Fixed-wing aircraft
An Air India Boeing 747, a modern passenger airliner

A Cessna 177 propeller-driven general aviation aircraft

The Mexican unmanned aerial vehicle S4 Ehécatl in take-off mode

A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air craft whose lift is generated not by wing motion relative to the aircraft, but by forward motion through the air. Air India Limited ( एअर इंडिया) is the national Airline of India with a worldwide network of passenger and cargo services WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout General aviation (abbr GA) is one of two categories of Civil aviation. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV is an unpiloted Aircraft. UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow The term is used to distinguish from rotary-wing aircraft or ornithopters, where the movement of the wing surfaces relative to the aircraft generates lift. Classes of rotorcraft Helicopter See also Helicopter A helicopter is a rotorcraft whose rotors are driven by the engine(s throughout the flight Early history The idea of constructing wings in order to imitate the flight of birds dates to the ancient Greek legend of Daedalus and Icarus The more commonly used term is "airplane", (in the US and Canada), or "aeroplane" (in Ireland and Commonwealth nations excluding Canada), which refers to any fixed wing aircraft powered by propellers or jet engines. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to The word derives from the Greek αέρας (aéras-) ("air") and -plane. ^[1] The spelling "aeroplane" is the older of the two, dating back to the mid-late 19th century. ^[2] Fixed-wing aircraft may be manned or not; they may be large or tiny; every fixed-wing aircraft is open to being scale modeled by perhaps a smaller or larger mimic fixed wing aircraft. Many fixed-wing aircraft may be remotely controlled or robot controlled. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV is an unpiloted Aircraft. UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic

Overview

Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to large airplanes and military cargo aircraft. Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one place to another The word also embraces aircraft with folding or removable wings that are intended to fold when on the ground. WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton Ohio operating with 5000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios offices and transmitter located on David This is usually to ease storage or facilitate transport on, for example, a vehicle trailer or the powered lift connecting the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier to its flight deck. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with The flight deck of an Aircraft carrier is the surface from which its Aircraft take off and land essentially a miniature airfield at sea It also embraces "variable geometry" aircraft, such as the General Dynamics F-111, Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the Panavia Tornado, which can vary the sweep angle of their wings during flight. A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U Panavia Aircraft GmbH is a multinational company established by the three partner nations of the Tornado Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA project Germany WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A swept-wing is a wing Planform common on high-speed Aircraft, with the wing swept back instead of being set at right angles to the Fuselage. There are also rare examples of aircraft which can vary the angle of incidence of their wings in flight, such the F-8 Crusader, which are also considered to be "fixed-wing". Angle of incidence is a measure of deviation of something from "straight on" for example in the approach of a ray to a surface or the angle WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

An F-16 Fighting Falcon, an American military fixed-wing aircraft

The two necessities for fixed-wing aircraft are air flow over the wings for lifting of the aircraft, and an area for landing. In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow The majority of aircraft, however, also need an airport with the infrastructure to receive maintenance, restocking, refueling and for the loading and unloading of crew, cargo and passengers. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, Some aircraft are capable of take off and landing on ice, aircraft carriers, snow, and calm water.

The aircraft is the second fastest method of transport, after the rocket. A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the Commercial jet aircraft can reach up to 900 km/h. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. Single-engined aircraft are capable of reaching 175 km/h or more at cruise speed. Supersonic aircraft (military, research and a few private aircraft) can reach speeds faster than sound. In Aviation, a supersonic aircraft is one that is designed to exceed the speed of sound in at least some of its normal flight configurations The speed record for a plane powered by an air-breathing engine is held by the experimental NASA X-43, which reached nearly ten times the speed of sound. In generic use an experimental aircraft is an Aircraft that has not yet been fully proven in Flight. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The X-43 is an unmanned experimental Hypersonic Aircraft design with multiple planned scale variations meant to test different Sound is a vibration that travels through an elastic medium as a Wave.

The biggest aircraft still in service is Antonov An-225, while the fastest still in production is the Mikoyan MiG-31. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For the fictional aircraft of the novel and movie "Firefox", see Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional. The biggest supersonic jet ever produced and still in service is the Tupolev Tu-160. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Structure

The P-38 Lightning, a twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft with a twin-boom configuration.

The structure of a fixed-wing aircraft consists of the following major parts:

• A long narrow often cylindrical form, called a fuselage, usually with tapered or rounded ends to make its shape aerodynamically smooth. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo The fuselage carries the human flight crew if the aircraft is piloted, the passengers if the aircraft is a passenger aircraft, other cargo or payload, and engines and/or fuel if the aircraft is so equipped. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, In military aircraft or space exploration the payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or space ship including as Cargo, Munitions scientific instruments The pilots operate the aircraft from a cockpit located at the front or top of the fuselage and equipped with windows, controls, and instruments. A cockpit is the area usually near the front of an Aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft Passengers and cargo occupy the remaining available space in the fuselage. Some aircraft may have two fuselages, or additional pods or booms.

