Aircrafts

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Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly through the air
(or through any other atmosphere). All the human activity which surrounds
aircraft is called aviation. (Most rocket vehicles are not aircraft because
they are not supported by the surrounding air).


Manned aircraft are flown by a pilot. Unmanned aircraft are traditionally
called drones, while the term RPV (remote piloted vehicle) has recently become
common in modern military circles.

Different kinds of aircraft


Aircraft fall into two broad categories: Lighter-than-air, called aerostats,
and heavier-than-air, called aerodynes.

Lighter than air — aerostats

Aerostats use buoyancy to float in the air in much the same way that ships
float on the water. They are characterized by one or more large gasbags or
canopies, filled with a relatively low density gas such as helium, hydrogen or
hot air, which is lighter than the surrounding air. When the weight of this is
added to the weight of the aircraft structure, it adds up to the same weight
as the air that the craft displaces.

Heavier than air — aerodynes


Heavier-than-air aircraft must find some way to push air or gas downwards, so
that a reaction occurs (by Newton's laws of motion) to push the aircraft
upwards. This dynamic movement through the air is the origin of the term
aerodyne. There are two ways to produce dynamic upthrust: aerodynamic lift,
and powered lift in the form of engine thrust. Aerodynamic lift is the most
common, with aeroplanes kept in the air by the forward movement of wings, and
rotorcraft by spinning wing-shaped rotors. A wing is a flat, horizontal
surface, usually shaped in cross-section as an aerofoil. To fly it must move
forwards through the air; this movement of air over the aerofoil shape
deflects air downward to create an equal and opposite upward force, called
lift, according to Newton's third law of motion.


Aeroplanes

Aeroplanes or Airplanes are technically called fixed-wing aircraft. The
forerunner of the aeroplane is the kite. A kite depends upon the tension
between the cord which anchors it to the ground and the force of the wind
currents. Kites were the first kind of aircraft to fly, and were invented in
China around 500 BC. Much aerodynamic research was done with kites before test
aircraft, wind tunnels and most recently computer modelling programs became
availableAeroplanes are generally characterised by their wing configuration.


Rotorcraft, or rotary-wing aircraft, use a spinning rotor with aerofoil
section blades (a rotary wing) to provide lift. Types include helicopters,
autogyros and various hybrids such as gyrodynes and compound rotorcraft.
Helicopters have powered rotors. The rotor is driven (directly or indirectly)
by an engine and pushes air downwards to create lift. By tilting the rotor
forwards, the downwards flow is tilted backwards, producing thrust for forward
flight. Autogyros or gyroplanes have unpowered rotors, with a separate power
plant to provide thrust. The rotor is tilted backwards. As the autogyro moves
forward, air blows upwards through it, making it spin. This spinning
dramatically increases the speed of airflow over the rotor, to provide lift.
Cierva used the product name autogiro, and Bensen used gyrocopter. Rotor
kites, such as the Focke Achgelis Fa 330 are unpowered autogyros, which must
be towed by a tether to give them forward speed. Gyrodynes are a form of
helicopter, where forward thrust is obtained from a separate propulsion device
rather than from tilting the rotor. The definition of a 'gyrodyne' has changed
over the years, sometimes including equivalent autogyro designs. The most
important characteristic is that in forward flight air does not flow
significantly either up or down through the rotor disc but primarily


Propulsion

Unpowered

Some types of aircraft, such as balloons, kites and gliders, do not have any
propulsion. Balloons drift with the wind, though normally the pilot can
control the altitude either by heating the air or by releasing ballast, giving
some directional control (since the wind direction changes with altitude).

Kites are tethered to the ground, and rely on wind blowing over them to
generate lift.


Gliders gain their initial thrust from some launch mechanism, and then gain
energy from gravity and thermal currents. Takeoff takes place from a high
location, or the aircraft is pulled into the air by a ground-based winch or
vehicle, or towed aloft by a powered "tug" aircraft. For a glider to
maintain its forward air speed and lift, it must descend in relation to the
air (but not necessarily in relation to the ground). The first practical
example was designed and built by the British scientist and pioneer George
Cayley who is universally recognised as the first aeronautical engineer.


Propeller driven


A propeller comprises a set of small, wing-like aerofoils set around a central
hub and aligned in the direction of travel. Spinning the propeller creates
aerodynamic lift, or thrust, in a forward direction. A contra-prop arrangement
has a second propeller close behind the first one on the same axis, which
rotates in the opposite direction.


