1.

Basic components of an aircraft

 Fuselage
 Wings
1. Ailerons
2. Winglets
 Landing gears
 Empennage
1. Vertical stabilizer and rudder
2. Horizontal stabilizer and elevator
3. Trim tab
 Power plant
 Lift control devices
1. Flap
2. Slat
3. Spoiler
1. Fuselage
The fuselage is one of the major components on an aircraft. It is the long
hollow tube that’s also known as the body of the airplane, which holds the
passengers, as well as the cargo. This area includes the cockpit, so the
pilots are located in the front of the fuselage. Essentially, the fuselage
connects all of the major parts of an airplane together.
2. Wings
• The wings are airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage and are the main
lifting surfaces that support the airplane in flight.
•  Wings may be attached at the top, middle, or lower portion of the fuselage.
These designs are referred to as high-, mid-, and low-wing, respectively. 
• They are attached near the top of the fuselage on high-wing aircraft and at the
bottom of the fuselage on low-wing aircraft. Wings attached at the mid portion
of the fuselage on mid wing aircrafts. Generally almost all the combat aircrafts
are mid wing aircrafts.
• The front of the wing is called the leading edge and the back of the wing is
called the trailing edge.
• Airplanes with a single set of wings are referred to as monoplanes, while those
with two sets are called biplanes.
 Aileron:
• The ailerons are located at the rear of the wing, typically one on each side.
They work opposite to each other, meaning that when one is raised, the other is
lowered. Their job is to increase the lift on one wing while reducing the lift on
the other. By doing this, they roll the aircraft sideways, causing the aircraft to
turn. This is the primary method of steering a fixed-wing aircraft.
 Winglets: On modern airliners, the wing tips are often bent up
to form winglets. These improves the efficiency of fixed-wing
aircraft by reducing the drag.
Fig1:
Ailerons

Fig2: The arrow marks are indicating

the Winglets
Monoplane

Biplane
3. Landing gears

• The landing gear is the principal support of the airplane when parked, taxiing,
taking off, or landing. The most common type of landing gear consists of wheels,
but airplanes can also be equipped with floats for water operations or skis for
landing on snow.
• Wheeled landing gear consists of three wheels—two main wheels and a third
wheel positioned either at the front or rear of the airplane. Landing gear with a
rear mounted wheel is called conventional landing gear.
• Airplanes with conventional landing gear are sometimes referred to as tail wheel
airplanes. When the third wheel is located on the nose, it is called a nose wheel,
and the design is referred to as a tricycle gear. Most airplanes are also steered on
the ground with the use of a tricycle type landing gear configuration.
 The tricycle gear has the following advantages over older landing gear:
• More stable in motion on the ground
• Maintains the fuselage in a level position
• Increases the pilot's visibility and control
• Makes landing easier, especially in cross winds
 Basic landing gear types include those with wheels (a), skids (b), skis (c), and
floats or pontoons (d). [click image to enlarge]
 Conventional landing gear aircraft

