WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

Chapter 3. Aircraft Components and Terminology

Wing Position Terminology Wings are attached to an aircrafts fuselage in either a low, high or mid position (Fig. 3.1).

LOW WING

HIGH WING

MID WING

FIG. 3.1

The actual wing position is determined by the following design parameters: Engine Positioning/Propeller Blade Length Undercarriage Positioning Short Take-Off and Landing Capability

3-1

WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

The wings are inclined above, or below the horizontal. Wing inclination above the horizontal is known as dihedral, and inclination below the horizontal is known as anhedral (Fig. 3.2).

DIHEDRAL WINGSPAN

ANHEDRAL

WINGSPAN

FIG. 3.2

Wing Planform Terminology The following terminology is associated with wing planform: Gross Wing Area (S). The plan view area of the wing including the portion of the wing normally cut out to accommodate the fuselage (Fig. 3.3)

GROSS WING AREA (S)

FIG. 3.3

3-2

WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

Net Wing Area. The area of the wing excluding the fuselage portion (Fig. 3.4).

NET WING AREA

FIG. 3.4

Wing Span (b). The straight-line distance between wing tips (Fig. 3.5).

WING-SPAN

AVERAGE CHORD

WING-TIP

FIG. 3.5

Average Chord (CAV ). The Mean chord (Fig. 3.5). The product of the span and average chord gives the gross wing area (i.e. b x CAV = S).

3-3

WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

Aspect Ratio (AR). The ratio of wing span to average chord. Long thin wings are of high aspect ratio, whilst short stubby wings are of low aspect ratio (Fig. 3.6).

HIGH ASPECT RATIO

LOW ASPECT RATIO

FIG. 3.6

Aspect Ratio =

Wing Span Gross Wing Area (Wing Span) 2 or or Average Chord Gross Wing Area (Average Chord) 2

Taper Ratio (TR). The ratio of tip chord (Ct) to root chord (Cr) (Fig. 3.7).
FUSELAGE

TIP CHORD

ROOT CHORD

TAPERED WING

FIG. 3.7

The Angle of Sweepback. The angle between the line of 25% chord and a perpendicular to the root chord (Fig. 3.8).

25% ROOT CHORD

ANGLE OF SWEEPBACK

25% TIP CHORD

FIG. 3.8

3-4

WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC). The chord drawn through the centroid (centre of area) of the halfspan area. It must be noted that the MAC and CAV are not the same (Fig. 3.9).

MAC = MEAN AERODYNAMIC CHORD

MAC

FIG. 3.9

Aspect ratio, taper ratio, and sweepback are some of the main factors that determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a wing. Wing Section Terminology For an aircraft to have acceptable aerodynamic characteristics, various wing or aerofoil sections are used. Reference Fig. 3.10 the terminology associated with aerofoil sections is as follows:MAXIMUM THICKNESS UPPER SURFACE MAXIMUM CAMBER CHORD LINE MEAN CAMBER LINE

LEADING EDGE

LOWER SURFACE

TRAILING EDGE

CHORD

FIG. 3.10

The Chord line.

A straight line joining the leading and trailing edges of a wing.

The Chord. The length of the chord line that is used as a reference for all other dimensions relating to a wing. The Mean Camber Line. The line drawn equidistant between the upper and lower surfaces of an aerofoil. Maximum Camber. The maximum distance between the mean camber line and the chord line. This is one of the variables that determines the aerodynamic characteristics of a wing. Maximum Thickness. The maximum distance between the upper and lower surfaces.
3-5

WILJAM FLIGHT TRAINING

Maximum Thickness Chord Ratio. The ratio of maximum thickness to chord expressed as a percentage. For subsonic wings the ratio is normally 12 - 14%. Aerofoil Cross-sectional Shapes A thick well-cambered wing will produce high lift at slow speeds, whereas a thin wing with the same camber will produce good high-speed characteristics (Fig. 3.11).

HIGH LIFT AT SLOW SPEEDS

TYPICAL HIGH SPEED AEROFOIL

FIG. 3.11

The above are both examples of asymmetrical aerofoils. If the mean camber line is coincident with the chord line the wing camber is reduced to zero, and this is known as a symmetrical aerofoil (Fig. 3.12).

FIG. 3.12

3-6