• A wing (or wings in a multiplane) with an airfoil cross-section shape, used to generate aerodynamic lifting force to support the aircraft in flight by deflecting air downward as the aircraft moves forward. WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton Ohio operating with 5000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios offices and transmitter located on David A multiplane is an aircraft with more than one lifting surface An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow The wing halves are typically symmetrical about the plane of symmetry (for symmetrical aircraft). Reflection symmetry, line symmetry, mirror symmetry, mirror-image symmetry, or bilateral symmetry is Symmetry with respect The wing also stabilize the aircraft about its roll axis and the ailerons control rotation about that axis.

• At least one control surface (or surfaces) mounted vertically usually above the rear of the fuselage, called a vertical stabilizer. The vertical stabilizers, or fins, of Aircraft, Missiles or Bombs are typically found on the aft end of the Fuselage or body The vertical stabilizer is used to stabilize the aircraft about its yaw axis (the axis in which the aircraft turns from side to side) and to control its rotation along that axis. Some aircraft have multiple vertical stabilizers.

• At least one horizontal surface at the front or back of the fuselage used to stabilize the aircraft about its pitch axis (the axis around which the aircraft tilts upward or downward). Flight dynamics is the science of air and space vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions The horizontal stabilizer (also known as tailplane) is usually mounted near the rear of the fuselage, or at the top of the vertical stabilizer, or sometimes a canard is mounted near the front of the fuselage for the same purpose. A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located behind the main lifting surfaces of a Fixed-wing aircraft The vertical stabilizers, or fins, of Aircraft, Missiles or Bombs are typically found on the aft end of the Fuselage or body

• On powered aircraft, one or more aircraft engines, are propulsion units that provide thrust to push the aircraft forward through the air. An aircraft engine is a Propulsion system for an Aircraft. Aircraft engines are almost always a type of lightweight Internal combustion engine. The engine is optional in the case of gliders that are not motor gliders. Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. See Also Glider A Motor Glider is a Fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power The most common propulsion units are propellers, powered by reciprocating or turbine engines, and jet engines, which provide thrust directly from the engine and usually also from a large fan mounted within the engine. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a Heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating Pistons to convert A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller. specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine When the number of engines is even, they are distributed symmetrically about the roll axis of the aircraft, which lies along the plane of symmetry (for symmetrical aircraft); when the number is odd, the odd engine is usually mounted along the centerline of the fuselage.

• Landing gear, a set of wheels, skids, or floats that support the aircraft while it is on the surface. In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi

Controls

Main article: Aircraft flight control systems

A number of controls allow pilots to direct aircraft in the air. Aircraft flight control systems consist of Flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls connecting linkages and the necessary operating mechanisms to control The controls found in a typical fixed-wing aircraft are as follows:

• A yoke or joystick, which controls rotation of the aircraft about the pitch and roll axes. A yoke, alternatively known as control column, is a device used for Piloting in most Fixed-wing aircraft, analogous to a Steering wheel A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling A yoke resembles a kind of steering wheel, and a control stick is just a simple rod with a handgrip. A yoke is a wooden beam which is used between a pair of Oxen to allow them to pull a load (oxen almost always work in pairs The pilot can pitch the aircraft downward by pushing on the yoke or stick, and pitch the aircraft upward by pulling on it. Rolling the aircraft is accomplished by turning the yoke in the direction of the desired roll, or by tilting the control stick in that direction. Pitch changes are used to adjust the altitude and speed of the aircraft; roll changes are used to make the aircraft turn. Control sticks and yokes are usually positioned between the pilot's legs; however, a sidestick is a type of control stick that is positioned on either side of the pilot (usually the left side for the pilot in the left seat, and vice versa, if there are two pilot seats).

• Rudder pedals, which control rotation of the aircraft about the yaw axis. A rudder is a device used to steer a Ship, Boat, Submarine, Hovercraft, or other conveyance that move through a fluid (generally air or There are two pedals that pivot so that when one is pressed forward the other moves backward, and vice versa. The pilot presses on the right rudder pedal to make the aircraft yaw to the right, and on the left pedal to make it yaw to the left. The rudder is used mainly to balance the aircraft in turns, or to compensate for winds or other effects that tend to turn the aircraft about the yaw axis.

