The Basic Components of an Aircraft
Each part of an aircraft has a different but equally important role in ensuring the aircraft’s ability to safely and smoothly fly. In this blog, we will discuss the seven main components of an aircraft: the fuselage, cockpit, wings, tail (empennage), engines, propeller, and landing gear.
First, and perhaps the simplest of all aircraft components, is the fuselage. The fuselage is the body that holds the aircraft together and contains space for pilots at the front and passengers & cargo in the rear. The next part of the aircraft is the cockpit. This is the area at the front of the fuselage from which pilots control the aircraft. Within the cockpit is the instrument panel, flight controls, pilot seats, rudder pedals, overhead panel, and side consoles. The most important of these is the instrument panel, which provides the pilot with critical information regarding the flight, engine, and other circumstances of the aircraft. Depending on the electronics installed in an aircraft, the instrument panel may be an interactive display or the traditional six-pack (altimeter, airspeed indicator, vertical speed indicator, attitude indicator, heading indicator, turn indicator).
The next components are the aircraft wings, which produce lift. The wings feature control surfaces such as ailerons, flaps, winglets, slats, and spoilers. All of these devices somehow help the aircraft control the way it flies. The ailerons, for example, are one of the three primary control surfaces of an aircraft. They are located on the trailing edge of the wing where they help control the roll of the aircraft.
The next part of the aircraft is the tail or empennage. There are two critical elements of the tail: the horizontal stabilizer & elevator and the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The horizontal stabilizer controls pitch, keeping the aircraft nose from moving up and down. One part of the horizontal stabilizer is the elevator, which is one of the primary flight controls. When the pilot pulls back on the yoke, the elevators rise, lifting the nose of the aircraft. The vertical stabilizer works to control the aircraft in relative wind and prevent side-to-side motion of the aircraft nose. Lastly, the rudder is controlled by pedals in the cockpit. The rudder deflects to the side of whatever pedal the pilot pushes, directing the nose of the aircraft that way. The rudders and ailerons combine to turn the aircraft.
Next, the engine creates the thrust necessary for the aircraft to fly. In general, there are two types of aircraft engines: reciprocating and turbine. In a reciprocating engine, air flows into the engine where it is compressed, mixed with fuel, and ignited by an electric spark. This causes it to combust, forcing exhaust gases out of the back of the engine through the manifold. This process spins the propeller which creates thrust to drive the plane forward. In a turbine engine, the process of compressing air, mixing with fuel, ignition, and exhaust is similar, but occurs inline. In turbine engines, thrust is derived from the speed of the air being exhausted from the engine.
The propeller is an airfoil similar to a wing. They are installed vertically to create thrust and propel the aircraft forward. Propellers are attached to the engine where they spn quickly, creating lift from the pressure difference they create. However, instead of this lift causing the aircraft to move upwards, it moves the aircraft forward. In turn, this motion causes air to pass over the wings and create vertical lift.
The final component of the aircraft is the landing gear. This is located on the underside of the fuselage and consists of a wheel and strut to soften the impact with the ground. In some cases, the landing gear is retractable into the fuselage, but the most common type of landing gear features a wheel at the front and two behind or the reverse.
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