PARTS OF AN AIRPLANE Click on this box and edit text to add pilot or teacher name 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