Operation of Systems

Objective: the student will be introduced to operation of systems and the flight controls.

Completion Standards: the student will be able to explain what kind of flight controls are on our airplane. The student will be able to describe the cycle of an engine. The student will eb able to explain some of the systems on the airplane.

References: PIM ch 2,7,8, PHAK ch 6-8, G1000 pilots guide

Equipment: White Board and markers, iPad/ computer 

IP’s Actions: 

• Assess student

• State the objective and completion standards

• Writes down references

• Provide attention getter

• Present content

• Assessment

• Assign Homework

SP’s Actions:

• Take notes

• Ask Questions

Introduction: 

(Attention Getter) : What are all those flashy things in the airplane and what do they do.

Motivation: We will go over each item on the inside and outside of the airplane to see how our plane works and why its does what it does.

Overview:

1. Primary and secondary flight controls

2. Trim

3. Powerplant and propeller

4. Landing gear

5. Fuel, oil, and hydraulic

6. Electrical

7. Avionics including autopilot

8. Pitot static, vacuum/pressure and associated instruments

9. Environmental

10. Deicing and anti-icing

Content:

Sections of an aircraft: 

Wings

Fuselage 

Empennage

Gear

Powerplant

Structure of aircraft

Primary Flight Controls:

• Ailerons- roll/ longitudinal axis

  • Run by cables and pullies to push rods

• Types: (We have both Differential type with fries characteristics 

  • Differential- One aileron is raised a greater distance than the other aileron and is lowered for a given movement of the control wheel or control stick.

  • Frise type- The aileron that is being raised pivots on an offset hinge. This projects the leading edge of the aileron into the airflow and creates drag

  • Coupled ailerons and rudder (Yaw Damper)- Helps correct for aileron drag by automatically deflecting the rudder at the same time the ailerons are deflected

  • Flaperons- Helps with control at slower speeds

• Elevator- pitch/ lateral axis

  • Run by cables and pullies to a bell-crank 

  • Mention how it affects airplane

• Rudder- yaw/ vertical axis

  • Run by cables and pullies to a bell-crank

Secondary flight controls:

Flaps- most common high lift devices

Draw out flaps

Leading edge devices- delays airflow separation

Spoilers- To spoil the smooth airflow, reducing lift and increasing drag

Trim- Relieves the pilot of the need to maintain constant pressure on the flight controls

• Types:

• Trim Tabs

  • Are manually operated by a small, vertically mounted control wheel

  • moves elevator in opposite direction of tab movement

• Balance tabs

  • Is coupled to the control surface rod so that when the primary control surface is moved in any direction

• Servo tabs

  • Automatic adjustment to moving elevator 

• Anti-servo tab

  • Similar to balanced tabs

• Ground adjustable tabs

  • A non-movable metal trim tab on the rudder.

• Stab trim (adjustable stabilizer)

  • Movement of entire stabilizer 

Powerplant and propeller:

Reciprocating engine-

• movement of pistons

• chemical energy (fuel) into mechanical energy

• Spark ignition and the compression ignition

• 4 different cycles/ strokes:

1. Intake- Downward travel fuel-air mixture

2. Compression- Squeezing air/ heating it up

3. Power- Ignition

4. Exhaust- Release of gasses

Our Powerplant:

Lycoming IO-360-L2A Document Show this

• Textron Lycoming

• Model: IO-360-L2A

• Engine type: 

  • Normally aspirated- Doesn’t depend on other systems for air being added 

  • Direct Drive- Crankshaft directly drives propeller

  • Air-cooled- As air goes around engine it cools the engine

  • horizontally opposed- flat Mention diagram 

  • Fuel Injected- fuel enters engine directly

    • Mention other type Carburetor (Next Page)

      • Explain what it is 

  • Four-cylinder engine with 360.0 cu in of displacement

• Horsepower: 180 hp at 2700 RPM

Starting procedure:

1. Master

2. Keys

3. Starter engages (where on engine is it)

4. Stored electricity in magneto called impulse coupling

   1. Turns flywheel

   2. Turns prop

   3. Turns camshaft

   4. Turns crank shaft

5. Pistons start moving

   1. Introducing fuel and air mixture

   2. Being ignited by spark plugs

6. Once spinning magnetos supply electricity to sparkplugs

Preignition and Detonation:

Detonation- 

• is an uncontrolled, explosive ignition of the fuel-air mixture within the cylinder’s combustion chamber.

• characterized by high cylinder head temperatures and is most likely to occur when operating at high power settings

  • Use of a lower fuel grade than that specified by the aircraft manufacturer 

  • Operation of the engine with extremely high manifold pressures in conjunction with low rpm

  • Operation of the engine at high power settings with an excessively lean mixture

  • Maintaining extended ground operations or steep climbs in which cylinder cooling is reduced

Preignition-

• Fuel-air mixture ignites prior to the engine’s normal ignition event

• Premature burning is usually caused by a residual hot spot in the combustion chamber,

• often created by a small carbon deposit on a spark plug, 

• a cracked spark plug insulator, 

• or other damage in the cylinder

The Propeller

• A rotating airfoil

  • subject to induced drag, stalls, and other aerodynamic principles that apply to any airfoil. 

  • Changing the angle of incidence (pitch) from the hub to the tip to correspond with the speed produces uniform lift throughout the length of the blade.

