What is Aircraft: Definition and 349 Discussions

An aircraft is a vehicle or machine that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. Common examples of aircraft include airplanes, helicopters, airships (including blimps), gliders, paramotors, and hot air balloons.The human activity that surrounds aircraft is called aviation. The science of aviation, including designing and building aircraft, is called aeronautics. Crewed aircraft are flown by an onboard pilot, but unmanned aerial vehicles may be remotely controlled or self-controlled by onboard computers. Aircraft may be classified by different criteria, such as lift type, aircraft propulsion, usage and others.

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  1. G

    Aircraft bombing problem

    Homework Statement assume the dispersion of 3000 bombs launched from an aircraft showed a normally distributed miss distance profile with standard deviation of 10 meters. if 80 bobmbs are dropped on a target with no systematic errors at launch , what is probability that 50 bombs are within...
  2. G

    Resultant direction of aircraft

    Homework Statement in a control configured aircraft the wind is oriented along V= 2i+7j+20k and with a magnitude of 45 knots. the aircraft is controlled to point along vector X = 4i+7j+3k at a speed of 2450 knots. Find the direction and magnitude of aircraft velocity vector ? Homework...
  3. V

    What is the current state and future direction of Aircraft Systems Engineering?

    Hello all, I've been doing some research on the emerging field of Aircraft Systems Engineering. There are a few meanings of 'Systems Engineering' however, I'd like to focus on one for the topic of discussion. http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/academics/grad/aircraftsystems.pdf I am interested...
  4. R

    Is Nuclear Propulsion for Civilian Maritime Vessels a Security Risk?

    Investigate the potential for the use of a nuclear fuel source for aircraft propulsion: If anybody have related document and ideas please post it
  5. L

    Building a RC Aircraft with Recovered Control System

    I recently extracted the control system out of a severely damaged RC aircraft (a very simple kit deal). It's got two servos, and a pretty good motor, which works out perfectly for me! I want to build a new aircraft from scratch using the recovered control system. For the fuselage I'm...
  6. R

    Gravity-Powered Aircraft: Myth or Possibility?

    http://www.damninteresting.com/the-gravity-powered-aircraft Does someone feel like debunking this? Surely it can not work, it is essentially a perpetual motion machine.
  7. N

    Aircraft in General - Get Started with Physics and Books

    Hi, I got really interested in aircrafts (aerodynes) recently and I would love to know more about it. But I have no idea where to start. Better to start with some Physics background first (I used to be interested in Physics, but I dropped it like 2 years ago; I'm returning to it now but still...
  8. B

    Using golf ball dimples to decrease vaccuum drag on motor vehicles and aircraft.

    A golf ball without dimples experiences more drag because the deflection area of the airflow around the ball is larger which means that the pressure drop behind the golf ball is also higher. The increased drop in pressure creates a suction vacuum behind the golf ball which pulls it back and...
  9. G

    Drag Estimation for a Subsonic Aircraft

    1. Homework Statement The small scale drawing given in the Annexure shows the general arrangement and dimensional data on an early version of the English Electric “Canberra” B.1 bomber, powered by two Rolls Royce “Avon” jet engines. It was and is an extremely successful aircraft, designed by W...
  10. G

    Drag Estimation for a Subsonic Aircraft

    Homework Statement The small scale drawing given in the Annexure shows the general arrangement and dimensional data on an early version of the English Electric “Canberra” B.1 bomber, powered by two Rolls Royce “Avon” jet engines. It was and is an extremely successful aircraft, designed by W E...
  11. S

    Question on flow balancing Aircraft Environmental Control Systems…

    I am trying to find out what methods and tools are commonly-used for modeling and flow-balancing ECS on passenger aircraft… Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
  12. B

    Aircraft weight and balance related math - help needed

    Wondering if you have time for a (hopefully) quick math question: To put it simply, the equation is as follows: (xA + zB) / (x + z) = y Where all values except x are pre-determined, and x needs to be changed so the left equation equals y. y represents the center of gravity for a...
  13. G

    Resultant direction of aircraft

    in a control configured aircraft the wind is oriented along V= 2i+7j+20k and with a magnitude of 45 knots. the aircraft is controlled to point along vector X = 4i+7j+3k at a speed of 2450 knots. Find the direction and magnitude of aircraft velocity vector ?
  14. D

    Carbon Free Aircraft: Feasible Possibility or Wishful Thinking?

    We have all been hearing plenty of things in the last decade about the development of carbon free cars. Although someone impractical right now, it is certainly doable. However, I have not really heard anything about alternative fuels for aircraft. It seems reasonable to expect that we could...
  15. G

    Aerospace Rails - Floor of Military aircraft

    I am looking for aerospace mounting rails...I remember that in the cargo bays of several large military aircraft, there are long rails with threaded holes that are used to bolt 19" racks, chairs, etc too. I need to select rails to install on the underside of an aircraft to support a radome...
  16. K

    RC Aircraft Stability: Neutral or Instability?

