Part of Phase 5: Rebuilding Technology
Aeronautics follows the carrier article Aerodynamics and Flight from the physics of lift through wing and airframe construction, propulsion and instruments to flight testing. A wing lifts by turning air downward, and the popular explanation that air must travel faster over the longer upper surface is wrong; the pages here say so and rest on angle of attack instead.
Principles of Flight, Bernoulli’s Principle, Airfoil Geometry, Pressure Distribution, Four Forces of Flight, Boundary Layer and Stall Dynamics cover the physics. Bernoulli’s relation between speed and pressure is correct, and the false step is using equal transit time to explain why the air speeds up.
Wing Design, Wing Planforms, Aspect Ratio, Wing Twist, Control Surfaces, Flaps and Slats and Structural Spars cover the wing. Wing area follows from weight, stall speed and the section’s maximum lift coefficient, a measured value this section does not supply.
Airframe Construction, Fuselage Design, Wood Airframe, Fabric Covering, Landing Gear and Tail Assembly cover the structure. Timber of unknown species and history cannot be calculated, and an aircraft that cannot be calculated must not be flown.
Propulsion Systems, Propeller Design, Carving Propellers, Propeller Balance, Engine Mounting, Fuel Systems and Cooling Systems cover the engine installation. The engine itself is described in Internal Combustion.
Flight Instruments, Airspeed Indicator, Altimeter, Compass Navigation and Inclinometer cover the four basic gauges and how each is calibrated.
Flight Testing, Ground Testing, Glider Testing, Tow Launches, Hill Soaring and Envelope Expansion cover the programme that precedes flying. Each step exists because the one before was survived, and any step skipped raises the chance of a fatal accident.
The Physics of Lift
How a wing makes lift, what moves the stall, and what the four forces ask of it.
- Principles of Flight
- Bernoulli’s Principle
- Airfoil Geometry
- Pressure Distribution
- Four Forces of Flight
- Boundary Layer
- Stall Dynamics
Wing Design
Area, shape, twist, control surfaces, high-lift devices and the spar that carries the load.
- Wing Design
- Wing Planforms
- Aspect Ratio
- Wing Twist
- Control Surfaces
- Flaps and Slats
- Structural Spars
Airframe Construction
The body, the materials and the parts that meet the ground and the air behind the wing.
Propulsion
Turning an engine’s power into thrust, and installing it so that it keeps running.
- Propulsion Systems
- Propeller Design
- Carving Propellers
- Propeller Balance
- Engine Mounting
- Fuel Systems
- Cooling Systems
Flight Instruments
What each basic gauge reads, how it misleads and how it is calibrated.
Flight Testing
The staged programme that precedes and follows a first flight, and why its order exists.