Types of propellers:

• Fixed pitch- fixed blade angles

  • Climb- Lower pitch, High RPM

  • Cruise- Higher pitch, lower RPM

• Adjustable pitch- adjustable blades either on ground and in the air

  • Can be automatic

Our Propeller:

• Manufacturer: McCauley Propeller Systems

• Number of blades: 2

• Diameter: 76”

  • Minimum 75”

• Fixed Pitch

Landing gear (fixed and retractable):

The most common type of landing gear consists of wheels also floats or ski’s 

Conventional (Tailwheel)

Tricycle

• Better braking performance

• Better visibility on ground

• Steerable nose wheel

  • Linked to the rudders by cables or rods

  • Oleo strut

  • Shimmy damper

  • Turning Radius/ steering degrees

    • 30° off center

• Main gear:

  • Shock adsorption- tubular spring steel

  • Brakes:

    • Hydraulically actuated disc type brake using toes on rudder pedals

    • On inward side of wheel

    • Differential Braking

      • Decreases turning Radius 

Fuel, oil, and hydraulic:

Fuel Systems:

• Gravity fed- Uses force of gravity to transfer fuel from tanks to the engine

• Fuel-pump fed- Engine driven with an electrically driven auxiliary pump

  • Fuel primer

Fuel tanks- Located in wings

Show fuel system in POH/ draw on board pg 256

Fuel Capacity:

• Total - 56 Gal

• Total Usable - 53 Gal 

• Each wing – 28T & 26.5U

Fuel grade:

Fuel contamination:

• Inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot

• Servicing aircraft with improperly filtered fuel from small tanks or drums

• Storing aircraft with partially filled fuel tanks

• Lack of proper maintenance

Fuel icing:

Using additives

POH pg 26

Oil System:

• Lubrication of the engine’s moving parts

• Cooling of the engine by reducing friction

• Removing heat from the cylinders

• Providing a seal between the cylinder walls and pistons

• Carrying away contaminants

Wet Sump: Under engine

Dry Sump: External housing for oil 

Oil in our engine:

• Mineral oil- break in period 50 hours

• Aviation Grade Ashless Dispersant Oil

• Total- 9 quarts (one in filter)

• Sump (usable)- 8 quarts

Hydraulic System:

• often used on small airplanes to operate wheel brakes, retractable landing gear, and some constant speed propellers

• Used for our brakes

  • Reservoir behind rudder pedals

  • Explain how it works

Electrical:

Equipped with:

• 28-volt DC system

• 60-amp alternator

  • Explain how it charges the batteries

  • Regulated using ACU (Alternator Control Unit)

• 24-volt main battery

• 24-volt standby battery (lasts for minimum 30 min)

• Electricity is supplied through circuits/ fuses

Essential Bus PIM Pg262:

• PFD

• ADC

• Com1

• Nav1

• Standby indicator lights

Explain faults:

High and low volt annunciators

Checklists 

Avionics including autopilot:

Show G1000 Manual Pg 21

Autopilot:

• Reduces the physical and mental demands on a pilot and increases safety 

• Is an automatic flight control system

• Keeps an aircraft in level flight or on a set course.

• Can be directed by the pilot, or it may be coupled to a radio navigation signal.

Pitot static, vacuum/pressure and associated instruments

Show examples of instruments/ draw them out on board 

• Pitot Static instruments

  • Altimeter- measures the height of an aircraft above a given pressure level

    • A stack of sealed aneroid wafers comprise the main component of the altimeter.

    • Housing covers outside

    • A line allows outside air through static line to enter the housing compressing or expanding the wafers

• Vertical Speed Indicator- indicates whether the aircraft is climbing, descending, or in level flight

  • differential pressure instrument

  • contains a diaphragm which is connected to the static line

  • the case/ housing is connected to the line as well but is restricted (calibrated leak)

• Airspeed indicator- measures the difference between pitot (impact/dynamic pressure) and static pressure.

  • Uses pitot tube and static line

  • Static line goes to case

  • Ram air/ dynamic air goes to diaphragm

• Vacuum Instruments/ Gyros

  • Principles of gyroscopes

    • Rigidity in space

      • Refers to the principle that a gyroscope remains in a fixed position in the plane in which it is spinning

      • Like bike wheels

    • Procession

      • The tilting or turning of a gyro in response to a deflective force

      • The reaction to this force does not occur at the point at which it was applied; rather, it occurs at a point that is 90° later in the direction of rotation

  • Attitude Indicator (operated through a vacuum)

    • Is mounted in a horizontal plane and depends upon rigidity in space for its operation.

    • 
      

Blockages:

Pitot static blockages

Give examples with altimeter, vsi, and airspeed

Environmental:

• Cabin Air- the air that enter the cabin from outside

  • Through tubs within the structure of the plane

• Cabin Heat- Used the exhaust manifold to heat air then deliver it to the cabin

  • Can be extremely hot

  • Has the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning

    • Explain how this could be dangerous

Deicing and anti-icing:

Talk about Icing, conditions where it may occur 

• Anit-ice- the prevention of ice build-up

  • Heating of surfaces through bleed air or electricity

• De-ice- is the removal of ice that has already built up

  • Inflating boots on wings

Types of anti-ice on our airplane:

• Pitot heat

• Cabin heat

• Alt static source

• Alternate air door

• Fuel additives

Conclusion

Went over:

1. Primary and secondary flight controls

2. Trim

3. Powerplant and propeller

4. Landing gear

5. Fuel, oil, and hydraulic

6. Electrical

7. Avionics including autopilot

8. Pitot static, vacuum/pressure and associated instruments

9. Environmental

10. Deicing and anti-icing

11. Malfunctions 

(Questions to assess student)

What are the primary flight controls?

What kind of ailerons do we use?

What are the 4 cycles of the engine?

What kind of fuel do we use?

How much oil do we have in the airplane?

How many volts is the main battery?

How does the airspeed indicator work?

HW: 

Go over the PIM ch 7 and look over the flight instruments in the PHAK