Why are planes called planes instead of flying ducks or geese?

Plane (plane, plane) refers to an airplane heavier than air, which has wings and one or more engines and can fly in the atmosphere by its own power.

Aircraft has two basic characteristics: first, its density is higher than air, and it is driven by power; The second is that the plane has fixed wings, which provide lift to make the plane soar in the sky. Those who do not have the above characteristics cannot be called airplanes. These two items are indispensable. For example, an aircraft with a density less than air is a balloon or an airship; If there is no power device and you can only glide in the air, it is called a glider; If the wings of an airplane are not fixed, a helicopter or rotorcraft generates lift by rotating the wings. So the precise definition of an airplane is: it is a powered airplane with fixed wings, which is heavier than air.

In order to make readers have a clearer understanding of airplanes, I would like to clarify some confusing terms here. In some newspapers, we can see such terms as "fixed-wing aircraft" and "fixed-wing aircraft", which actually refer to aircraft. But these nouns are not accurate. Because "fixed-wing aircraft" includes aircraft and gliders, and "fixed-wing aircraft" is a repeated title, because "aircraft" already includes the contents of fixed wings. More often, many people will say "helicopter", which is also very inappropriate, because helicopters use rotors to provide lift, which is completely different from airplanes.

classify

Aircraft is not only widely used in civil transportation and scientific research, but also an important weapon of modern military, so it is divided into civil aircraft and military aircraft.

In addition to passenger planes and transport planes, civil aircraft also include agricultural machines, forest protection machines, aerial survey machines, medical rescue machines, sightseeing machines, business jets, sports machines, experimental research machines, meteorological machines, stunt machines and law enforcement machines.

Aircraft can also be classified according to the shape, quantity and relative position of its components. According to the number of wings, it can be divided into monoplane, biplane and multi-wing aircraft. According to the position of the wing relative to the fuselage, it can be divided into lower monoplane, middle monoplane and upper monoplane. According to the plane shape of the wing, it can be divided into straight wing aircraft, swept wing aircraft, swept wing aircraft and delta wing aircraft. According to the position of the flat tail and whether there is a flat tail, it can be divided into normal layout aircraft (with a flat tail behind the wing), canard aircraft (with a small wing in the front fuselage) and tailless aircraft (without a flat tail); The normal layout of aircraft includes single vertical tail, double vertical tail, multiple vertical tails and V-tail. According to the type of propulsion device, it can be divided into propeller plane and jet plane; According to the engine type, it can be divided into piston aircraft, turboprop aircraft and jet aircraft; According to the number of engines, it can be divided into single-engine aircraft, double-engine aircraft and multi-engine aircraft. According to the type of landing gear, it can be divided into land aircraft, seaplane and amphibious aircraft. It can also be classified according to the flight performance of aircraft: according to the flight speed of aircraft, it can be divided into subsonic aircraft, supersonic aircraft and hypersonic aircraft According to the voyage of the aircraft, it can be divided into short-range aircraft, medium-range aircraft and long-range aircraft.

structure

Most aircraft consist of five main parts: wing, fuselage, tail, landing gear and power plant.

Wing (of an aircraft)

The main function of the wing is to provide lift for the aircraft to support the flight of the aircraft in the air, and at the same time, it also plays a certain role in stability and control. Ailerons and flaps are generally installed on the wing. Control aileron can make the plane roll; Lowering the flap can increase the lift coefficient of the wing. In addition, the wing can also be equipped with an engine, landing gear and fuel tank. Wings come in different shapes and numbers. In the early days of underdeveloped aviation technology, in order to provide greater lift, biplane or even multi-wing aircraft were mainly used, but modern aircraft are generally monoplane aircraft.

fuselage

The main function of the fuselage is to carry passengers, crew, weapons, goods and various equipment; Other parts of the plane, such as the tail and the engine, can also be connected into a whole. But the flying wing hides the fuselage in the wing.

tail

Tail includes horizontal tail (horizontal tail) and vertical tail (vertical tail). The horizontal tail consists of a fixed horizontal stabilizer and a movable elevator (the entire horizontal tail of some types of civil aircraft and military aircraft is a movable control surface without a special elevator). The vertical tail consists of a fixed vertical stabilizer and a movable rudder. The main function of the tail wing is to control the pitch and deflection of the aircraft and ensure that the aircraft can fly smoothly.

landing gear

Landing gear, also known as landing gear, is used to support the aircraft so that it can land and park on the ground and other horizontal planes. The landing gear of land aircraft is generally composed of shock-absorbing struts and wheels. In addition, there are landing gear with buoy device and sled landing gear for snow takeoff. It is used to support aircraft taxiing during takeoff and landing, taxiing on the ground and parking.

powerplant

The power plant is mainly used to generate tension or thrust to make the aircraft move forward. Secondly, it can also provide electricity for electrical equipment on the plane and gas source for air conditioning equipment and other gas-using equipment.