Jet engines

Jet engines provide thrust by taking in air, burning it with fuel, and
accelerating the exhaust rearwards so that it ejects at high speed. The
reaction against this acceleration provides the engine thrust. Jet engines can
provide much higher thrust than propellers, and are naturally efficient at
higher altitudes, being able to operate above 40,000 ft (12,000 m).
They are also much more fuel-efficient than rockets. Consequently, nearly all
high-speed and high-altitude aircraft use jet engines. The early turbojet and
modern turbofan use a spinning turbine to create airflow for takeoff and to
provide thrust, but this is not absolutely necessary. Other designs include
the crude pulse jet, high-speed ramjet and the still-experimental
supersonic-combustion ramjet or scramjet. These designs require an existing
airflow to work and cannot work when stationary, so they must be launched by a
catapult or rocket booster, or dropped from a mother ship. The engines of the
Lockheed blackbird were a hybrid design - the aircraft took off and landed in
jet turbine configuration, and for high-speed flight the turbine was bypassed
to form a ramjet. The motorjet used a piston engine in place of the turbine -
it was superseded by the turbojet and remained a curiosity


Other forms of propulsion

•Rocket aircraft have occasionally been experimented with, and the
Messerschmitt Komet fighter even saw action in the Second World War. Since
then they have been restricted to rather specialised niches, such as the North
American X-15 which travelled up into space where no oxygen is available for
combustion (rockets carry their own oxidant). Rockets have more often been
used as a supplement to the main powerplant, typically to assist takeoff of
heavily-loaded aircraft, but also in a few experimental designs such as the
Saunders-Roe SR.53 to provide a high-speed dash capability.


•The flapping-wing ornithopter is a category of its own. These designs may
have potential, but no practical device has been created beyond simple toys.


Classification by use The major distinction in aircraft usage is between
military aviation, which includes all uses of aircraft for military purposes
(such as combat, patrolling, search and rescue, reconnaissance, transport, and
training), and civil aviation, which includes all uses of aircraft for
non-military purposes.


Military aircraft


Combat aircraft like fighters or bombers represent only a minority of the
category. Many civil aircraft have been produced in separate models for
military use, such as the civil Douglas DC-3 airliner, which became the
military C-47/C-53/R4D transport in the U.S. military and the
"Dakota" in the UK and the Commonwealth. Even the small
fabric-covered two-seater Piper J3 Cub had a military version, the L-4
liaison, observation and trainer aircraft. In the past, gliders and balloons
have also been used as military aircraft; for example, balloons were used for
observation during the American Civil War and World War I, and cargo gliders
were used during World War II to land troops. Combat aircraft themselves,
though used a handful of times for reconnaissance and surveillance during the
Italo-Turkish War, did not come into widespread use until the Balkan War.
During World War I many types of aircraft were adapted for attacking the
ground or enemy vehicles/ships/guns/aircraft, and the first aircraft designed
as bombers were born. In order to prevent the enemy from bombing, fighter
aircraft were developed to intercept and shoot down enemy aircraft. Tankers
were developed after World War II to refuel other aircraft in mid-air, thus
increasing their operational range. By the time of the Vietnam War,
helicopters had come into widespread military use, especially for
transporting, supplying, and supporting ground troops.


Civil aircraft


Civil aviation broadly divides into commercial and general activities, however
there can be some overlap in practice.


Commercial aircraft

Commercial aviation includes scheduled and charter airline flights. It
also overlaps with a certain amount of general aviation activity where
aircraft are offered for hire.

General aviation
General aviation is a catch-all covering other kinds of private and commercial
use. The vast majority of flights flown around the world each day belong to
the general aviation category, which covers a wide range of activities such as
business trips, civilian flight training, recreational balloon flying,
firefighting, medical transport (medevac) flights, and cargo transportation on
freight aircraft, to name a few. Within general aviation, the major
distinction is between private flights (where the pilot is not paid for time
or expenses) and commercial flights (where the pilot is paid by a customer or
employer). Private pilots use aircraft primarily for personal travel, business
travel, or recreation. Usually these private pilots own their own aircraft and
take out loans from banks or specialized lenders to purchase them. Commercial
general aviation pilots use aircraft for a wide range of tasks, such as flight
training, pipeline surveying, passenger and freight transport, policing, crop
dusting, and medevac flights. Piston-powered propeller aircraft (single-engine
or twin-engine) are especially common for both private and commercial general
aviation, but even private pilots occasionally own and operate helicopters
like the Bell JetRanger or turboprops like the Beechcraft King Air. Business
jets are typically flown by commercial pilots, although there is a new
generation of small jets arriving soon for private pilots.

Experimental aircraft

These aircraft are one-off specials, built to explore some aspect of aircraft
design and with no other useful purpose.

Model aircraft

A model aircraft is a small copy of some larger aircraft design. Models may be
made to fly for fun, for static display, or for serious aerodynamic research (cf
Reynolds number).