    For an RC aircraft which i am working on i was thinking about having static stability at the extreme limits of pitching to prevent stalling and further instability, but i was wondering what to have between the limits neutral static stability or static instability. Static instability may help the...
  17. K

    Why Does Low Level, High Speed Flight Decrease Aircraft Efficiency?

    hey, I was reading Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach by Raymer and i came across the following line. ' The aerodynamic efficiency of an aircraft, expressed as the lift to drag ratio is greatly reduced during low level, high speed flight as well is its engine efficiency. ' Can someone...
  18. R

    Flapping wing Vs. conventional aircraft

    I have noticed a lot of research in flapping wings for micro aerial vehicles. Is there an advantage to vehicle with flapping wings vs. a rigid wing or a rotor craft such as a helicopter or quad rotor. I am sure it can depend on the situation and maybe there hasn't been enough research yet but...
  19. Char. Limit

    Hypersonic Aircraft: Flying from LA to NY in 30 mins?

    http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hypersonic-20100527,0,764506.story I found this to be awesome, although I wonder what size of sonic boom a hypersonic passenger jet would make... Nevertheless, imagine flying from Los Angeles to New York in 30 minutes... and we have the technology to go...
  20. R

    Calculating WWI aircraft flight performance

    I'm interested in calculating the flight performance of World War One aircraft. The aerofoils can give me the coefficient of lift, we have the engine horsepower and the maximum level speeds. Wingloading can generate the stall speeds. How do I calculate the minimum horse power required for...
  21. B

    Calculating Aircraft Physics for a Simulation Game

    I’m attempting to write an aircraft simulation game with believable physics, although it doesn’t have to be precise but I’m having a bit of trouble getting it off the ground so to speak. When I plug numbers into the drag and rolling resistance formulas, I don’t think I get accurate results...
  22. A

    Can a propeller driven aircraft break the sound barrier?

    Hope this is the right place for this question, but it is very inetresting to me so I wanted to ask some experts. Can a propeller driven aircraft break the sound barrier? My answer, no. Any opinions will help Thanks
  23. J

    Finding the mach number of an aircraft

    A supersonic aircraft is flying parallel to the ground. When the aircraft is directly overhead, an observer sees a rocket fired from the aircraft. 10.4 s later the observer hears the sonic boom, followed 3.37 s later by the sound of the rocket engine. What is the mach number of the aircraft...
  24. R

    What are dark streaks on the wings of the aircraft near the engine?

    My question is referring to the first picture of the SR-71 on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sr-71 What are those dark streaks on the wings of the aircraft near the engine?
  25. E

    Aircraft Simulation for beginners

    Hello everyone For the past 2 years I have slowly and agonisingly tried to make a flight simulator in http://www.blender.org" . I've gotten as far as this (regarding physics): - got the Lift and Drag calculations - got the thrust calculations - got some REALLY basic roll calculations. It is the...
  26. S

    Workings of Aircraft/Electronics of Aircraft

    I've been wondering for quite some time now how aircraft work. I'm not talking about the aerodynamics of flight, I mean things like, how the aircraft's flaps move when a pilot commands them to using the yoke? I've also wondered how the digital displays, such as the ones in the photo...
  27. R

    Learn About the Loads Acting on Aircraft

    hi, i need to know what are the loads acting on aircraft ? just suggest me some book to read?
  28. R

    Horizontal acceleration of an aircraft

    Homework Statement A Physics student wishes to measure the maximum horizontal acceleration of an aircraft as it accelerates down the runway. To do this the student measures the angle that a weight on a string is deflected from the vertical direction when the plane accelerates (see diagram)...
  29. R

    Motion of an aircraft in ground

    is the principle how an aircraft move ahead in ground similar to how a spacecraft moves ahead in empty space? in the ground air is propelled backward and in space since it has no air, small explosion pushes the spacecraft ahead. Newtons third law. i understand in the case of...
  30. G

    Stealth aircraft coating thickness

    Homework Statement Stealth aircraft are designed to not reflect radar, whose wavelength is typically around 3.0 cm, by using an antireflecting coating. Ignoring any change in wavelength in the coating, estimate its thickness. ____cm Homework Equations Well, that's just the issue. I...
  31. H

    Wing-in-ground-effect aircraft question

    Hello, I'm looking for an answer to a question relating to the performance of a WIGE aircraft at high altitude (between 5,000 and 10,000 ft.). To clarify, I play a (unrealistic) table-top wargame in which wing-in-ground-effect aircraft have recently been introduced. I'm a member of a group...
  32. R

    Aircraft Icing: Risks and Solutions

    I am wondering how much of a problem aircraft icing is. I realize that ice forming on the wings or other parts of the aircraft is very dangerous but are there some good stat about how many accidents this causes? Is it something that has become fairly simple to avoid? I know there is still some...
  33. P

    Electrical power generation and distribution in an aircraft

    i would be delightful if someone Can suggest me any book for this topic-'Electrical power generation and distribution in an aircraft. i am doing my thesis work on it. i would like to add few more points with your help. Thank you
  34. 3

