PARTS OF AN AIRPLANE
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General Aviation planes vary in size and shape
but the basic parts remain the same.
Cessna Caravan
Aviat Pitts S2C
Cirrus SR20
Piper Seneca
Eclipse 500
Gulfstream Business Jet
Airplanes have wings that generate lift.
Low-wing
High-wing
The body of an airplane is called the fuselage.
Most General Aviation airplanes have one piston engine
that drives a propeller.
The engine cowl covers the engine compartment.
Typical airplanes have three wheels as part of the
landing gear.
Below: Taildraggers have their
third wheel in the back.
Above: Tricycle gear, like
a bike, has a third wheel
in the front.
Fuel tanks are usually located inside the wings.
Airplanes have windshields just like a car. Light airplanes
don’t need wipers as the propeller blast clears rain away.
Airplane doors vary from model to model.
Canopy
Pilot and passengers sit in the cockpit.
Most light airplanes have two, four, or six seats.
Ailerons on the rear edge of the wings tilt the wings
for a turn or “bank.”
Left turn
Right turn
Left turn
Left turn
The elevator (on horizontal stabilizer) moves up
(or down) to force the nose of the airplane up (or down.)
The rudder (on the vertical stabilizer) moves the airplane’s
nose left or right, helping it turn.
Push left rudder pedal and the
plane turns left
Push right rudder pedal and the
plane turns right
Flaps on the wings change the shape of the wing to provide
more lift and drag. This allows the airplane to fly slower.
Flaps down
The basic parts of a airplane.
The Main Parts of an Airplane
1. Propeller
2. Landing Gear
3. Right Wing Strut
4. Wing
5. Right Wing Aileron
6. Right Wing Flap
7. Fuselage
8. Horizontal Stabilizer
9. Vertical Stabilizer
10. Rudder
11. Elevator
12. Left Wing Flap
13. Left Wing Aileron
14. Door
15. Fuel Tanks
16. Windshield
17. Engine Cowl
To learn more:
GO TO WWW.AOPA.ORG/PATH
12/2005