This review will help students with key concepts and skills from the second
nine weeks of Technology Transfer
It will be updated during the course of the grading period.
Glossary of Terms:
Adverse yaw: When
adverse yaw occurs, the nose of the plane turns left when the pilot intends it to turn right,and vice versa.
Aerodynamics: A
field of fluid dynamics that studies how gases, including air, flow and how forces act uponobjects moving through air.
Aeronautics: The
science of making and flying aircraft.
Aft: Toward
the rear of the aircraft.
Aileron: The
Wrights’ “wing-warping” technique was the forerunner to the modern “aileron,” which performsthe
same function. An aileron is a hinged flap on the back edge of the wing of an airplane; it is moved up ordown in keeping the
airplane steady or making a turn in the air. When flying straight and level, moving thecontrol stick to the right will raise
the aileron on the right wing and lower the aileron on the left wing. This will cause the aircraft to roll to the right.
Airfoil: The
wing of an aircraft or something shaped like a wing, like the blades of a propeller.
Aspect ratio: Ratio
of wingspan to wing chord or width.
Ballast: Something
heavy to improve the stability and control of an aircraft or control the ascent of an airballoon.
Balloon: A
large bag or rubber sack that is filled with air or other gases that cause it to rise and float in the air.A balloon is a
“lighter-than-air” aircraft.
Camber: The
convexity of the curve of an airfoil from the leading edge to the trailing edge.
Canard: A small
airfoil in front of the wing of an aircraft that increases the aircraft’s stability.
Chord: The
straight line distance joining the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.
Cockpit: A
compartment in the front of the airplane from which the flight crew flies the aircraft.
Drag: The
retarding force acting on a body (like an airplane) moving through a fluid (like air) parallel andopposite to the direction
of motion.
Elevator: A
part of the tail of an airplane that can be moved to control the airplane’s up or down motion, or pitch.
Fuselage: The
main structural body of an aircraft to which the wings and tail are attached.
Glider: An
aircraft that has no engine and is carried along by air currents.
Heavier-than-air: A
craft that needs power to become airborne and does not float by itself like an air balloon.
Horsepower: A
unit of measurement based on the power that a horse exerts in pulling.
Kite: A
tethered glider that is lifted by the wind. A kite was the first heavier-than-air aircraft.
Lift-to-drag ratio: The amount of lift that is achieved compared to the amount of drag on an aircraft.
Lighter than air: A
craft like an air balloon that is lighter than air and naturally rises.
Pitch: A
rotational motion in which an airplane turns around its lateral axis (major down movement of the nose). Pushing forward on
the control stick will lower the elevators, which forces the tail upward. The pilot will then see the nose of the aircraft
fall, or “pitch.”
Roll: A
rotational motion in which the aircraft turns around its longitudinal axis (an up-and-down movement ofthe wing tips). Pushing
the control stick to the left will raise the aileron on the left wing and lower the aileronon the right wing. This will cause
the airplane to roll to the left. The pilot will see the left wing tip fall and theright wing tip rise.
Rudder: A
control surface on the trailing edge of the vertical part of the tail that is used to make the aircraft“yaw.”
The rudder is controlled by rudder pedals. Pushing the left rudder pedal will tilt the rudder to the left.This will cause
the nose of the aircraft to turn to the left.
Self-propelled: An
aircraft that has a source of power like an engine.
Stabilizer: A
surface that helps to provide stability for an aircraft. An airplane has two stabilizers: a vertical stabilizer and a horizontal
stabilizer. Stabilizers are like the feathers on an arrow, which keep the arrow pointed in the right direction.
Struts: Structural
pieces added to provide support and designed to resist pressure in the direction of their lengths.
Torque: Rotational
force about an axis.
Warping: Twisting
of the wing surface, as the Wrights described it.
Wind tunnel: A
small or large tunnel with a fan that can create constant wind conditions for research purposes.
Yaw: A
rotational motion in which the aircraft turns around its vertical axis, or from side to side. This causes the aircraft’s
nose to move to the pilot’s right or left. Pushing the right rudder pedal will tilt the rudder to the right.The pilot
will see the nose of the aircraft turn to the right.