• A throttle, which adjusts the thrust produced by the aircraft's engines. A throttle is the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid is managed by constriction or obstruction The pilot uses the throttle to increase or decrease the speed of the aircraft, and to adjust the aircraft's altitude (higher speeds cause the aircraft to climb, lower speeds cause it to descend). In some aircraft the throttle is a single lever that controls thrust; in others, adjusting the throttle means adjusting a number of different engine controls simultaneously. Aircraft with multiple engines usually have individual throttle controls for each engine.

• Brakes, used to slow and stop the aircraft on the ground, and sometimes for turns on the ground. A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a Machine or Vehicle, or alternatively a device to restrain it from starting to move again

Other possible controls include:

• Flap levers, which are used to control the position of flaps on the wings. Flaps are hinged surfaces on the trailing edge of the wings of a Fixed-wing aircraft.

• Spoiler levers, which are used to control the position of spoilers on the wings, and to arm their automatic deployment in aircraft designed to deploy them upon landing. In Aeronautics a spoiler (sometimes called a lift dumper) is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft

• Trim controls, which usually take the form of knobs or wheels and are used to adjust pitch, roll, or yaw trim. An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor

• A tiller, a small wheel or lever used to steer the aircraft on the ground (in conjunction with or instead of the rudder pedals).

• A parking brake, used to prevent the aircraft from rolling when it is parked on the ground.

The controls may allow full or partial automation of flight, such as an autopilot, a wing leveler, or a flight management system. An autopilot is a mechanical electrical or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being An autopilot is a mechanical electrical or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being A flight management system or FMS is a Computerized Avionics Component found on most commercial and business Aircraft Pilots adjust these controls to select a specific attitude or mode of flight, and then the associated automation maintains that attitude or mode until the pilot disables the automation or changes the settings. In general, the larger and/or more complex the aircraft, the greater the amount of automation available to pilots.

Control duplication

On an aircraft with a pilot and copilot, or instructor and trainee, the aircraft is made capable of control without the crew changing seats. The most common arrangement is two complete sets of controls, one for each of two pilots sitting side by side, but in some aircraft (military fighter aircraft, some taildraggers and aerobatic aircraft) the dual sets of controls are arranged one in front of the other. A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed Conventional landing gear describes an Undercarriage arrangement consisting of two main weight-bearing wheels forward of the aircraft's Centre of gravity, the Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers for Training, Recreation or Entertainment. A few of the less important controls may not be present in both positions, and one position is usually intended for the pilot in command (e. g. , the left "captain's seat" in jet airliners). Some small aircraft use controls that can be moved from one position to another, such as a single yoke that can be swung into position in front of either the left-seat pilot or the right-seat pilot.

Aircraft that require more than one pilot usually have controls intended to suit each pilot position, but still with sufficient duplication so that all pilots can fly the aircraft alone in an emergency. For example, in jet airliners, the controls on the left (captain's) side include both the basic controls and those normally manipulated by the pilot in command, such as the tiller, whereas those of the right (first officer's) side include the basic controls again and those normally manipulated by the copilot, such as flap levers. The unduplicated controls that are required for flight are positioned so that they can be reached by either pilot, but they are often designed to be more convenient to the pilot who manipulates them under normal condition.

Aircraft instruments

Instruments provide information to the pilot. They may operate mechanically from the pitot-static system, or they may be electronic, requiring 12VDC, 24VDC, or 400 Hz power systems. A pitot-static system is a System of Pressure -sensitive instruments that is most often used in aviation to determine an aircraft's Airspeed, Mach number ^[3] An aircraft that uses computerized CRT or LCD displays almost exclusively is said to have a glass cockpit. A glass cockpit is an Aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays.

Basic instruments include:

• An airspeed indicator, which indicates the speed at which the aircraft is moving through the surrounding air. The airspeed indicator or airspeed gauge is an instrument used in an Aircraft to display the craft's Airspeed, typically in knots, to the
• An altimeter, which indicates the altitude of the aircraft above the ground or above mean sea level. An altimeter is an instrument used to measure the Altitude of an object above a fixed level
• An attitude indicator, sometimes called an artificial horizon, which indicates the exact orientation of the aircraft about its pitch and roll axes. An attitude indicator (ADI also known as gyro horizon or artificial horizon, is an instrument used in an Aircraft to inform

Other instruments might include:

• A Turn coordinator, which helps the pilot maintain the aircraft in a coordinated attitude while turning. The turn coordinator is an aircraft instrument which displays to a pilot information about the rate of yaw (turn rate of roll and the 'quality' or 'coordination' of the
• A rate-of-climb indicator, which shows the rate at which the aircraft is climbing or descending
• A horizontal situation indicator, shows the position and movement of the aircraft as seen from above with respect to the ground, including course/heading and other information. The term Variometer also refers to a type of tunable Electrical Transformer A variometer (also known as a rate-of-climb indicator The horizontal situation indicator (commonly called the HSI) is an Aircraft instrument normally mounted below the Artificial horizon in place of a
• Instruments showing the status of each engine in the aircraft (operating speed, thrust, temperature, and other variables).
• Combined display systems such as primary flight displays or navigation displays. A primary flight display or PFD is a modern aircraft instrument dedicated to flight information
• Information displays such as on-board weather radar displays. A weather radar is a type of Radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion estimate its type ( Rain

Propulsion

Fixed-wing aircraft can be sub-divided according to the means of propulsion they use.

