COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENCE (CPL)
(AEROPLANE) AIRCRAFT GENERAL
KNOWLEDGE - CSYA
AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
FUSELAGE
● Body of the airplane to which other sections are attached
● Contains cabin for passengers, crew, flight control and instruments,
baggage
● Made from steel, wood, aluminium alloy, composite materials such as
glass fibre
● Must absorb forces of other sections
● Monocoque structure has no internal structure, all stress carried by
skin
● Semi-monocoque structure has a light internal framework covered
by a skin the carries a lot of the stress (most common)
● Strut-type structure has largely internal framework carrying the
stress of the airframe
WINGS
● Produces lift
● Held to fuselage with a spar (bar), extends to wingtip, which carry
the majority of the stress
● Semi monocoque wing structure also has ribs (transmit load
between skin and spars) and skin making up the structure
● Wing strut on some aircraft (Cessna 152) take some of the wing load
● Stringers run parallel to spars (perpendicular to ribs)
● Ailerons are installed on outer trailing edge (i.e. away from fuselage)
, ●
and move simultaneously
● Wing flaps on inner trailing edge
● Fuel tanks usually found within wing structure to take advantage of
space and produce downward force on wing, counteracting bending
effect caused by lift
● Monoplanes have a single set of wings (high-wing, low-wing, mid-
wing)
● Biplanes have a double set of wings
RIBS
● Provide the aerofoil shape and stiffen uniform
LANDING GEAR
● Supports weight of aircraft on the ground
● Tricycle type has nose wheel in front with wheels near the wing
● Tailwheel type has tail wheel at rear with wheels near the wing
● Usually steering via rudder pedals
● Independent wheel brakes
● Retractable landing gear enables:
○ Less drag
○ Better climb performance
○ Higher cruise speeds
○ Improved fuel efficiency
○ More range
ENGINE AND PROPELLER
● Usually located at the front
● Mounted in a support frame, fixed to a firewall, isolating the cockpit
from the engine
● Propellors can be fixed pitch or variable blade angle
EMPENNAGE
, ● Tail section of aircraft with horizontal and vertical stabiliser surfaces
● Horizontal stabiliser has the elevators
● Vertical stabiliser has the rudder
● Designs include the v-tail, stabilator and t-tail
TRIM TABS
● Small hinged surfaces allowing for the setting of an angle of a control
surface (aileron, elevator, rudder), usually for pilot flight control relief
● Fixed trim tabs are only adjustable on the ground
● Adjustable trim tabs are adjustable from the cockpit via a rod or
system of cables and pulleys
FLAPS
● Flaps are located on the inner trailing edge and increase camber =
increased lift (with some increased drag offset)
● Reduces landing speeds (and therefore distances) and allows
steeper decent paths
● Often a number of settings, the lesser extension being a slighter
drag penalty, and full extension being a significant drag penalty
(increased power needs to be applied to overcome)
● Secondary effect is a pitching movement which a pilot must account
for
FLIGHT CONTROLS
● Aileron for rolling on longitudinal axis
● Elevators for pitching on lateral axis
● Rudder for yawing on normal axis
● Push-pull rods (sometimes with cables) transfer control inputs to
control surfaces
● Stops are fitted to prevent excessive control movements, primary
stops to the surface controls themselves, and secondary stops on
the control column
, ENGINE
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
● Burns fuel internally within a cylinder
● Fuel is mixture of fuel and air, ignited by spark plugs creating heat
● Heat causes a pressure to act on top of the piston, pushing it
downwards
● Downwards movement turns the crankshaft via connecting rod
● Crankshaft turns propeller
CYLINDER
● Where combustion of fuel and air takes place in a internal
combustion engine
● Lower part is the barrel
○ Contains the piston
● Upper part is the cylinder head
○ Contains spark plugs, valves and passage ways allowing gas in
and out
COOLING FINS
● Fins on the outside surface of the cylinder, conducting away heat via
passing air
● Cylinder head gets hotter, therefore fins are bigger
CYLINDER VALVES
● Controls the flow of gases in and out of the cylinder
○ Inlet valve allows fuel/air mixture into the cylinder
○ Exhaust valve allows combusted gases out of the cylinder
