PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 1-2-3 ..../60 points
1
Fill in the blanks choosing from the following words.
1.
shear
2.
stress
3.
spar
(20 p.) aileron – airframe – control – elevators – fin – flap – fuselage
– horizontal – lifting – nose – ribs – rudder – spanwise – spars
– stabilizer – stringers – tailplane – trailing – units – wings
The main parts of an airplane
An aircraft features a (1)
....................................
and a tail and consists of an engine and an (2)
....................................
. The latter is made up of five principal (3)
....................................
: the
(4)
....................................
, the stabilizers, the (5)
....................................
, the landing gear and the (6)
....................................
surfaces.
The wings provide the (7)
..................................................
surface for the airplane. Its structure is normally made up of
(8)
...........................................
members: main and secondary
(9)
....................................
, interspaced with (10)
....................................
, and chordwise members called (11)
....................................
. The
(12)
....................................
edge consists of two movable parts: the (13)
....................................
and the (14)
....................................
.
The tail unit consists of a vertical (15)
....................................
– or
(16)
....................................
– with a movable (17)
....................................
and a (18)
..................................
stabilizer – or (19)
..................................
– to which the (20)
....................................
are attached.
2
Translate the following terms into your language.
(15 p.)
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..........................................................
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4.
airframe
5.
welding
6.
root
7.
bolt
8.
rib
9.
stringer
10.
load
11.
skin
12.
rudder
13.
bonding material
14.
cantilever principle
15 . bracing strut
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3 Match each term with its definition.
1.
bending
2.
3.
4.
5.
elevator empennage former fin a.
gives directional stability.
(5 p.)
Fixed vertical airfoil usually situated on top of the horizontal stabilizer, which b.
The rear part of an airplane consisting usually of horizontal and vertical stabilizing surfaces with attached control surfaces.
c.
A stress resulting from the combination of tension and compression loads.
d.
Control surface for controlling an aircraft in pitch.
e.
Structural member which gives shape.
4 Label the pictures.
1.
(20 p.)

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 1-2-3
2.
a.
b.
c.
3.
4.
a.
a.
d.
d.
b.
e.
c.
c.
b.

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 4-5-6 ..../60 points
1
Answer the following questions.
(12 p.)
1.
What are the names of the three main types of fuselage construction?
............................................................................................................................
2.
What are the names of the three main types of landing gear construction?
............................................................................................................................
3.
What are the names of the three axes of rotation?
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4.
What are the names of the three airplane parts that can be used to change the shape of the wings?
............................................................................................................................
5.
Which movable part would the pilot use to make the airplane turn to the left?
............................................................................................................................
6.
Which part would the pilot move in order to incline the left wing lower than the right?
............................................................................................................................
2
Translate the following terms into your language.
(18 p.)
1.
truss
2.
monocoque
3.
semimonocoque
4.
alloy
5.
bar
6.
frame
7.
bulkhead
8.
strut
9.
housing
10.
brake
11.
leg
12.
tyre
13.
skid
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14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
control stick pitch roll yaw cockpit
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3 Find and correct the mistake in each of these sentences.
(9 p.)
1.
The truss type is made up of a system of beams called spars.
............................................................................................................................
2.
The monocoque is made up of frames, bulkheads and longerons.
............................................................................................................................
3.
The semimonocoque has longerons, stringers, frames, bulkheads and struts.
............................................................................................................................
4.
Conventional landing gears have two main wheels and a nose wheel unit.
............................................................................................................................
5.
The tandem landing gear is used for small aircraft.
............................................................................................................................
6.
Landing gears are generally retractable to increase drag during flight.
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7.
The motion around the longitudinal axis is called pitch.
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8.
The motion around the vertical axis is called roll.
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9.
The motion around the lateral axis is called yaw.
............................................................................................................................
4 Label the pictures.
(21 p.)
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 4-5-6 e.
f.
g.
h.
j.
k.
2.
a.
l.
(11 p.) b.
c.
(3 p.)

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 4-5-6
3.
b.
a.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
(7 p.)