Gliders

Schleicher ASH-25 two-seat open class glider

Main article: Glider

and

Main article: Hang glider

Gliders or sailplanes are aircraft designed for unpowered flight. Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes History See also History of hang gliding Summary: Hang gliding existed in China perhaps by the 4th century AD according to the writing of the Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes Most gliders are intended for use in the sport of gliding and so have high aerodynamic efficiency. Gliding is a Recreational activity and competitive Sport in which pilots fly un-powered aircraft known as Gliders or sailplanes Lift-to-drag ratios may exceed 70 to 1. In Aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio, or L/D ratio ("ell-over-dee" in the US "ell-dee" in the UK is the amount of lift generated After launch, the energy for sustained gliding flight is obtained through the skillful exploitation of rising air in the atmosphere. An atmosphere (from Greek ατμός - atmos, " Vapor " + σφαίρα - sphaira, " Sphere " Glider flights of thousands of kilometers at average speeds over 200 km/h have been achieved. The glider is most commonly launched by a tow-plane or by a winch. Some gliders, called motor gliders, are equipped with engines (often retractable) and some are capable of self-launching. See Also Glider A Motor Glider is a Fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power Military gliders have been used in war to deliver assault troops, and specialized gliders have been used in atmospheric and aerodynamic research. Military gliders (an offshoot of common gliders) have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment (see Glider infantry The most numerous class of gliders are hang gliders; hang gliders generally are slower, less massive, and less expensive than sailplanes; hang gliders are generally categorized into a default use of the term "hang glider" for hang gliders that have considerable stiffening and the fully-flexible non-sparred-winged hang gliders called "paragliders". History See also History of hang gliding Summary: Hang gliding existed in China perhaps by the 4th century AD according to the writing of the History See also History of hang gliding Summary: Hang gliding existed in China perhaps by the 4th century AD according to the writing of the Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport A paraglider is a free-flying foot-launched Aircraft.

Propeller aircraft

Smaller and older propeller aircraft make use of reciprocating internal combustion engines that turns a propeller to create thrust. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the Combustion of Fuel and an Oxidizer (typically air occurs in a confined space called a Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton 's Second and Third Laws. They are quieter than jet aircraft, but they fly at lower speeds, and have lower load capacity compared to similar sized jet powered aircraft. However, they are significantly cheaper and much more economical than jets, and are generally the best option for people who need to transport a few passengers and/or small amounts of cargo. They are also the aircraft of choice for pilots who wish to own an aircraft.

Turboprop aircraft are a halfway point between propeller and jet: they use a turbine engine similar to a jet to turn propellers. A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller. A turbine is a rotary Engine that extracts Energy from a Fluid flow These aircraft are popular with commuter and regional airlines, as they tend to be more economical on shorter journeys.

Jet aircraft

The jet-powered Airbus A380, entered service in late 2007

Main article: Jet aircraft

Jet aircraft make use of turbines for the creation of thrust. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as A turbine is a rotary Engine that extracts Energy from a Fluid flow These engines are much more powerful than a reciprocating engine. A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a Heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating Pistons to convert As a consequence, they have greater weight capacity and fly faster than propeller driven aircraft. One drawback, however, is that they are noisy; this makes jet aircraft a source of noise pollution. Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human- or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life However, turbofan jet engines are quieter, and they have seen widespread usage partly for that reason. A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine

The jet aircraft was developed in Germany in 1931. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The first jet was the Heinkel He 178, which was tested at Germany's Marienehe Airfield in 1939. The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first Aircraft to fly under Turbojet power and the first practical jet plane the pioneering example of this type In 1943 the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first jet fighter aircraft, went into service in the German Luftwaffe. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. In the early 1950s, only a few years after the first jet was produced in large numbers, the De Havilland Comet became the world's first jet airliner. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, the early Comets were beset by structural problems discovered after numerous pressurization and depressurization cycles, leading to extensive redesigns.