● Part of the cylinder head
(AEROPLANE) AIRCRAFT GENERAL
KNOWLEDGE - CSYA
AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
FUSELAGE
● Body of the airplane to which other sections are attached
● Contains cabin for passengers, crew, flight control and instruments,
baggage
● Made from steel, wood, aluminium alloy, composite materials such as
glass fibre
● Must absorb forces of other sections
● Monocoque structure has no internal structure, all stress carried by
skin
● Semi-monocoque structure has a light internal framework covered
by a skin the carries a lot of the stress (most common)
● Strut-type structure has largely internal framework carrying the
stress of the airframe
WINGS
● Produces lift
● Held to fuselage with a spar (bar), extends to wingtip, which carry
the majority of the stress
● Semi monocoque wing structure also has ribs (transmit load
between skin and spars) and skin making up the structure
● Wing strut on some aircraft (Cessna 152) take some of the wing load
● Stringers run parallel to spars (perpendicular to ribs)
● Ailerons are installed on outer trailing edge (i.e. away from fuselage)
, ●
and move simultaneously
● Wing flaps on inner trailing edge
● Fuel tanks usually found within wing structure to take advantage of
space and produce downward force on wing, counteracting bending
effect caused by lift
● Monoplanes have a single set of wings (high-wing, low-wing, mid-
wing)
● Biplanes have a double set of wings
RIBS
● Provide the aerofoil shape and stiffen uniform
LANDING GEAR
● Supports weight of aircraft on the ground
● Tricycle type has nose wheel in front with wheels near the wing
● Tailwheel type has tail wheel at rear with wheels near the wing
● Usually steering via rudder pedals
● Independent wheel brakes
● Retractable landing gear enables:
○ Less drag
○ Better climb performance
○ Higher cruise speeds
○ Improved fuel efficiency
○ More range
ENGINE AND PROPELLER
● Usually located at the front
● Mounted in a support frame, fixed to a firewall, isolating the cockpit
from the engine
● Propellors can be fixed pitch or variable blade angle
EMPENNAGE
, ● Tail section of aircraft with horizontal and vertical stabiliser surfaces
● Horizontal stabiliser has the elevators
● Vertical stabiliser has the rudder
● Designs include the v-tail, stabilator and t-tail
TRIM TABS
● Small hinged surfaces allowing for the setting of an angle of a control
surface (aileron, elevator, rudder), usually for pilot flight control relief
● Fixed trim tabs are only adjustable on the ground
● Adjustable trim tabs are adjustable from the cockpit via a rod or
system of cables and pulleys
FLAPS
● Flaps are located on the inner trailing edge and increase camber =
increased lift (with some increased drag offset)
● Reduces landing speeds (and therefore distances) and allows
steeper decent paths
● Often a number of settings, the lesser extension being a slighter
drag penalty, and full extension being a significant drag penalty
(increased power needs to be applied to overcome)
● Secondary effect is a pitching movement which a pilot must account
for
FLIGHT CONTROLS
● Aileron for rolling on longitudinal axis
● Elevators for pitching on lateral axis
● Rudder for yawing on normal axis
● Push-pull rods (sometimes with cables) transfer control inputs to
control surfaces
● Stops are fitted to prevent excessive control movements, primary
stops to the surface controls themselves, and secondary stops on
the control column
, ENGINE
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
● Burns fuel internally within a cylinder
● Fuel is mixture of fuel and air, ignited by spark plugs creating heat
● Heat causes a pressure to act on top of the piston, pushing it
downwards
● Downwards movement turns the crankshaft via connecting rod
● Crankshaft turns propeller
CYLINDER
● Where combustion of fuel and air takes place in a internal
combustion engine
● Lower part is the barrel
○ Contains the piston
● Upper part is the cylinder head
○ Contains spark plugs, valves and passage ways allowing gas in
and out
COOLING FINS
● Fins on the outside surface of the cylinder, conducting away heat via
passing air
● Cylinder head gets hotter, therefore fins are bigger
CYLINDER VALVES
● Controls the flow of gases in and out of the cylinder
○ Inlet valve allows fuel/air mixture into the cylinder
○ Exhaust valve allows combusted gases out of the cylinder
● Part of the cylinder head
