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Lesson 1: How Airplanes Fly (See FLIGHT Lesson 3)

Lesson 2: Airplane Parts       Lesson 3: Airplane Instruments

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Airplanes - Lesson 2

Airplane Parts:

BASIC AIRCRAFT

Adapted from Stage 2: Lift Off, pg. 33

  • Aileron: moving parts attached to the rear edge of an aircraft's wing that helps the aircraft bank/turn

  • Elevator: moving parts on the horizontal stabilizer of an aircraft that move up or down to make the aircraft climb or descend

  • Elevator Trim Tab: a small tab that helps to reduce pilot fatigue.  It is a small flap that, when air passes over it in flight, it deflects the elevator to the proper position so the pilot does not have to manually hold it there.

  • Engine: the part of an aircraft that provides power to move the aircraft through the air

  • Flaps: found on the wing closer to the fuselage than the ailerons.  They can be lowered to provide more lift at slower speeds so an airplane can take off and land.

  • Flashing Beacon: flashing light on an aircraft that helps pilots avoid mid-air collisions

  • Fuel Tank: the tank that holds fuel for the engine

  • Fuselage: main structural part that connects all other parts together

  • Horizontal Stabilizer: airfoils located on the tail of an aircraft that help maintain a straight, horizontal path through the air

  • Landing Gear: the wheels on an airplane so it can land and taxi

  • Navigation Light: lights that show an aircraft's location for other pilots.  The lights are coded to show an aircraft's left (red light) and right (green light) sides.

  • Propeller: two or more twisted blades that pull an airplane forward as they turn.  Blades have the same shape as wings.

  • Radio Antenna: allows pilots to keep in radio contact with ground control

  • Rudder: moving parts on the vertical stabilizer that turn (yaw) the aircraft left or right

  • Vertical Stabilizer: airfoils located on the tail of an aircraft that help maintain a straight, vertical path through the air

 

FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

Adapted from Flight Crew: Helper's Guide, pg. 15

  • Canopy: the large window on an aircraft that also acts as a door for the aircraft

  • Cockpit: where the pilot sits and flies the aircraft

  • Engine: the part of the aircraft that provides power to move the aircraft through the air

  • Engine Intake: where air comes in to a jet engine to provide oxygen for combustion

  • Exhaust: where superheated air comes out of a jet engine to propel an aircraft forward

  • Flaperons: a single surface that combines the control of a flap and an aileron

  • Landing Gear: the wheels on an airplane so it can land and taxi

  • Nose: the forward part of an aircraft

  • Radar: equipment used to detect distant objects

  • Stabliators: a single surface that combines the control of a horizontal stabilizer and an elevator.  They are used on fighter planes to increase maneuverability.

  • Tail: the rear part of the aircraft

  • Ventral Fins: a small, vertical surface that attaches to the bottom of the fuselage towards the tail

  • Wings: the part of the airplane shaped in a way that gives lift when air flows over it

 

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