    Investigating Propeller Slipstream Effect on Aircraft Tail

    could anyone help me in that please? i want to to detmine the effect of the propeller slipstream on the horizontal tail the aircraft is pusher and the propeller in front of the horizontal tail the distance is 15cm and the propeller diamter is 40cm or anyone help me with references
  35. B

    Fatigue Failure on Turbine Blade(large subsonic aircraft)

    I am doing a project on the subject above, and i am selecting one type of material that is currently popular used in gas turbine, but i found it difficult to select the material as there are too many nickel-based alloy that can be use for this application. Can anyone direct me with a suggestion...
  36. S

    Discover Fascinating Aircraft Design Videos for Beginners

    Hello, Has anyone come across interesting instructional videos concerning (basic) aircraft design? Cheers
  37. P

    Designing a Computer Simulation for Genetic Optimization of RC Aircraft

    Hello, My project is to design a new type of flying RC toy, and since i am not an engineer and I don't know aerodynanic well, I am trying to craft some kind of aerodynamic simulator on my computer, then run some genetic programming to design from scratch any kind of small aircraft capable to...
  38. A

    Aircraft maintenance engineering

    i am doing aircraft maintenance engineering, after completing it can i go to the m.s aerospace engineering for my further studies... please reply
  39. J

    How do I calculate the missing force on an aircraft?

    Homework Statement This was from a recent paper we did in class, I've tried to re-create the drawing as best I can. http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/378/14264945.jpg The options were (I think) a) 10n b) 6n c) 4n d) 2n Homework Equations Not sure The Attempt at a SolutionI'm not sure how...
  40. DaveC426913

    Commercial aircraft tire skids

    Commercial aircraft tire "skids" Why do jetliner tires skid when they touch down? Surely this dramatically shortens the life of the tires. (I know in the ground transport industry they go to great lengths to save on tires because they go through them so fast.) I've always wondered why there...
  41. S

    What is the best design for cooling vents on a Sukhoi radial engine?

    Advice needed please with the design of cooling vents, louvres on the cowling of a radial engine. Plane is a Sukhoi, as per vid links below, 76 inch span 37cc petrol engined radio control. Cooling will be from cutouts in the cowl approx 20 x 80 mm with a flat plate louvre at the leading edge...
  42. L

    Angular velocity with aircraft (equation help?)

    Homework Statement A 2100lb airplane requires a power of 100 HP at the propeller to climb at an angle of 20 degrees to the horizontal at a constant speed. how much altitude could it gain in 10 minutes? Homework Equations that's actually what I need help on...i left my book at school...
  43. M

    Aircraft landing (drag -> variable acceleration?)

    1. An F-15 touches down with a velocity of 100m/s. The only decelerating force acting on it is the drag, given by- How far does the aircraft move before it stops?2. D = 1/2 x Cd x ρ x A x v^2 (add in your own values for Cd, ρ, and A) a = (-D/m)3. Since the D depends on the...
  44. A

    Aircraft Lateral - Directional Control System help

    Hello, I am in a aircraft dynamics and control class. I am supposed to design a lateral - Directional control system for a UAV in simulink. i.e the plane is starting from North - 0 , East - 0 and 10000ft altitude, and is to go to a way point at some distance N , E and remain at 10,000 alt...
  45. M

    Gas turbine blades Dimentions and Design of aircraft engine

    Hi I am working on gas turbine design to investigate fatigue and creep failure and i want to design gas turbine blades for aircraft engine. I need to find out the dimention for CAd design if anyone help me that what should be the dimention of these blades and how many blades attached to...
  46. P

    Failure of Sparcraft Wings on my Aerobatic Aircraft

    Well Last week I was on a website called the biplane forum. I posted a topic about a very serious real world problem. I own a pitts S1S aircraft. This aircraft is an experimental aircraft. Not certified. Pitts are very popular airplanes in the aerobatic world. There are many different models...
  47. C

    Aircraft Carrier Forces on Impact

    I need help finding the forces when an aircraft’s jump cable catches to stop a plane on an aircraft carrier ship. The aircraft is traveling at 110 mph with the front of the plane 3 feet off the deck of the ship. If the assumption is made that the cable stops the aircraft immediately (the cable...
  48. C

    Calculating Impact Force for Aircraft Landing on Carrier Ship

    Homework Statement An aircraft is landing on a carrier ship in the middle of the Pacific. When the aircraft’s jump cable catches to stop the plane, the aircraft is traveling at 110 mph with the front of the plane 3 feet off the deck of the ship. If the assumption is made that the cable...
  49. R

    Exploring the Mystery of Lost Aircraft: The Role of Satellite Tracking and ELTs

    doesn't the aircraft leave its track through satellite? i mean why they are unable to locate aircraft lost in sea like airfrace flight 447 if the whole track of an aircraft is known, wouldn't the exact position where it lost contact with the satellite be known then and no need of an ELT...
  50. B

    What is the function of leading edge flaps in aircraft?

    Here's what I know from basic tech school: Flaps = trailing dge and slats = leading edge. ?Flaps and slats aid in both take-off and landing. I'm just not sure how they do so. My guess is that during takeoff, the combo increases the wing surface area thus allowing lift at lower airspeeds...
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