What are the chief uses of airplanes?
General uses of airplanes include air medical transportation, weather observation, flight training, crop dusting, firefighting, aerial photography and surveying. Airplanes are also used for entertainment like jet fighter exhibitions, wing walkers and for carrying parachutists. Airplanes also plays are huge role in the military.
What are the parts of an airplane and what do they do?
Parts of an Airplane and Their Function Fuselage. ... Cockpit. ... Wings. ... Tail (Empennage) An aircraft's tail is mainly used for stability, as well as creating lift in combination with the wings. Engine (s) The engine (s), or powerplant, of an aircraft creates thrust needed for the plane to fly. ... Propeller. ... Landing Gear. ...
What do people use airplanes for?
- Passenger transportation
- Cargo transportation
- Dog fights
- Reconnaissance
- Bombing runs
- Crop dusting
- Aerial photography
- Parachute jumpers
- Zero G simulation for astronauts
- Tourism
What are some facts about airplanes?
Airplanes Facts for Kids. The Wright brothers flew the first airplane in 1903. Aida de Acosta was the first woman to fly a plane solo. We use them for transporting people and goods. Modern passenger airplanes can carry hundreds of people. Modern commercial aircraft can fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet.
What is an airplane?
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectrum of uses for airplanes includes recreation, transportation of goods and people, military, and research. Worldwide, commercial aviation transports more than four billion passengers annually on airliners and transports more than 200 billion tonne - kilometers of cargo annually, which is less than 1% of the world's cargo movement. Most airplanes are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft, but some are designed to be remotely or computer-controlled such as drones.
Who invented the airplane?
In 1799, George Cayley set forth the concept of the modern airplane as a fixed-wing flying machine with separate systems for lift, propulsion, and control. Cayley was building and flying models of fixed-wing aircraft as early as 1803, and he built a successful passenger-carrying glider in 1853.
Why are supersonic planes no longer used?
Supersonic airliners (e.g. Concorde) are no longer in use largely because flight at supersonic speed creates a sonic boom, which is prohibited in most heavily populated areas, and because of the much higher consumption of fuel supersonic flight requires.
How does an aircraft propeller work?
An aircraft propeller, or airscrew, converts rotary motion from an engine or other power source, into a swirling slipstream which pushes the propeller forwards or backwards. It comprises a rotating power-driven hub, to which are attached several radial airfoil -section blades such that the whole assembly rotates about a longitudinal axis. Three types of aviation engines used to power propellors include reciprocating engines (or piston engines), gas turbine engines, and electric motors. The amount of thrust a propeller creates is determined by its disk area—the area in which the blades rotate. If the area is too small, efficiency is poor, and if the area is large, the propeller must rotate at a very low speed to avoid going supersonic and creating a lot of noise, and not much thrust. Because of this limitation, propellers are favored for planes that travel at below Mach 0.6, while jets are a better choice above that speed.
Why are jet engines used?
Jet aircraft are propelled by jet engines, which are used because the aerodynamic limitations of propellers do not apply to jet propulsion. These engines are much more powerful than a reciprocating engine for a given size or weight and are comparatively quiet and work well at higher altitude. Variants of the jet engine include the ramjet and the scramjet, which rely on high airspeed and intake geometry to compress the combustion air, prior to the introduction and ignition of fuel. Rocket motors provide thrust by burning a fuel with an oxidizer and expelling gas through a nozzle.
What was the first manned flight?
The American Wright brothers flights in 1903 are recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the standard-setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics, as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight". By 1905, the Wright Flyer III was capable of fully controllable, stable flight for substantial periods. The Wright brothers credited Otto Lilienthal as a major inspiration for their decision to pursue manned flight.
What was the first monoplane tractor?
An early aircraft design that brought together the modern monoplane tractor configuration was the Blériot VIII design of 1908. It had movable tail surfaces controlling both yaw and pitch, a form of roll control supplied either by wing warping or by ailerons and controlled by its pilot with a joystick and rudder bar.
What is an airplane?
Author of Capturing the Horizon: The Historical Geography of Transportation and others. airplane, also called aeroplane or plane, any of a class of fixed-wing aircraft that is heavier than air, propelled by a screw propeller or a high-velocity jet, ...
What are the components of an airplane?
The essential components of an airplane are a wing system to sustain it in flight, tail surfaces to stabilize the wings, movable surfaces to control the attitude of the plane in flight, and a power plant to provide the thrust necessary to push the vehicle through the air.
How does an airfoil work?
By moving forward in the air, the wing’s airfoil obtains a reaction useful for flight from the air passing over its surface. (In flight the airfoil of the wing normally produces the greatest amount of lift, but propellers, tail surfaces, and the fuselage also function as airfoils and generate varying amounts of lift.) In the 18th century the Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli discovered that, if the velocity of air is increased over a certain point of an airfoil, the pressure of the air is decreased. Air flowing over the curved top surface of the wing’s airfoil moves faster than the air flowing on the bottom surface, decreasing the pressure on top. The higher pressure from below pushes (lifts) the wing up to the lower pressure area. Simultaneously the air flowing along the underside of the wing is deflected downward, providing a Newtonian equal and opposite reaction and contributing to the total lift.