Most wide-body aircraft can carry hundreds of passengers and several tons of cargo, and are able to travel for distances up to 17,000 km. wide-body aircraft is a large Airliner with twin aisles and typically a fuselage diameter of 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 ft Units of mass There are three similar units of Mass called the ton: Long ton (simply ton in countries such as the United Aircraft in this category are the Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, the upcoming Boeing 787, Airbus A300/A310, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A380, Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, Ilyushin Il-86 and Ilyushin Il-96. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Jet aircraft possess high cruising speeds (700 to 900 km/h, or 400 to 550 mph) and high speeds for take-off and landing (150 to 250 km/h). Takeoff is the phase of Flight in which an Aircraft goes through a transition from moving along the ground ( Taxiing) to flying in the air usually Landing is the last part of a Flight, where a flying Animal, Aircraft, or Spacecraft returns to the ground Due to the speed needed for takeoff and landing, jet aircraft make use of flaps and leading edge devices for the control of lift and speed, as well as thrust reversers to direct the airflow forward, slowing down the aircraft upon landing. Flaps are hinged surfaces on the trailing edge of the wings of a Fixed-wing aircraft. Slats is also a nickname for Australian cricketer Michael Slater, and NHL executive Glen Sather Slats are Aerodynamic Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an Aircraft engine 's exhaust or changing of propeller pitch so that the thrust produced

Supersonic jet aircraft

F-22A Raptor in flight

Supersonic aircraft, such as military fighters and bombers, Concorde, and others, make use of special turbines (often utilizing afterburners), that generate the huge amounts of power for flight faster than the speed of the sound. For other uses see Supersonic. The term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the Speed of sound ( Mach 1 A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs Flight at supersonic speed creates more noise than flight at subsonic speeds, due to the phenomenon of sonic booms. The term sonic boom is commonly used to refer to the shocks caused by the Supersonic flight of an aircraft This limits supersonic flights to areas of low population density or open ocean. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume When approaching an area of heavier population density, supersonic aircraft are obliged to fly at subsonic speed.

Due to the high costs, limited areas of use and low demand there are no longer any supersonic aircraft in use by any major airline. The last Concorde flight was on 26 November 2003. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It appears that supersonic aircraft will remain in use almost exclusively by militaries around the world for the foreseeable future, though research into new civilian designs continues.

Rocket-powered aircraft

Bell X-1A in flight

Main article: Rocket-powered aircraft

Experimental rocket powered aircraft were developed by the Germans as early as World War II (see Me 163 Komet), and about 29 were manufactured and deployed. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A rocket-powered aircraft or rocket plane is an Aircraft that uses a Rocket for propulsion sometimes in addition to airbreathing Jet engines World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The first fixed wing aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight was a rocket plane- the Bell X-1. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The later North American X-15 was another important rocket plane that broke many speed and altitude records and laid much of the groundwork for later aircraft and spacecraft design. These are the records set for going the highest in the atmosphere from the age of Ballooning onward A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight. Rocket aircraft are not in common usage today, although rocket-assisted takeoffs are used for some military aircraft. Assisted take off is any system for helping Aircraft into the air (as opposed to strictly under its own power SpaceShipOne is the most famous current rocket aircraft, being the testbed for developing a commercial sub-orbital passenger service; another rocket plane is the XCOR EZ-Rocket; and there is of course the Space Shuttle. SpaceShipOne is a Spaceplane that completed the first privately funded Human spaceflight on June 21, 2004. A testbed is a platform for experimentation for large development Projects Testbeds allow for rigorous transparent and replicable testing of scientific theories A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight is a Spaceflight in which the Spacecraft reaches space, but its Trajectory intersects The XCOR EZ-Rocket is a test platform for the XCOR rocket propulsion system NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States

Ramjet aircraft

USAF Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird trainer

A Ramjet is a form of jet engine that contains no major moving parts and can be particularly useful in applications requiring a small and simple engine for high speed use, such as missiles. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of Jet engine that contains no major Moving parts. The D-21 Tagboard was an unmanned Mach 3+ reconnaissance drone that was put into production in 1969 for spying, but due to the development of better spy satellites, it was cancelled in 1971. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A spy satellite (officially referred to as a reconnaissance satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or Communications satellite deployed for The SR-71's Pratt & Whitney J58 engines ran 80% as ramjets at high-speeds (Mach 3. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 2). The SR-71 was dropped at the end of the cold war, then brought back during the 1990s. They were used also in the Gulf War. The last SR-71 flight was in October 2001.

