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Basic Air Force Cadet Course
Created by: Lieutenant Commander(N) Jason Olson
Introduction
The Basic Air Force Cadet Course is designed to provide you with information on 3 subjects
related to the Air Force as well as one subject related to the Web Cadet Corps to give you the
information you need to be successful in your WCC career. The information provided on this
page will prepare you for your Leading Aircraftman rank test which you can access by clicking
on the link to your right.
Each lesson below will cover one of the 4 subjects and there will be questions on the rank test
which reflect on each lesson, so make sure to pay close attention. Once you are ready click on
the rank test link to the right, select Air Force and scroll down to the Leading Aircraftman Rank
Test. Once you have completed the rank test you will immediately be notified by email of your
results on the test and whether or not you have passed. In order to pass the test you must get a
minimum of 7 out of the 10 questions correct.
In order to be promoted to Leading Aircraftman you must pass your rank test, complete a level
1 trade and have 14 days time in rank as a Cadet. For more details on requirements for
promotion check out Appendix C of WCC regulations at
http://www.administration.webcadets.com/regulations/appendixc.php.
Lesson 1: Principles of Flight
Course Code: BAF1
There are four basic forces that are acting on the aircraft during flight which are always
there during all maneuvers. While there are other forces present during specific situations, for
the purposes of this lesson we will be covering the basic 4 forces that are always acting upon
the aircraft while it is in flight, which are:
1. Lift
2. Weight (or Gravity)
3. Thrust
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4. Drag
While in steady flight the opposing
forces are in equilibrium. Lift and thrust
are considered positive forces, while
weight and drag are considered negative
forces, and the sum of the opposing
forces is zero. In other words, lift equals
weight and thrust equals drag.
When pressure is applied to the controls, one or more of the basic forces changes in
magnitude and becomes greater than the opposing force, causing the aircraft to accelerate or
move in the direction of the applied force. For example, if power is applied (which increases
thrust) and altitude is maintained then the aircraft will accelerate.
To help you understand how all this works we will define in greater detail what each of the
four basic forces acting on the aircraft are, and how they work as follows:
1. Weight (or gravity)
Weight is a force that is always directed toward the center of the earth. The magnitude of the
weight depends on the mass of all the airplane parts, plus the amount of fuel, plus any payload
on board (people, baggage, freight, etc.). The weight is distributed throughout the airplane. But
we can often think of it as collected and acting through a single point called the center of
gravity. In flight, the airplane rotates about the center of gravity.
Flying encompasses two major problems; overcoming the weight of an object by some
opposing force, and controlling the object in flight. Both of these problems are related to the
object's weight and the location of the center of gravity. During a flight, an airplane's weight
constantly changes as the aircraft consumes fuel. The distribution of the weight and the center
of gravity also changes. So the pilot must constantly adjust the controls to keep the airplane
balanced, or trimmed.
2. Lift
To overcome the weight force, airplanes generate an opposing force called lift. Lift is generated
by the motion of the airplane through the air and is an aerodynamic force. "Aero" stands for
the air, and "dynamic" denotes motion. Lift is directed perpendicular to the flight direction. The
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magnitude of the lift depends on several factors including the shape, size, and velocity of the
aircraft. As with weight, each part of the aircraft contributes to the aircraft lift force. Most of
the lift is generated by the wings. Aircraft lift acts through a single point called the center of
pressure. The center of pressure is defined just like the center of gravity, but using the pressure
distribution around the body instead of the weight distribution.
The distribution of lift around the aircraft is important for solving the control problem.
Aerodynamic surfaces are used to control the aircraft in roll, pitch, and yaw.
3. Drag
As the airplane moves through the air, there is another aerodynamic force present. The air
resists the motion of the aircraft and the resistance force is called drag. Drag is directed along
and opposed to the flight direction. Like lift, there are many factors that affect the magnitude
of the drag force including the shape of the aircraft, the "stickiness" of the air, and the velocity
of the aircraft. Like lift, we collect all of the individual components' drags and combine them
into a single aircraft drag magnitude. And like lift, drag acts through the aircraft center of
pressure.