What are the forces that propel an aircraft?
(In turning, diving, or climbing flight, additional forces come into play.) These forces are lift, an upward-acting force; drag, a retarding force of the resistance to lift and to the friction of the aircraft moving through the air; weight, the downward effect that gravity has on the aircraft; and thrust, the forward-acting force provided by the propulsion system (or, in the case of unpowered aircraft, by using gravity to translate altitude into speed). Drag and weight are elements inherent in any object, including an aircraft. Lift and thrust are artificially created elements devised to enable an aircraft to fly.
What was the shape of airfoils in the 1920s?
By the 1920s, airfoils typically had a rounded upper surface, with the greatest height being reached in the first third of the chord (width). In time, both upper and lower surfaces were curved to a greater or lesser degree, and the thickest part of the airfoil gradually moved backward.
How does air flow on a wing?
Air flowing over the curved top surface of the wing’s airfoil moves faster than the air flowing on the bottom surface, decreasing the pressure on top. The higher pressure from below pushes (lifts) the wing up to the lower pressure area.
Why is weight important in aerospace design?
Designers thus attempt to make the aircraft as light as possible. Because all aircraft designs have a tendency to increase in weight during the development process , modern aerospace engineering staffs have specialists in the field controlling weight from the beginning of the design. In addition, pilots must control the total weight that an aircraft is permitted to carry (in passengers, fuel, and freight) both in amount and in location. The distribution of weight (i.e., the control of the centre of gravity of the aircraft) is as important aerodynamically as the amount of weight being carried.
What is the name of the aircraft that hunts hurricanes?
Hurricane Hunters. The Lockheed WP-3D Orion, also known as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) hurricane hunters, are flown into hurricanes at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet to collect weather data like the storm’s path and intensity.
What is the biggest plane in the world?
The Antonov AN-225 Mriya is the world’s heaviest aircraft and the biggest plane to ever be built. With six engines and a capacity of 250 tons, the aircraft can carry up to 50 vehicles on board. The AN-225 was initially designed to transport the Buran space shuttle for the Soviet space program.
How much weight can an aircrane carry?
Skycrane. The Erickson S-64 Aircrane is a twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter that can carry an external load of up to 25,000 pounds at sea level. It is also the first helicopter to be built that gives the pilot an unobstructed view of the load being carried.
Where are Beluga aircraft made?
The multinational consortium manufactures sections of its aircraft in four European countries — France, Germany, Great Britain, and Spain. The sections, including fuselages and wings, are then transported by the Beluga to be assembled at a central location.
What is the Beluga used for?
The Beluga has been used to carry space station payloads from Italy to the Kennedy Space Station in Florida, chartered to make commercial flights, and used to transport military helicopters, chemical tanks, and even large French paintings.
Why is airplane mode good?
This is because your phone will no longer have data or radio connections, so your battery will last much longer.
What does airplane mode mean on a phone?
Airplane mode, also known as flight mode, is a setting on smartphones and portable computers that disables its wireless signal transmissions. If airplane mode is enabled on your mobile phone, that means its cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth functions are disabled. Sometimes, GPS functions are turned off as well.
Can you Use Bluetooth on Flight Mode?
During flights, you can still use Bluetooth if your smartphone is in airplane mode. You can use short-range Bluetooth devices, such as your earphones for listening to music or your wireless keyboard for getting some work done. But, just to be safe, before you whip out your AirPods, make sure to ask permission from a flight attendant first.
What does it mean when you put your phone in airplane mode?
Putting your phone in airplane mode means your phone carrier will not charge you top dollar for receiving calls or sending text messages. When you reach your destination, you can use local WiFi to communicate with your friends or family back home.
Do airplanes use radio signals?
Planes have navigational equipment that makes use of radio signals. The wireless transmissions to and from your phone might interfere with the pilot’s work. However, there are other instances when flight mode can be useful as well. You should switch to airplane mode when:
Can You Use WiFi on Airplane Mode?
You can use WiFi with airplane mode enabled, but only if your airplane offers in-flight WiFi. Your phone’s WiFi disconnects automatically when you switch this mode on. However, if your flight offers WiFi, you can enable WiFi in flight mode through Settings and connect to your flight’s network. Take note, however, that in-flight WiFi is not free. Terms also differ per airline.
What is airplane mode?
It’s designed to turn off all the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, and data connections on your mobile device, which might otherwise interfere with the various sensors and equipment on commercial airplanes. If you’ve ever placed your smartphone next to a speaker and heard a loud buzzing or another strange interference sound, then you’ll understand why Airplane Mode exists.
What happens when you turn airplane mode on?
If you turn on Airplane Mode on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch, it will also disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
How to turn on Bluetooth without airplane mode?
To do so, tap the relevant icon in your notification shade by swiping down from the top on an Android device or swiping up from the bottom to access the Control Center on an iOS device.
How to turn on airplane mode on iPhone?
We have a guide on how to turn on Airplane Mode for both Android phones and iPhones, but it’s generally easy to implement — just look for an Airplane icon and tap it. You should always see an airplane icon in your notification bar at the top of your screen when you have Airplane Mode switched on. Typically, you’ll be prompted to turn it on after boarding a flight, directly before your plane takes off.