Scramjet aircraft

The X-43A, shortly after booster ignition

Scramjet aircraft are in the experimental stage. The X-43 is an unmanned experimental Hypersonic Aircraft design with multiple planned scale variations meant to test different A scramjet ( s upersonic c ombustion ramjet) is a variation of a Ramjet with the distinction being that some or all of the combustion process The Boeing X-43 is an experimental scramjet with a world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft - Mach 9. The X-43 is an unmanned experimental Hypersonic Aircraft design with multiple planned scale variations meant to test different 6, nearly 12,000 km/h (≈ 7,000 mph) at an altitude of about 36,000 meters (≈ 110,000 ft). The X-43A set the flight speed record on 16 November 2004. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

History

Main articles: Aviation history and First flying machine

The dream of flight goes back to the days of pre-history. Aviation history deals with the development of mechanical Flight, from the earliest attempts in Kite -powered and gliding flight to powered Heavier-than-air flight There are conflicting views as to what was the first flying machine. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" Many stories from antiquity involve flight, such as the Greek legend of Icarus and Daedalus, and the Vimana in ancient Indian epics. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Icarus ( Greek:, Latin: Íkaros, Etruscan: Vicare) is a character in Greek mythology. This article is about the mythological character For other uses see Daedalus (disambiguation. A vimāna (विमान is a mythical flying machine described in the Sanskrit epics. Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. Around 400 BC, Archytas, the Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and strategist, was reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a bird-shaped model propelled by a jet of what was probably steam, said to have actually flown some 200 meters. Archytas (Ἀρχύτας 428 BC – 347 BC was an Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Astronomer, Statesman, and strategist The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca ^[4][5] This machine, which its inventor called The Pigeon (Greek: Περιστέρα "Peristera"), may have been suspended on a wire or pivot for its flight. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly ^[6][7] Amongst the first recorded attempts at aviation were the attempts made by Yuan Huangtou and Abbas Ibn Firnas. Yuan Huangtou (Chinese was the son of emperor Yuan Lang of Eastern Wei. Abbas Ibn Firnas (810 &ndash 887 AD) was also known as Abbas Qasim Ibn Firnas and العباس بن فرناس ( Arabic language) Leonardo da Vinci researched the wing design of birds and designed a man-powered aircraft in the 15^th century. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois d'Arlandes flew in an aircraft lighter than air, a balloon. Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier was a French Chemistry and Physics teacher and one of the first pioneers of Aviation. François Laurent Marquis d'Arlandes ( 1742 - May 1, 1809) was a pioneer of Hot air ballooning along with Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier Joseph-Michel Montgolfier ( 26 August 1740 – 26 June 1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier ( 6 January 1745 The biggest challenge became to create other craft, capable of controlled flight.

Le Bris and his glider, Albatros II, photographed by Nadar, 1868

Sir George Cayley, the inventor of the science of aerodynamics, was building and flying models of fixed-wing aircraft as early as 1803, and he built a successful passenger-carrying glider in 1853. Jean-Marie Le Bris (1817 - 1872 was a French Aviator, born in Concarneau, Brittany, who accomplished a glider flight in December 1856 Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes Sir George Cayley 6th Baronet ( December 27, 1773 &ndash December 15, 1857) sometimes known as "the father of Aerodynamics" was Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes ^[8] In 1856, Frenchman Jean-Marie Le Bris made the first powered flight, by having his glider "L'Albatros artificiel" pulled by a horse on a beach. Jean-Marie Le Bris (1817 - 1872 was a French Aviator, born in Concarneau, Brittany, who accomplished a glider flight in December 1856 On 28 August 1883, the American John J. Montgomery made a controlled flight in a glider. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common John Joseph Montgomery ( February 15, 1858 – October 31, 1911) was an Aviation pioneer inventor professor at Santa Clara Other aviators who had made similar flights at that time were Otto Lilienthal, Percy Pilcher and Octave Chanute. Otto Lilienthal (born 23 May, 1848 in Anklam, Province of Pomerania &ndash died 10 August, 1896 in Berlin Percy Sinclair Pilcher ( 16 January 1866 &mdash 2 October, 1899 Octave Chanute, (February 18 1832 &ndash November 23 1910 was a French-born American Railroad engineer and Aviation pioneer

The first self-powered aircraft was created by an Englishman by the name of John Stringfellow of Chard in Somerset, who created a self-powered model aircraft that had its first successful flight in1848. John Stringfellow (1799-1883 was born in Sheffield, England and is known for his work on the Aerial Steam Carriage with William Samuel Henson