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 7-8-9 ..../60 points
1
Complete the following diagram which refers to the classification of heat engines.
(5 p.)
....................................
engines
Classification of heat engines
....................................
combustion engines
................................
engines
....................................
combustion engines
................................
engines
2
Translate the following terms into Italian.
(30 p.)
1.
exhaust
2.
fuel
3.
heat engine
4.
ignition
5.
induction
6.
intake
7.
reciprocating engine
8.
reliability
9.
ignition
10.
requirement
11 . steam
12.
output
13 . compartment
14.
connecting rod
15.
crankshaft
16.
gear
17.
revolution
18.
spark plug
19.
stroke
20.
valve
21.
cylinder head
22.
blade
23.
by-pass
24.
duct
25.
drive-shaft
26.
fan
27.
gearbox
28.
nozzle
29.
spinner
30.
jet
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3
Fill in the blanks choosing from the following words.
(10 p.) blades – by-pass – carburetor – combustion chamber – compressor – cylinder – piston – spark plugs – turbine – valve
1.
A
..........................................
opens or closes to control the fuel-air mixture and release of exhaust gases.
2 . The
..........................................
fire the fuel-air mixture in the cylinders.
3.
A piston moves up and down in the
..........................................
.
4.
Fuel and air mix in the
..........................................
.
5.
A
..........................................
moves inside the cylinder.
6.
The fuel-air mixture is burned in the
...................................
...................................
.
7.
Air passes through the
..........................................
section to the combustion chamber.
8.
The hot exhaust gases pass through the
..........................................
section.
9.
A turboprop is basically a turbojet with extra turbine
..........................................
.
10.
The
..........................................
and ducted fan engine is commonly called a turbofan engine.
4
Decide whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.
1.
A heat engine is a device which changes heat energy into mechanical energy.
2.
The most popular type of heat engine is the external combustion engine.
3.
Piston and turbine engines work on different principles.
4.
The sequence of events is: induction, compression, expansion, combustion, exhaust.
5.
A piston engine is also called a reciprocating engine.
6.
Four revolutions of the engine are required to complete the two strokes.
7.
During the compression stroke the piston moves downwards.
8.
During the power stroke the spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture.
9.
The crankshaft converts the rotary motion of the piston into a reciprocating motion.
T
(15 p.)
F

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 7-8-9
10.
The process is continuous in a piston engine and intermittent in a turbine engine.
11.
A turbine engine consists of four sections: compressor, combustor, turbine and drive-shaft.
12.
The nozzle is the part of a turbine engine through which the exhaust gases are discharged.
13.
A turbo-prop is essentially a turbo-jet with additional turbine blades and a propeller.
14.
A turbofan features the best characteristics of the turbojet and turboprop.
15.
A turbofan is not as fuel-efficient and quiet as a turboprop.

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 10 ..../50 points
1
Identify the missing flight and system instruments choosing from the following terms.
(20 p.) airspeed – altimeter – artificial horizon – battery – carburetor – clock – compass – control – flaps – fuel – fuel-air – magnetic – oil
– rudder – tachometer – tank– temperature – throttle – turn-and-bank – vertical speed
23
7
1 2
3
8 9 10 11
12
13 14
4 5
16
6
24
16
15
18
19
20 21
22
17 17 17 17
(Courtesy Cessna Aircraft)
1.
....................................
indicator
2.
Gyroscopic
....................................
3 .
.................................... ....................................
4 .
....................................
5.
.................................... ....................................
indicator
6.
....................................
indicator
7.
VHP navigation
8.
....................................
gauge (left tank)
9.
....................................
pressure gauge
10.
Oil
....................................
gauge
11 . Fuel gauge (right
....................................
)
12.
Suction indicator
13.
....................................
(measures rpm of propeller)
14.
....................................
and generator indicator
15.
....................................
16.
....................................
wheel (dual)
17.
....................................
pedals
18.
....................................
heat indicator
19.
....................................
control
20 .
....................................
-
....................................
mixture control
21.
Wing
....................................
control
22.
Trim tab control
23.
....................................
compass
24.
Radio
2 Choose the right alternative.
(5 p.)
1.
If a pitot-static system becomes blocked during flight, which of the following instruments will give an erroneous reading?
a b c d
The altimeter
The turn-and-bank indicator
The vertical speed indicator
The airspeed indicator
2.
In relation to the altimeter, which of the following responses is correct?
a
The aneroid capsule is sealed and affected by b changes of air pressure.
If the instrument is correctly set to read the current c d
QFE, the altimeter will indicate the aircraft’s height above the specific aerodrome.
Part of the pilot’s efficiency checks will be to ensure that the instrument glass is secure and intact.
All the above statements are correct.