4. Thrust
To overcome drag, airplanes use a propulsion system to generate a force called thrust. The
direction of the thrust force depends on how the engines are attached to the aircraft. In the
figure shown above, two turbine engines are located under the wings, parallel to the body, with
thrust acting along the body centerline. On some aircraft, such as the Harrier, the thrust
direction can be varied to help the airplane take off in a very short distance. The magnitude of
the thrust depends on many factors associated with the propulsion system including the type of
engine, the number of engines, and the throttle setting.
For jet engines, it is often confusing to remember that aircraft thrust is a reaction to the hot gas
rushing out of the nozzle. The hot gas goes out the back, but the thrust pushes towards the
front.
Lesson 2: Propulsion
Course Code: BAF2
Ever since they have had airplanes (except for the glider) they have needed engines to
keep them in the air. In this lesson we are going to go over a couple different types of engines
and how they work, as this is a fundamental basic that everybody in the Air Force should
understand, whether you are flying the planes or working on them, or even up in the tower
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directing them, these basics will help you understand how the engine operates, so that you can
get an appreciation for what it is capable of and identify any problems.
Piston Engines
Like a car has an engine, so does an aircraft. So its not surprising that the first aircraft
engines that the Wright Brothers flew in 1903 were based off of the same engines found in
cars, which are piston engines. The problem they soon realized however was the cooling system
used in a car engine, which is a water cooling system (based on outside air coming in to cool the
warm water in the engine) requires water, which adds a lot of excess weight and drag (as
explained in Lesson 1) limiting the aircraft’s performance capabilities substantially. So in 1908,
only 5 years after the first flight by the Wright Brothers air-cooled engines were introduced,
and they performed much better than their water cooled predecessors due to 30% or more less
weight on the aircraft.
Like any new innovation however there were road bumps which is why you still saw
liquid cooled engines all the way into late 1940s (in fact some of the best fighter planes in
World War 2 used liquid cooled engines). A major advancement however in air cooled engines
was the development of the NACA cowling, which was an enclosure for the engine that limited
the flow of air over the engine cylinders to the air actually in contact with the cooling fins of the
cylinders.
Jet Engines
A Jet Engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of fluid to generate
thrust. Most jet engines are internal combustion engines which mean that the combustion of
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fuel occurs with air coming into a combustion chamber. The following diagram shows you the
various parts of a jet engine and the process that it goes through by passing through various
sections of the engine, in order to produce force.
There are many different types of Jet Engines, however we are just going to focus on the
2 most common types and what they are used for, as follows:
1. Turbofan Engines
Most modern jet engines are turbofans, where the low pressure compressure acts as a fan,
supplying supercharged air not only to the engine core, but also to a bypass duct. The bypass
airflow either passes to a separate cold nozzle or mixes with low pressure gases, before
expanding through a mixed flow nozzle. These engines are used for airliners because they give
an exhaust speed that is better matched for subsonic airliners, because at the speeds airliners
travel which is more conventional these types of engines will waste less energy.
2. Rocket Engines
This is a very common form of jet engine, used for high altitude flights because of their very
high thrust and lack of reliance on atmospheric oxygen which makes them capable of operating
at much higher altitudes. These types of engines are used for space exploration, launching
satellites and were the engines that permitted us to land on the moon.
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Lesson 3: Types of Navigation
Course Code: BAF3
There are several different methods of navigation used by pilots to find their way from one
place to another. They are as follows:
1. Pilotage
Pilotage is navigation by reference to landmarks such as mountains, cities and rivers.
2. Dead Reckoning
Navigation by use of predetermined vectors of wind and true airspeed and pre-calculated
heading, ground speed and estimated time of arrival.
3. Radio Navigation
Navigation by use of radio aids, that is, navigation signals broadcast by radio stations on the
ground or from satellites.