Clément Ader constructed and designed a self-powered aircraft. Clément Ader ( April 2 1841 &ndash March 5 1925) was a French engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne remembered On October 9, 1890, Ader attempted to fly the Éole, which succeeded in taking off and flying uncontrolled a distance of approximately 50 meters before witnesses. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In August 1892 the Avion II flew for a distance of 200 meters, and on October 14, 1897, Avion III flew a distance of more than 300 meters. The Avion II (rarely referred to as the Zephyr (west wind or the Éole II) was the second primitive Aircraft designed Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The Avion III (sometimes referred to as the Aquilon or the Éole III) was a primitive steam -powered Aircraft Richard Pearse made a poorly documented uncontrolled flight on March 31, 1903 in Waitohi, New Zealand, and on August 28, 1903 in Hanover, the German Karl Jatho made his first flight. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Waitohi, Waitohi Flat and Upper Waitohi are small farming centres from 5 to 8 km south of Temuka, South Canterbury in New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Karl Jatho ( February 3, 1873 - December 8, 1933) was a German pioneer and inventor performer and public servant of the city of

The Wright Brothers made their first successful test flights on December 17, 1903. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Flight test is a branch of Aeronautical engineering that develops and gathers data during flight of an aircraft and then analyses the data to evaluate the flight characteristics Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting This flight is recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the standard setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics, as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight". The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI is the world governing body for Air sports and Aeronautics and Astronautics world records Aeronautics (from Greek aero which means air or sky and nautis which means sailor i Astronautics, or Astronautical Engineering is the branch of Engineering that deals with machines designed to exit or work entirely beyond the Earth's atmosphere. ^[9] By 1905, the Wright Flyer III was capable of fully controllable, stable flight for substantial periods. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Strictly speaking, the Flyer's wings were not completely fixed, as it depended for stability on a flexing mechanism named wing warping. Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll control of an aeroplane. This was later superseded by the development of ailerons, devices which performed a similar function but were attached to an otherwise rigid wing. For the band with a similar name see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the Trailing edge of the Wing of a Fixed-wing

14-bis of Santos Dumont

Alberto Santos-Dumont a Brazilian living in France, built the first practical dirigible balloons from the end of the nineteenth century. Alberto Santos-Dumont (July 20 1873 &ndash July 23 1932 was an early pioneer of Aviation. Alberto Santos-Dumont (July 20 1873 &ndash July 23 1932 was an early pioneer of Aviation. Terminology In some countries airships are also known as dirigibles from the French (fr ''diriger'' to direct plus -ible) meaning "directable" In 1906 he flew the first fixed wing aircraft in Europe, the 14-bis, which was of his and Gabriel Voisin's design. For the Brazilian band see 14 Bis (Band WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Gabriel Voisin ( February 5, 1880 &ndash December 25, 1973) was a French aviation pioneer It was the first aircraft to take off, fly and land without the use of catapults, high winds, or other external assistance. An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch Aircraft from Ships ��in particular Aircraft carriers ��as a form of Assisted take off. ^[10] A later design of his, the Demoiselle, introduced ailerons and brought all around pilot control during a flight. ^[11]

World War I served as a testbed for the use of the aircraft as a weapon. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Initially seen by the generals as a "toy", aircraft demonstrated their potential as mobile observation platforms, then proved themselves to be machines of war capable of causing casualties to the enemy. "Fighter aces" appeared, described as "knights of the air", the greatest was the German Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout On the side of the allies, the ace with the highest number of downed aircraft was René Fonck, of France. René Paul Fonck ( 27 March[[ 894]]&ndash 18 June[[ 953]] was a French aviator who ended the Great War as the top Allied fighter ace

Following the war, aircraft technology continued to develop. Alcock and Brown crossed the Atlantic non-stop for the first time in 1919, a feat first performed solo by Charles Lindbergh in 1927. British aviators Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop Transatlantic flight in June 1919 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The first commercial flights took place between the United States and Canada in 1919. The turbine or the jet engine was in development in the 1930s; military jet aircraft began operating in the 1940s.

Aircraft played a primary role in the Second World War, having a presence in all the major battles of the war, Pearl Harbor, the battles of the Pacific, the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and They were an essential compnent of the military strategies of the period, such as the German Blitzkrieg or the American and Japanese aircraft carrier campaigns of the Pacific.

In October 1947, Chuck Yeager was the first person to exceed the speed of sound, flying the Bell X-1. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Aircraft in a civil military role continued to feed and supply Berlin in 1948, when access to railroads and roads to the city, completely surrounded by Eastern Germany, were blocked, by order of the Soviet Union. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.

The first commercial jet, the de Havilland Comet, was introduced in 1952. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A few Boeing 707s, the first widely successful commercial jet, are still in service after nearly 50 years. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Boeing 727 was another widely used passenger aircraft, and the Boeing 747 was the world's biggest commercial aircraft between 1970 and 2005, when it was surpassed by the Airbus A380. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Designing and constructing an aircraft

Small aircraft can be designed and constructed by amateurs as homebuilts, such as Chris Neil's Woody Helicopter. Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity Other aviators with less knowledge make their aircraft using pre-manufactured kits, assembling the parts into a complete aircraft.