Tricycle landing gear aircraft

4. Empennage
• The correct name for the tail section of an airplane is empennage. The
empennage includes the entire tail group, consisting of fixed surfaces such as
the vertical stabilizer and the horizontal stabilizer. The movable surfaces
include the rudder, the elevator and one or more trim tabs.
 Vertical stabilizer and rudder
• The vertical stabilizer functions with the same principle a wing does but being
symmetrical. It is the main control surface of airplanes (fix-wing aircraft). It has
a vertical position, usually in the tail of the aircraft. There can be multiple
vertical stabilizers (in large aircraft usually). The vertical stabilizer is designed
to stabilize the left-right motion of the aircraft.
• The vertical stabilizer has a moving part which is called Rudder, it allows the
airplane to turn left or right about the airplane's vertical axis when activated.
The rudder is connected to the foot pedals in the cockpit of the airplane.
 Horizontal stabilizer and elevator
• The horizontal stabilizer is designed to provide a downward force (push) on the
tail. Airplanes are traditionally nose-heavy and this downward force is required
to compensate for that, keeping the nose level with the rest of the aircraft. Some
aircraft can control the angle of the stabilizer and therefore the level of
downward force while in flight, while others are fixed in place.
• The elevator is located on the rear part of the horizontal stabilizer. It moves up
and down in order to make the airplane's nose move up or down. The elevator is
connected to the yoke. If you were to pull back on the yoke in the cockpit, the
elevator would be moved upward, forcing the horizontal stabilizer to go down
and the aircraft's nose to go up.
 Trim tabs
• These are the small, movable portions of the trailing edge of the control
surface. These movable trim tabs, which are controlled from the cockpit,
reduce control pressures. Trim tabs may be installed on the ailerons, the
rudder, and the elevator.
5. Power plant
• The power plant usually includes both the engine and the propeller. The
primary function of the engine is to provide the power to turn the propeller. It
also generates electrical power, provides a vacuum source for some flight
instruments, and in most single-engine airplanes, provides a source of heat for
the pilot and passengers.
• The engine is covered by a cowling, or a nacelle. The purpose of the cowling
or nacelle is to streamline the flow of air around the engine and to help cool
the engine by ducting air around the cylinders.
• The propeller, mounted on the front of the engine, translates the rotating force
of the engine into thrust, a forward acting force that helps move the airplane
through the air.
Figure: Engine compartment
 2. Classification of Aircrafts
1. Based on fuselage
 Conventional single fuselage aircraft
 Pod and boom configuration aircraft
2. Based on engine-propeller configuration.
I. Tractor configuration
II. Pusher configuration

I. Tractor configuration

Tractor engine on the tail.

 II. Pusher configuration

a. The propeller may be located above the

fuselage, on the wing.

b. The propeller may be

located behind the vertical tail,
under the horizontal tail .
c. Engines and propellers may be located on wings
 HELICOPTE
RS
A helicopter, or chopper, is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied
by rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and
to fly forward, backward, and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be
used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms
of VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft cannot perform.
• In 1942 a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full
scale production, with 131 aircraft built.
• single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the
most common helicopter configuration.
The basic parts of a helicopter
1. Airframe
2. Fuselage
3. Landing gear
4. Main rotor assembly
5. Tail rotor assembly
6. Engine
7. Transmission
Anatomy of helicopter
1. Airframe
• The airframe, or fundamental structure, of a helicopter can be made of
either metal, wood, or composite materials, or some combination of the two.
• Tubular and sheet metal substructures are usually made of aluminium.
• Stainless steel or titanium are used in areas subject to higher stress or heat.
2. Fuselage
• The fuselage, is an aircraft’s main body section that houses the cabin which
holds the crew, passengers, and cargo. The fuselage also houses the engine,
the transmission, avionics, flight controls, and the power plant.
3. Landing gear
• The most common landing gear is a skid type gear, which is suitable for
landing on various types of surfaces. Some types of skid gear are equipped
with dampers so touchdown shocks or jolts are not transmitted to the main
rotor system. Landing skids may be fitted with replaceable heavy duty skid
shoes to protect them from excessive wear and tear.
• Helicopters can also be equipped with floats for water operations, or skis for
landing on snow or soft terrain. Wheels are another type of landing gear.
They may be in a tricycle or four point configuration.
4. Main rotor assembly
• The rotor system is the rotating part of a helicopter which generates lift.
• The rotor consists of a mast, hub, and rotor blades.
• The mast is a hollow cylindrical metal shaft which extends upwards from and
is driven and sometimes supported by the transmission.
• At the top of the mast is the attachment point for the rotor blades called the
hub. The rotor blades are then attached to the hub by any number of different
methods.
• Main rotor systems are classified according to how the main rotor blades are
attached and move relative to the main rotor hub. There are three basic
classifications: semi rigid, rigid, or fully articulated.
 Main rotor blade -- The main rotor blade performs the same function as
an airplane's wings, providing lift as the blades rotate -- lift being one of the
critical aerodynamic forces that keeps aircraft aloft. A pilot can affect lift by
changing the rotor's revolutions per minute (rpm) or its angle of attack, which
refers to the angle of the rotary wing in relation to the oncoming wind.
5. Tail rotor assembly

The anti torque rotor

produces thrust to oppose
torque and helps prevent the
Main rotor helicopter from turning in
the opposite direction of the
main rotor.
• Most helicopters with a single, main rotor system require a separate rotor to
overcome torque. This is accomplished through a variable pitch, anti torque
rotor or tail rotor. You will need to vary the thrust of the anti torque system to
maintain directional control whenever the main rotor torque changes, or to
make heading changes while hovering.
• In twin-rotor / Tandem rotor helicopters , the torque produced by the rotation
of the front rotor is offset by the torque produced by a counter rotating rear
rotor.