4. Celestial Navigation
Navigation by measuring angles to the heavens (sun, moon and stars) to determine your
position on the earth.
5. Inertial Navigation
Navigation by self-contained airborne gyroscopic equipment or electronic computers that provide a
continuous display of position. For example, GPS systems.
Most of the time a pilot will use several of the above methods of navigation in combination, in order to
get the best results. For instance pilotage is limited to what you can see but by combining this type of
navigation with dead reckoning it will be far more effective than using one or the other on its own.
Lesson 4: Chain of Command
Course Code: WCCB
The Web Cadet Corps, like any military organization, has a strict chain of command that must
be followed whenever you have an issue. The chain is set up this way so that you have someone
to speak with on every level. Authority is granted to persons on each level to perform certain
functions and deal with problems of certain severity. If a problem ever arises that is beyond
that person’s power, they take it up to the next level on the chain of command. An issue will
continue to be passed up the chain until it has reached a person who can deal with the
situation. The last step in that chain is the Commandant, who has authority over all matters in
the WCC.
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There are very few times one is allowed to bypass any part of the chain. If your immediate
superior is the problem (you have a complaint against the XO, for example) you may go to the
CO. If the situation is of a severe nature (harassment or abuse in ANY form) you may go directly
to the CO. These occurrences go directly to the Commandant whom give strong consideration
to the situation and arrange for trials.
Let’s start our way at the bottom and work up!
Cadet:
The Cadets in the division are at the bottom of the chain.
They are busy doing their unit related tasks and have no
major responsibilities outside of that. They are also viewed
as being at the top as well, because without the cadets, we
wouldn’t have a Corps!
Divisional Petty Officer:
The Divisional Petty Officer is the person who is directly
responsible for the cadets. They will email cadets from
time to time to see who is active, pass on messages and
relay orders from higher up on the chain. They are the first
person you speak to.
Divisional Chief Petty Officer:
The DCPO is not always found in your chain, as sometimes
there are not enough staff cadets to fill these roles. When
they are around, they are there to mentor the DPO, ensure
that everyone is progressing through training and assists
the DPO in dealing with concerns.
Divisional Officer:
The DivO is the officer in charge of your division. He or she
ensures that all the paperwork is done including monthly
reports and evaluations. They will be the one who helps
mentor Senior NCOs and reports to the Executive Officer.
Executive Officer:
The XO is the second in command of the unit. Should the
CO ever have to leave, the XO assumes command of the
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unit till the CO comes back. The XO is responsible for the
day to day operations of the unit and reports to the CO.
Commanding Officer:
The CO is the officer in charge of the unit. All the big
decisions are made through him or her. The CO also
represents the unit to functions between other units and
to the Operations Officer.
Operations and Logistics Officers:
The Ops and Logs Os are responsible for the overall
management of the units and departments respectively.
They assign and manage all projects within the units and
departments and assist wherever possible. They report to
the Adjutant.
Adjutant:
The Adj, or Angie as tradition dictates, is the second in
command of the Web Cadet Corps. Like the XO of your
unit, the Adj is responsible for the day to day operations of
the WCC and most of the major disciplinary actions. The
Adjutant reports to the Commandant.
Corps Senior NCO:
Somewhere in the mix is the CSNCO. The CSNCO is the
most senior Non Commissioned Officer in the Corps. He or
she is the Commandant’s representative to the NCOs, as
well as the NCO’s representative to the Wardroom. The
CSNCO also helps to ensure that all Unit Senior NCOs are
running at maximum efficiency and assist where possible.
Commandant:
The Commandant is the elected leader of the WCC. He or
she holds authority over all things in the Corps. Lets just
say, if you’re ever in his office, and not getting a medal,
just pack your bags right now! The Commandant provides
the Corps’ direction, and uses his or her term to put in
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place a vision for the WCC that will hopefully allow it to
progress and grow. The Commandant is also responsible
for the traditions of the Corps, and ensuring that our
history lives on!
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