Can you use Wi-Fi on a plane?
It also means that you can use Wi-Fi on flights, assuming it’s equipped on the plane. 1. Airplane Mode on an iPhone 8. 2. Airplane mode on a Google Pixel 3a XL. 3. Airplane Mode on a Samsung Galaxy Note 20. Thankfully, you can turn Bluetooth and Wi-Fi back on without exiting Airplane Mode. To do so, tap the relevant icon in your notification shade ...
Can you use Bluetooth on a plane?
This means that you can always use Bluetooth, which is short-range, on a flight to connect to devices like headphones.
Can airplane mode be used to boost battery life?
You can quickly turn Airplane Mode on right before you head to bed, and your phone won’t annoyingly wake you up with a text or email alert (and if you’re wondering, yes, alarms still work). When you need to increase the battery life on your phone, Airplane Mode is also an excellent technique to boost it. You can use it and save your battery as long ...
What type of fuel is used in aircraft?
In general aviation, there are two main aircraft fuel types, which are AVGAS and Jet Fuel. Choosing the right aviation fuel for your aircraft depends mainly on its engine type. AVGAS, or aviation gasoline, is used for piston-engine aircraft. These types of aircraft fly through the rotation of the propellers which generate the thrust.
Where is Jet A used?
Jet A is mainly used in the U.S, while Jet A1 is more common in the rest of the world.
What Are the Main Types of Aviation Fuel?
However, commercial airplanes, private jets, and general aviation aircraft widely use and depend on two main types of airplane fuel: Jet Fuel and AVGAS.
Why is jet fuel cheaper than jet fuel?
Although it operates huge engines, Jet Fuel price is cheaper because of its simple refining methods. More Expensive than Jet Fuel. The number of airplanes operated by AVGAS is higher. The number of airplanes operated by Jet Fuel is lower. Sales volume is lower.
What is jet fuel?
1- Jet Fuel. Jet fuel is a colorless, refined kerosene-based type of fuel. It is used for airplanes with turbine engines, like jet engines and turboprops. Jet Fuel is available in two types, too. Jet A and Jet A1.
Does Jet A1 have static dissipater?
Additives: Jet A does not regularly include static dissipater additives. These additives help to decrease the static charges which could form due to the movement of Jet Fuel. Jet A1 mostly contains static dissipater additives. Jet A is mainly used in the U.S, while Jet A1 is more common in the rest of the world.
Is sustainable aviation fuel good for the environment?
Sustainable aviation fuel is a game-changer in the aviation sector. It is the eco-friendly alternative to regular airplane fuels. All the different types of regular aviation fuel contribute to the increase of global warming and climate change because of their high rates of CO2 emission.
Overview
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectrum of uses for airplanes includes recreation, transportation of goods and people, military, and research. Worldwide, commercial aviation transports more than fo…
Etymology and usage
First attested in English in the late 19th century (prior to the first sustained powered flight), the word airplane, like aeroplane, derives from the French aéroplane, which comes from the Greek ἀήρ (aēr), "air" and either Latin planus, "level", or Greek πλάνος (planos), "wandering". "Aéroplane" originally referred just to the wing, as it is a plane moving through the air. In an example of synecdoche, the word for the wing came to refer to the entire aircraft.
History
Many stories from antiquity involve flight, such as the Greek legend of Icarus and Daedalus, and the Vimana in ancient Indian epics. Around 400 BC in Greece, Archytas was reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a bird-shaped model propelled by a jet of what was probably steam, said to have flown some 200 m (660 ft). This machine may have been …
Propulsion
An aircraft propeller, or airscrew, converts rotary motion from an engine or other power source, into a swirling slipstream which pushes the propeller forwards or backwards. It comprises a rotating power-driven hub, to which are attached two or more radial airfoil-section blades such that the whole assembly rotates about a longitudinal axis. Three types of aviation engines used to power propellers in…
Design and manufacture
Most airplanes are constructed by companies with the objective of producing them in quantity for customers. The design and planning process, including safety tests, can last up to four years for small turboprops or longer for larger planes.
During this process, the objectives and design specifications of the aircraft ar…
Characteristics
The structural parts of a fixed-wing aircraft are called the airframe. The parts present can vary according to the aircraft's type and purpose. Early types were usually made of wood with fabric wing surfaces, When engines became available for powered flight around a hundred years ago, their mounts were made of metal. Then as speeds increased more and more parts became meta…
Safety
When risk is measured by deaths per passenger kilometer, air travel is approximately 10 times safer than travel by bus or rail. However, when using the deaths per journey statistic, air travel is significantly more dangerous than car, rail, or bus travel. Air travel insurance is relatively expensive for this reason—insurers generally use the deaths per journey statistic. There is a significant difference between the safety of airliners and that of smaller private planes, with the …
Environmental impact
Like all activities involving combustion, fossil-fuel-powered aircraft release soot and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are also produced. In addition, there are environmental impacts specific to airplanes: for instance,
• Airplanes operating at high altitudes near the tropopause (mainly large jet airlin…