the wing is to provide a high lift and a low ….

8. The plane having one surface on each side of the fuselage is a …, the plane having two surfaces on each side of the fuselage is a ….

9. As a rule the landing gear is ….

Ex.11. Look at the wing elements and answer the questions.

 

1.

2.

3.

4.

 

1. Which wing element is on the leading edge?

2. What is its function?

3. Which element on the trailing edge has the same function?

4. What is the outboard moving part of the wing?

5. What else is there on the trailing edge of the wing?

6. Which element controls roll?

7. Why are spoilers called in such a way?

 

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