Tandem rotor
helicopter
 Tail boom -- The tail boom extends out from the rear of the fuselage and
holds the tail rotor assemblies. 
6. Engine
• A typical small helicopter has a reciprocating engine, which is mounted on
the airframe. The engine can be mounted horizontally or vertically with the
transmission supplying the power to the vertical main rotor shaft.
• Most training helicopters use reciprocating engines because they are
relatively simple and inexpensive to operate
• Another engine type is the gas turbine. This engine is used in most medium to
heavy lift helicopters due to its large horsepower output.
• Turbine engines are more powerful and are more expensive to operate.
• The engine drives the main transmission, which then transfers power directly
to the main rotor system, as well as the tail rotor.
7. Transmission
• A helicopter's transmission transmits power from the engine to the main and
tail rotors. 
• The main components of the transmission system are the main rotor
transmission, tail rotor drive system, clutch, and free wheeling unit.
• The transmission's main gearbox steps down the speed of the main rotor so it
doesn't rotate as rapidly as the engine shaft.
• A second gearbox does the same for the tail rotor, although the tail rotor,
being much smaller, can rotate faster than the main rotor.
 FUSELAGE
• The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, and
cargo.
• It also provides the structural connection for the wings and tail assembly.
• It must be able to resists bending moments (caused by weight and lift from the
tail), torsional load (caused by fin and rudder) and cabin pressurization.
• The majority of the fuselage in transport aircraft is cylindrical or near
cylindrical with tapered nose and tail section.
• In single-engine aircraft, the fuselage houses the power plant. In multiengine
aircraft, the engines may be either in the fuselage, attached to the fuselage, or
suspended from the wing structure.
Types of structures
1. Truss
2. Monocoque
3. Semi-monocoque
4. Geodesic
1. Truss
• The truss type fuselage is constructed of steel or aluminium tubing. Strength
and rigidity is achieved by welding the tubing together into a series of
triangular shapes called trusses.
• A truss is a rigid framework made up of members, such as beams, struts, and
bars to resist deformation by applied loads.
• Construction of the warren truss features longerons, as well as diagonal and
vertical web members. These members carries both tension and compression
loads.
• This type of structure reduces the weight of the airplanes and it is covered with
fabric, so that less drag will be generated.
• This type of fuselage is commonly found on the first few generations of
aircraft. They are strong and moderately easy to manufacture.
 Truss-type fuselage structure.

The Warren truss

2. Monocoque
• A shell like fuselage design in which the stressed outer skin is used to support
the majority of imposed stresses. This design may include bulkheads but not
stringers.
• This structure is very strong but cannot tolerate dents or deformation of the
surface.
• This type of construction mainly consists of the skin, formers and bulkheads.
The formers and bulkheads provide shape for the fuselage.
• Since no bracing members are present, the skin must be strong enough to
keep the fuselage rigid. Thus, a significant problem involved in monocoque
construction is maintaining enough strength while keeping the weight within
allowable limits.
• Due to the limitations of the monocoque design, a semi-monoque structure is
used on many of today’s aircraft.
3. Semi - monocoque

