Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Aircraft
Contents
[hide]
• 1 Classification by method of lift
○ 1.1 Lighter than air – aerostats
○ 1.2 Heavier than air – aerodynes
1.2.1 Fixed-wing aircraft
1.2.2 Rotorcraft
1.2.3 Other methods of lift
• 2 Classification by propulsion
○ 2.1 Unpowered
2.1.1 Gliders
2.1.2 Balloons
2.1.3 Kites
○ 2.2 Powered
2.2.1 Propeller aircraft
2.2.2 Jet aircraft
2.2.3 Helicopters
2.2.4 Other forms of propulsion
• 3 Classification by use
○ 3.1 Military aircraft
○ 3.2 Civil aircraft
3.2.1 Commercial aircraft
3.2.2 General aviation
○ 3.3 Experimental aircraft
○ 3.4 Model aircraft
• 4 History
• 5 Manufacturers and types
• 6 See also
○ 6.1 Lists
○ 6.2 Topics
• 7 References
• 8 External links
A size comparison of some of the largest fixed-wing aircraft. The Airbus A380-800 (largest
airliner), the Boeing 747-8, the Antonov An-225 (aircraft with the greatest payload) and the
Hughes H-4 "Spruce Goose" (aircraft with greatest wingspan).
Airplanes or aeroplanes are technically called fixed-wing aircraft.
The forerunner of the fixed-wing aircraft is the kite. Whereas a fixed-wing aircraft relies on its
forward speed to create airflow over the wings, a kite is tethered to the ground and relies on the
wind blowing over its wings to provide lift. 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 computer modelling programs became available.
The first heavier-than-air craft capable of controlled free flight were gliders. A glider designed
by Cayley carried out the first true manned, controlled flight in 1853.
Besides the method of propulsion, fixed-wing aircraft are generally characterized by their wing
configuration. The most important wing characteristics are:
• Number of wings – Monoplane, biplane, etc.
• Wing support – Braced or cantilever, rigid or flexible.
• Wing planform – including aspect ratio, angle of sweep and any variations along the span
(including the important class of delta wings).
• Location of the horizontal stabiliser, if any.
• Dihedral angle – positive, zero or negative (anhedral).
A variable geometry aircraft can change its wing configuration during flight.
A flying wing has no fuselage, though it may have small blisters or pods. The opposite of this is a
lifting body which has no wings, though it may have small stabilising and control surfaces.
Most fixed-wing aircraft feature a tail unit or empennage incorporating vertical, and often
horizontal, stabilising surfaces.
Seaplanes are aircraft that land on water, and they fit into two broad classes: Flying boats are
supported on the water by their fuselage. A float plane's fuselage remains clear of the water at all
times, the aircraft being supported by two or more floats attached to the fuselage and/or wings.
Some examples of both flying boats and float planes are amphibious, being able to take off from
and alight on both land and water.
Some people consider wing-in-ground-effect vehicles to be fixed-wing aircraft, others do not.
These craft "fly" close to the surface of the ground or water. An example is the Russian
ekranoplan (nicknamed the "Caspian Sea Monster"). Man-powered aircraft also rely on ground
effect to remain airborne, but this is only because they are so underpowered—the airframe is
theoretically capable of flying much higher.
[edit] Rotorcraft
Main article: Rotorcraft