Any vehicle, whether it’s a car, truck, boat, airplane, helicopter or rocket,

is made up of many individual component parts. Some components are

The figure shows a typical airplane with its major components listed. Many
external airplane components are constructed of metal alloys, although
composites made of materials such as carbon fiber and a variety of
fiberglass resins are becoming more popular as technology improves.

Aileron
The ailerons are located at the rear of the wing, typically one on each side.
They work opposite to each other, meaning that when one is raised, the
other is lowered. Their job is to increase the lift on one wing while reducing
the lift on the other. By doing this, they roll the aircraft sideways, causing
the aircraft to turn. This is the primary method of steering a fixed-wing
aircraft.

Antenna
There are numerous radio antennas located around an aircraft, their size
and position corresponding to the type of work each antenna must
perform and the frequencies being transmitted or received. The GPS
antenna, for example, is always mounted to the top of an airplane. This is
because the GPS satellites are in Space, and therefore always above the
aircraft. As a general rule, longer antennas are used for radio
communication and navigation (VHF frequencies), while shorter antennas
are reserved for higher frequency data such as the GPS signals and the
transponder, which provides air traffic control with information about the
aircraft’s position and altitude.

Cockpit
The cockpit, sometimes referred to as the Flight Deck, is where the pilots
sit. It contains the flight controls, which
move the airplane, as well as all the buttons and switches used to operate
the various systems.

Elevator
As the name implies, the elevator helps “elevate” the aircraft. It is located
on the tail of the aircraft and directs the nose of the aircraft either
upwards or downwards (pitch) in order to make the airplane climb and
descend.

Empennage
This name stems from the French word “empenner,” meaning “to feather
an arrow”. The empennage is the name given to the entire tail section of
the aircraft, including both the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, the
rudder and
the elevator. As a combined unit, it works identically to the feather on the
arrow, helping guide the aircraft to its destination.
Engine
An airplane has at least one, or as many as eight engines, which provide
the thrust needed to fly. There are many different makes and models on
aircraft today but all perform the same basic function of taking the air
that’s in front of the aircraft, accelerating it and pushing out behind the
aircraft.
Jet powered aircraft perform this function by compressing the air using
turbines, while propeller-powered aircraft use a propeller mounted to the
engine. In general, the propeller works like a big screw, pulling the aircraft
forward while pushing the air behind it (Fig. 2).

Flap
Flaps are a “high lift / high drag” device. Not only do they improve the
lifting ability of the wing at slower speeds by changing the camber, or
curvature of the wing, but when extended fully they also create more
drag. This means an
aircraft can descend (or lose altitude) faster, without gaining airspeed in
the process. Flaps come in 4 main varieties: plain, split, slotted and fowler.

• The plain flap is the simplest of the four varieties. It works by lowering
the aft portion of the wing, increasing its camber, which in turn causes the
wing to produce more lift.
• The split flap works by lowering just the bottom section of the wing.
• The slotted and fowler flaps are both designed to physically increase the
overall surface area of the wing, literally making the wing bigger.

Fuselage
The fuselage, from the French word “fuselé” meaning “spindle shaped”, is
the portion of the airplane used to literally join, or fuse, the other parts
together. It is commonly thought of as the body of the aircraft and holds
the passengers
and cargo safely inside.

Horizontal Stabilizer
The horizontal stabilizer is quite simply an upside-down wing, designed to
provide a downward force (push) on the tail. Airplanes are traditionally
nose-heavy and this downward force is required to compensate for that,
keeping the
nose level with the rest of the aircraft. Some aircraft can control the angle
of the stabilizer and therefore the level of downward force while in flight,
while others are fixed in place.

Rudder
The rudder is attached to the vertical stabilizer, located on the tail of the
aircraft. It works identically to a rudder on a boat, helping to steer the
nose of the aircraft left and right; this motion is referred to as yaw.

Slat
A slat is a “high lift” device typically found on jet-powered aircraft. Slats
are similar to the flaps except they are mounted on the leading edge of
the wing.
Spoiler
The spoiler’s function is to disrupt, or spoil, the flow of air across the upper
surface of the wing. They are usually found on larger aircraft, which can
have two types installed. The in-flight spoilers are small and designed to
reduce the
lifting capability of the wing just enough to allow the aircraft to descend
quicker without gaining airspeed. Although the flaps can also perform this
function, the spoiler is intended to be used temporarily, while the flaps are
typically used for longer durations such as during the approach and
landing. The ground spoilers.

Struts
The struts are part of the undercarriage, more commonly known as the
landing gear. There are two main types-straight leg and trailing link, but
their
function is the same: to absorb the impact of the landing as the aircraft
touches the ground. Each strut contains a shock absorber (a collection of
springs), hydraulic oil and gasses which work together to reduce the
impact felt by the passengers.

Vertical Stabilizer
The vertical stabilizer is designed to stabilize the left-right motion of the
aircraft. While most aircraft use a single stabilizer, some models, such as
the Lockheed C-69 Constellation use multiple smaller stabilizers.

Windshield
The windshield on smaller aircraft is usually made from polycarbonate, a
type of plastic, while pressurized airplanes use a sandwich of plastic and
glass layers, called a laminate, up to 20mm thick. This is necessary to
absorb the impact of birds, insects and other debris that may collide with
the windshield as the airplane flies at close to the speed of sound.

Wing
The wing provides the majority of the lift an airplane requires for flight. Its
shape is specifically designed for the aircraft to which it is attached. On
most aircraft, the interior of the wing is also used to store the fuel required
to power the engines.

Winglet
Some aircraft wings have an additional component called a winglet, which
is located at the end of each wing. Its purpose is to reduce the drag (or air
resistance) the wing produces as it pushes through the air. This not only
allows
the airplane to fly faster, but also means it burns less fuel, allowing it to fly
longer distances without refuelling.