Semi monocoque fuselage design usually uses combination of longerons,

stringers, bulkheads, and frames to reinforce the skin and maintain the cross
sectional shape of the fuselage.
• The skin of the fuselage is fastened to all this members in order to resists shear
load and together with the longitudinal members, the tension and bending load.
• In this design structure, fuselage bending load are taken by longerons which
are supplemented by other longitudinal members known as stringers.
• Stringers are smaller and lighter than longerons. They provide rigidity to the
fuselage in order to give shape and attachment to the skin.
• Stringer and longerons are essential to prevent tension and compression stress
from bending the fuselage.
• Bulkheads are used where concentrated loads are introduced into the fuselage,
such as those at wing, landing gear, and tail surface attach points.
• Frames are used primarily to maintain the shape of the fuselage and improve
the stability of the stringers in compression.
• The main section of the fuselage also includes wing attachment points and a
firewall.
• The benefits of semi monocoque design is to overcome the strength to weight
problem occurred in monocoque construction.
Semi - monocoque
4. Geodesic structure
• A geodetic (but sometimes called geodesic) airframe is a type of construction
for the airframes of aircraft developed by British aeronautical
engineer Barnes Wallis in the 1930s. 
• It makes use of a space frame formed from a spirally crossing basket-weave
of load-bearing members. The principle is that two geodesic arcs can be
drawn to intersect on a curving surface (the fuselage) in a manner that
the torsional load on each cancels out that on the other.
• The Latécoère 6 was a French four-engined biplane bomber of the early
1920s. It was the first aircraft to use geodetic construction.
• [Space frame: A space frame or space structure is a rigid,
lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in
a geometric pattern.
• Strut: A rod or bar forming part of a framework and designed to resist
compression. ]
• Geodesic fuselage structures seek to enhance the aircraft’s shape to reduce
drag and improve speed.
• Geodesic fuselage structures are lightweight, strong, and ultra-durable. They
were typically made of either wood and/or aluminum, featuring a fabric
covering the shell for greater comfortable and aesthetic value.

Geodesic structure
 Wing
• Wings develop the major portion of the lift of a heavier-than-air aircraft. Wing
structures carry some of the heavier loads found in the aircraft structure. The
particular design of a wing depends on many factors, such as the size, weight,
speed, rate of climb, and use of the aircraft. The wing must be constructed so
that it holds its aerodynamics shape under the extreme stresses of combat
manoeuvres or wing loading.
• In its simplest form, the wing is a framework made up of spars and ribs and
covered with metal.
• The wing is mainly composed of spars, ribs, skin and stringers. The fuel tank is
placed inside the wing. 
 Spars
Spar Cap (flange):
• These consist of the upper and lower flanges attached to the spar webs.
• The spar caps carry the bending moment generated by the wing in flight.
• The upper spar cap will be loaded in compression and the lower in tension for a
positive load factor (wing bending upward).
• The spar caps also form a boundary onto which wing skin is attached and support
the wing skin against buckling.
• Concentrated load points such as engine mounts or landing gear are attached to
the main spar.
Spar web:
• The spar web consists of the material between the spar caps and maintains a
fixed spacing between the them. This allows the spar caps to act in pure tension
and compression (bending) during flight.
• The spar web is responsible for carrying the vertical shear loads (lift) which
arises from the aerodynamic loading of the wing. The spar webs and caps are
collectively referred to as the wing spar.
• 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-third of the
distance towards the trailing edge. 
• A spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings while on ground.
• Spars are the principal structural members of the wing.
Ribs
• The ribs are spaced equidistant from one-another and help to maintain the
aerodynamic profile of the wing, these ribs are called forming ribs and they
transmit the air load from the wing covering to the spars.
• Ribs extend from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing.

• Some types of ribs have an additional purpose of bearing flight stress, and
these are called compression ribs.
• The ribs form part of the boundary onto which the skins are attached, and
support the skins and stiffeners against buckling.
Stringers
• Stiffeners or stringers form a part of the boundary onto which the wing skin is
attached and support the skin against buckling under load.
• The stiffeners also carry axial loads arising from bending moments in the
wing.
• These are the stiffening members in the wings.

Skin
• Skin forms impermeable aerodynamic surface. It is riveted to the rib flanges
and stringers.
• Resists the applied torsion and shear forces by transmitting aerodynamic
forces to the longitudinal and transverse supporting members
• Supports the longitudinal members in resisting the applied bending and axial
loads
• Supports the transverse members in resisting the hoop, or circumferential, load
when the structure is pressurized.
• The skin on a wing is designed to carry part of the flight and ground loads in
combination with the spars and ribs. This is known as a stressed-skin design.
• The wing skin on an aircraft may be made from a wide variety of materials
such as fabric, wood, or aluminum. But a single thin sheet of material is not
always employed.