PRE-TEST Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane Units 10
3.
In relation to the turn-and-bank indicator, which of the following is correct?
a It is a gyro-operated instrument which utilizes the principle of a gyro having rigidity in space and b c affected by precession.
The gyro assembly will not lose balance, regardless of the aircraft attitude.
It is constructed so that it has freedom to move d about two of the three axes, and shows the rate of aircraft movement about the third.
All the above responses are correct.
4.
In relation to the airspeed indicator, which of the following is incorrect?
a
It is similar to a speedometer in a car.
b It shows the speed (in knots) of the airplane travelling through the air.
c d
It consists of a capsule, a needle and a ball.
It detects the difference between static atmosphere pressure and the pressure inside the pitot tube.
5.
In relation to the artificial horizon, which of the following is correct?
a It shows the aircraft’s position in relation to the
Earth’s horizon.
b The white semi-circle of the instrument represents the sky, the white dot at the centre of the display represents the nose of the airplane in relation to the horizon and the white bars represent the wings c d of the airplane.
In straight and level flight, the nose and wings correspond to the horizon line.
It gives an accurate indication of the airplane’s heading.
3
Translate the following words into Italian.
(15 p.)
1.
attitude
2.
heading
3.
bank
4.
dive
5.
ascent
6.
descent
7.
balance
8.
needle
9.
bar
10.
failure
11 . avoidance
12.
tachometer
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13.
lubricant
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14.
manifold pressure
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15.
gauge
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4 What do these acronyms stand for?
1.
ASI
2.
VSI
3.
EFIS
4.
rpm
5.
CHT
6.
JPT
7.
TGT
8.
OAT
9.
AC
10.
DC
(10 p.)
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3
IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS TEXTS
A
The wing construction is basically the same in all types of aircraft. Most modern aircraft have all-metal wings, but many older aircraft had wood and fabric wings.
Spars
Ribs
Leading edge
Fig. 1
Wood-and-fabrictype wing structure.
Spars
Trailing edge
Wingtip
Fabric
“skin”
Aileron
Internal braces
Stringers
(only those under the wing are shown)
External braces or struts
To maintain its aerodynamic shape, a wing must be designed and built to hold its shape even under extreme stress.
Basically, the wing is a framework composed chiefly of spars, ribs, and stringers (see Fig. 1). Spars are the main members of the wing. They extend lengthwise of the wing (crosswise of the fuselage). All the load carried by the wing is ultimately taken by the spars. In flight, the force of the air acts against the skin. From the skin, this force is transmitted to the ribs and then to the spars.
Most wing structures have two spars, the front spar and the rear spar. The front spar is found near the leading edge while the rear spar is about two-thirds the distance to the trailing edge. Depending on the design of the flight loads, some of the all-metal wings have as many as five spars. In addition to the main spars, there is a short structural member which is called an aileron spar.
The ribs are the parts of a wing which support the covering and provide the airfoil shape. These ribs are called forming
ribs, and their primary purpose is to provide shape. Some may have an additional purpose of bearing flight stress, and these are called compression ribs.
The most simple wing structures will be found on light civilian aircraft. High-stress types of military aircraft will have the most complex and strongest wing structure.
Externally braced
Fig. 2
Wing and fuselage attachments.
Full cantilever Semicantilever
Three systems are used to determine how wings are attached to the aircraft fuselage depending on the strength of a wing’s internal structure. The strongest wing structure is the full cantilever which is attached directly to the fuselage and does

Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane not have any type of external, stress-bearing structures. The semicantilever usually has one, or perhaps two, supporting struts attached to each wing and the fuselage. The externally braced wing is typical of the biplane (two wings placed one above the other) with its struts and flying and landing wires (see Fig. 2).
B
Fig. 3
A semimonocoque fuselage construction.
There are two general types of fuselage construction: welded steel truss and monocoque designs. The welded steel truss was used in smaller Navy aircraft and it is still being used in some helicopters. The monocoque design relies largely on the strength of the skin, or covering, to carry various loads. The monocoque design may be divided into three classes: monocoque, semimonocoque and reinforced shell. The true monocoque construction uses formers, frames and
bulkheads to give shape to the fuselage. However, the skin carries the primary stresses. Since no bracing members are present, the skin must be strong enough to keep the fuselage rigid. The biggest problem in monocoque construction is maintaining enough strength while keeping the weight within limits. Semimonocoque design overcomes the strength-toweight problem of monocoque construction.
In addition to having formers, frame assemblies and bulkheads, the semimonocoque construction has the skin braced by
longitudinal members. The reinforced shell has the skin strengthened by a complete framework of structural members.
Different portions of the same fuselage may belong to any one of the three classes. Most are considered to be of semimonocoque-type construction. The semimonocoque fuselage is constructed primarily of aluminum alloy, although steel and titanium are found in high-temperature areas. Primary bending loads are taken by the longerons, which usually extend across several points of support. The longerons are supplemented by other longitudinal members known as
stringers. Stringers are more numerous and lightweight than longerons. The vertical structural members are referred to as bulkheads, frames and formers.
The heavier vertical members are located at intervals to allow for concentrated loads. These members are also found at points where fittings are used to attach other units, such as the wings and stabilizers. The stringers are smaller and lighter than longerons and serve as fill-ins. They have some rigidity but are chiefly used for giving shape and for attachment of skin. The strong, heavy longerons hold the bulkheads and formers. The bulkheads and formers hold the stringers. All of these join together to form a rigid fuselage framework. Stringers and longerons prevent tension and compression stresses from bending the fuselage. The skin is attached to the longerons, bulkheads and other structural members and carries part of the load. The thickness of the fuselage skin varies with the load carried and the stresses sustained at particular location.
(From http://www.tpub.com/content/aviation/14014/css/14014_78.htm) .
C
Unlike car engines, aircraft engines run at high power settings for very long times. In general the engine is run at maximum power for a few minutes while taking off, then at a slightly reduced power for the climb, and then spends the vast majority of its time at a cruise setting, typically 65% to 75% of full power. In contrast, a car engine might spend 20% of its time at 65% power while accelerating away from a red light, followed by 80% of its time at 20% power while cruising.
Another difference is that if a car engine fails, you simply pull over to the side of the road. If the same occurs in an aircraft, there is a very high chance that it will crash!

Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane
One more difference is that an aircraft engine needs to be lifted, powering itself into the air. The so called power to weight
ratio is one of the most important features for an aircraft engine, and two smaller light engines will almost always be more attractive than one larger engine.
A further diversity between cars and aircraft is that the aircraft spends the vast majority of its time travelling at high speed. This allows aircraft engines to be air cooled, as opposed to requiring a radiator, which can lead to lower weight and complexity.
At one time all engine designs were new and there was no particular difference in design between aircraft and automobile engines. This changed, however, with the start of the First World War when a particular class of air-cooled rotary engines became popular. These had a short lifespan, but by the 1920s the vast majority of aircraft engines were moving to the similar radial engine design. However, both the rotary and radial engine have one drawback: they both have very large frontal areas. As planes increased in speed and demanded better streamlining, designers turned to water-cooled inline engines. Throughout the Second World War the two designs were generally similar in terms of power and overall performace, but the radials tended to be more reliable. After the war, the water-cooled designs rapidly disappeared.
Throughout most of the history of aviation, aircraft engines tended to be more advanced than their car counterparts.
High-strength aluminum alloys were used very early in these engines, decades before it became common in cars. Likewise these engines adopted fuel injection quite early, overhead cams, and a host of other features now common in car engines as well.
During the history of the development of aircraft engines, the Otto cycle engines have been by far the most common type.
Considerable research on engine designs started in the post-war era, but at the same time the entire industry felt that jets, often in the form of turboprops, would power everything from the biggest to smallest designs.
Today the piston-engine aviation market is so small that there is essentially no money for new design work. Almost every engine flying is based on a design from the 1960s, using original materials, tooling and parts. Whereas modern car engines require no maintenance at all (other than adding fuel and oil) for over 100,000 km, aircraft engines are now, paradoxically, less reliable in comparison. Several attempts have been made to introduce newer designs into the market, but invariably they face very difficult problems in the small market.
(Abridged from: http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ai/Aircraft_engine)

Module 3 The Parts of the Airplane
LINKS http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/aircraft-structure.html (This webpage provides a brief introduction to the airplane and its major components: wings, empennage, fuselage, landing gear, engines) http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/airplane.html (Airplane parts) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_control_surfaces (Control surfaces) http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/flight60.htm (Aircraft propulsion) http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/fltmidinst.htm (Instruments for VFR flight: altimeter, airspeed, attitude, turn-andbank indicator) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_instruments (Flight instruments)
VIDEOS
YouTube Tension compression torsion bending shear Case study investigation of the 5 stresses + Science of Arch
YouTube Avcorp: Aircraft structures manufacture and design
YouTube Simple control surfaces of an aircraft + Control surfaces from the inside
YouTube Four-stroke cycle engine
YouTube How a turbine engine works http://www.animatedengines.com/jets.shtml
Animated engines
YouTube How to use Microsoft Flight Simulator X: instruments in Microsoft flight simulator
YouTube Cessna 172N (including flight instruments)