Environmental effects
Aircraft generate considerable amounts of noise pollution and
airpollution emissions Since the 1960s the U S Environmental Protection Agency
has developed emissions factors for the most commonly used aircraft; in 1972
the Federal Aviation Administration developed a computer model for prediction
of air pollution concentrations produced by aircraft in flight


List of aircraft by category


Civil Airliners


ATR, Boeing,Airbus,Bristol,Dornier,Sud Aviation,Viking Air,Etc

Cargo Planes

•Airbus Beluga - Antonov An-72 - Bristol Freighter - Carvair - Mini
Guppy - Short Skyvan - Super Guppy - Boeing 747 LCF

General Aviation

•Aircoupe

•ATC Aircraft Technology Center

•RUSCHMEYER R90-230RG

•American Aviation AA-1 Yankee series

•Cessna

•Cessna 150 - Cessna 152 - Cessna 170 - Cessna 172 (Skyhawk) - Cessna
175(Skylark) - Cessna 182 (Skylane)

•Cirrus Design

•Cirrus SR20 - Cirrus SR22

•de Havilland

•de Havilland DH.88 Comet Race plane

•Fieseler

•Fieseler Fi 2 Sports plane

•Fieseler Fi 5 Sports plane

•Grumman American AA-1 Yankee series

•Hawker HS-125

•HFB-320 Hansa Jet

•Lockheed L-10 Electra

•Lockheed Vega

•Messerschmitt Bf 108

•Miles Whitney Straight

•Piper

•Piper Aztec/Apache - Piper Cherokee - Piper Cherokee Six - Piper Family
Cruiser - Piper Vagabond

•Sequoia Falco Sports plane

•Sky Arrow Tandem, rear propeller, high wing, carbon fibre aircraft

•PittsPitts Special

Agricultural Aircraft

•Aero Boero 260AG

•Agricultural aircraft

•Andrews A1

•Bennett Airtruck

•Cessna 188

•Embraer EMB 202 Ipanema

•Grumman Ag Cat

•Pacific Aerospace

•PAC 750XL

•PAC Cresco

•PAC Fletcher

•Transavia Airtruck

Business Aircraft

•Gulfstream Aerospace

•Boeing/General Electric

•Dassault

•Embraer

•Embraer Lineage 1000

•Embraer Legacy 600

•Embraer Phenom 100

•Embraer Phenom 300

•Boeing Business Jet

•Bombardier

•Bombardier Global 5000 - Bombardier Global Express - Bombardier Global
Express XRS

•Challenger 300 - Challenger 604 - Challenger 800

•Learjet 23 - Learjet 24 - Learjet 25

•Learjet 30 - Learjet 31 - Learjet 35 - Learjet 36

•Learjet 40 - Learjet 45 - Learjet 45

•Learjet 55 - Learjet 60

•Cessna

•Cessna Citation Bravo - Cessna Citation CJ1 - Cessna Citation CJ2 - Cessna
Citation CJ3

•Cessna Citation Encore - Cessna Citation Excel - Cessna Citation Mustang -
Cessna Citation Sovereign - Cessna Citation X

•Lockheed JetStar

•Piaggio Aero

•Piaggio Avanti


Civilian Helicopters


•Bell 212

•Eurocopter Dauphin

•Eurocopter EC 225


Civil Aircraft Research, Prototypes and Specials


Research & Prototypes

Aerosonde
- Bell X-1 - Bell X-2 - Bell X-5 - Bell XV-15 - Boeing X-40 - Boeing
X-43 - Bristol Brabazon - Coanda-1910 - Fairchild-Dornier 728 - Douglas X-3
Stiletto - Gossamer Albatross - Edgley Optica - Grumman X-29 - Lippisch Ente -
LLRV - Lockheed WP-3D Orion - Lockheed Martin X-33 - Lockheed Martin X-35


Martin-Marietta X-24

- Miles M.52 - McDonnell Douglas X-36 - North American X-15 - Northrop
X-4 Bantam -Opel RAK.1 - Orbital Sciences X-34 - Rockwell-MBB X-31 - Rutan
Voyager - Shuttle Carrier Aircraft - Sikorsky S-72 - Sky Arrow - SpaceShipOne
- Spirit of St. Louis - Williams X-Jet - Wright Flyer - X-38 Crew Return
Vehicle - X-44 MANTA


Currently in development

Boeing 787
- Boeing 747-8 - Airbus A350 - Sukhoi Superjet 100


Abandoned/Cancelled Projects

Boeing 2707
- Boeing Sonic Cruiser - Boeing 747x - Bristol 223 - Bristol Brabazon -
Bombardier C-Series - Convair Model 37 - Fairchild-Dornier 528 - Fairchild-Dornier
928 - Lockheed L-2000 - Lockheed Martin X-33 and VentureStar - Sud Aviation
Super-Caravelle - Tupolev Tu-70


Military Aircraft

Propeller-driven

•Jet- and rocket-propelled

A-1 Skyraider
- A-2 Savage - A-12 Shrike - AC-47 Spooky - AC-119 gunship - Aichi B7A -
Aichi D3A - Aichi M6A - Amiot 143M - Amiot 354 - Armstrong Whitworth Whitley -
Avro Lancaster - Avro Lincoln - Avro Manchester