Most aircraft are constructed by companies with the objective of producing them in quantity for customers. The design and planning process, including safety tests, can last up to four years for small turboprops, and up to 12 years for aircraft with the capacity of the A380.

During this process, the objectives and design specifications of the aircraft are established. First the construction company uses drawings and equations, simulations, wind tunnel tests and experience to predict the behavior of the aircraft. Computers are used by companies to draw, plan and do initial simulations of the aircraft. Small models and mockups of all or certain parts of the aircraft are then tested in wind tunnels to verify the aerodynamics of the aircraft.

When the design has passed through these processes, the company constructs a limited number of these aircraft for testing on the ground. Representatives from an aviation governing agency often make a first flight. The flight tests continue until the aircraft has fulfilled all the requirements. Then, the governing public agency of aviation of the country authorizes the company to begin production of the aircraft.

In the United States, this agency is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and in the European Union, Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA). The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of The Joint Aviation Authorities, or JAA, is an associated body of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC representing the Civil aviation regulatory In Canada, the public agency in charge and authorizing the mass production of aircraft is Transport Canada. Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing Regulations, Policies and services

In the case of the international sales of aircraft, a license from the public agency of aviation or transports of the country where the aircraft is also to be used is necessary. For example, aircraft from Airbus need to be certified by the FAA to be flown in the United States and vice versa, aircraft of Boeing need to be approved by the JAA to be flown in the European Union.

Quieter aircraft are becoming more and more needed due to the increase in air traffic, particularly over urban areas, as noise pollution is a major concern. MIT and Cambridge University have been designing delta-wing aircraft that are 25 times more silent (63 dB) than current craft and can be used for military and commercial purposes. The project is called the Silent Aircraft Initiative, but production models will not be available until around 2030. The Silent Aircraft Initiative is a study being undertaken by the Cambridge-MIT Institute to discover ways to reduce Aircraft noise dramatically to the point where [3]

Industrialized production

There are few companies that produce aircraft on a large scale. However, the production of an aircraft for one company is a process that actually involves dozens, or even hundreds, of other companies and plants, that produce the parts that go into the aircraft. For example, one company can be responsible for the production of the landing gear, while another one is responsible for the radar. The production of such parts is not limited to the same city or country; in the case of large aircraft manufacturing companies, such parts can come from all over the world.

The parts are sent to the main plant of the aircraft company, where the production line is located. In the case of large aircraft, production lines dedicated to the assembly of certain parts of the aircraft can exist, especially the wings and the fuselage.

When complete, an aircraft goes through a set of rigorous inspection, to search for imperfections and defects, and after being approved by the inspectors, the aircraft is tested by a pilot, in a flight test, in order to assure that the controls of the aircraft are working properly. Flight test is a branch of Aeronautical engineering that develops and gathers data during flight of an aircraft and then analyses the data to evaluate the flight characteristics With this final test, the aircraft is ready to receive the "final touchups" (internal configuration, painting, etc), and is then ready for the customer.

Safety

Main article: Air safety

Comparisons

There are three main statistics which may be used to judge the safety of air travel when comparing to other forms of transport^[12]:

It is worth noting that the air industry's insurers use the first statistic (number of deaths per journey). ^[13]

Causes

The majority of aircraft accidents are a result of human error on the part of the pilot(s) or controller(s). After human error, mechanical failure is the biggest cause of air accidents, which sometimes also can involve a human component; e. g. , negligence of the airline in carrying out proper maintenance. Adverse weather is the third largest cause of accidents. Icing, downbursts, and low visibility are often major contributors to weather related crashes. Downburst damagejpg|thumb|right|300px|Downburst damages in a straight line Birds have been ranked as a major cause for large rotor bursts on commercial turboprop engines, spurring extra safety measures to keep birds away. Technological advances such as ice detectors also help pilots ensure the safety of their aircraft. An ice detector is an optical Transducer probe available for Aviation purposes

Environmental impact

Main article: Aviation and the environment

See also

• Aircraft
• Aircraft flight mechanics
• Aviation history
• List of altitude records reached by different aircraft types
• Rotorcraft

References

• In 1903 when the Wright brothers used the word "aeroplane" it meant wing, not the whole aircraft. See text of their patent. U.S. Patent 821,393 — Wright brothers' patent for "Flying Machine"
• Blatner, David. The Flying Book : Everything You've Ever Wondered About Flying On Airplanes. ISBN 0-8027-7691-4

External links

• Airliners.net
• Aerospaceweb.org
• How Airplanes Work - Howstuffworks.com