The power plants of modern aircraft mainly include turbine engines and piston engines, and there are four widely used power plants: aviation piston engines plus propeller propellers; Turbojet engine; Turboprop engine; Turbofan engine. With the development of aviation technology, rocket engines, ramjet engines and atomic aviation engines may be gradually adopted. In addition to the engine, the power plant also includes a series of systems to ensure the normal operation of the engine, such as fuel supply system.

In addition to the above five main parts, the aircraft is also equipped with various instruments, communication equipment, pilot equipment, safety equipment and other equipment.

controller

The flight control equipment available to pilots in the cockpit of modern aircraft usually includes:

Main controls: steering column or steering wheel and rudder pedal. In some aircraft with fly-by-wire control system, the steering column or steering wheel is simplified as a joystick on the driver's side.

Auxiliary control devices: flap handle, trim button and speed brake handle.

With the development of electronic technology, the form of flight control device has also undergone fundamental changes. In large aircraft, the traditional mechanical control system has been gradually replaced by the more advanced fly-by-wire control system, and the computer system is fully involved in the flight control system. The pilot's operation is no longer like direct control of the aircraft, but more like giving motion instructions to the aircraft. Some pilots call this kind of cockpit "flight office" because some planes with fly-by-wire control system have changed from the original steering column or steering wheel to side column control, and the cockpit space is more relaxed than before.

Invention of the airplane

1903 The airplane designed and manufactured by Wright Brothers of the United States successfully flew, which is the first time in the world to realize the power and maneuver flight of an airplane heavier than air. In the First World War, airplanes have been used in combat. At that time, the speed of the plane had reached 180 ~ 220km/h, the ceiling was 6000 ~ 7000m, the range was 400 ~ 450km, and the bomber's bomb load was 1000 ~ 2000kg. In World War II, the speed of aircraft reached 750 km/h, and the bomb load of bombers could reach about 10 tons. After the mid-1940s, the engine developed from piston to jet, and the flight performance of aircraft was significantly improved. In the 1980s, the ceiling of the aircraft has exceeded 30,000 meters, the maximum speed has exceeded 3 times the speed of sound, the range has exceeded 20,000 kilometers, and the maximum payload has exceeded100t.

The Wright brothers, the inventors of the plane.

1896, the Wright brothers read a news in the newspaper: German Lilienthal died in a glider accident. The news shocked them so much that the two brothers decided to learn to fly.

At this time, the Wright brothers opened a bicycle shop. They learn flight information while working to earn money. Three years later, they learned a lot about aviation and decided to copy a glider.

They first observed the movements of eagles flying in the air, then drew them one by one, and then set about designing gliders. 1900 5438+00 in June, the Wright brothers finally built their first glider and took it to the Kitty Hawk, which is far away from Dayton. It is very remote, there are no trees and houses around, and the wind here is very strong, which is very suitable for flying gliders.

The two brothers spent a week installing the glider, first tied it to a rope and flew it like a kite. The result was successful. Then Wilbur sat on it and did the experiment. Although it flew, it was only 1 m high.

In the second year, the two brothers made a glider after many improvements on the basis of the last one. This autumn, they came to the seaside of Kitty Hawk again. After an experiment, the flying altitude suddenly reached 180 meters.

The two brothers were very happy, but not satisfied. They want to know if they can make a machine that can fly without wind.

The two brothers thought over and over again, collected information about flying, studied it over and over again, but never thought about using any power to transport pet gliders and people into the air. One day, a car stopped in front of the garage and the driver borrowed a tool from them. To repair the engine of the car. Two brothers had a brainwave. Can they use the engine of the car to propel the flight?

Since then, the brothers have been thinking about the engine. They first measured that the maximum carrying capacity of the glider was 90 kilograms, so they ordered an engine of no more than 90 kilograms from the factory. But the lightest engine at that time was 190 kg, and the factory could not make such a light engine.

Later, an engine engineer learned about it and promised to help the Wright brothers. After a while, the engineer really built a gasoline engine with 12 horsepower and a weight of only 70 kg.

The two brothers were very happy and soon began to study how to use the engine to propel the glider. After countless experiments, they finally installed the engine on the glider, but only installed the propeller on the glider. The engine drove the propeller to rotate and drive the glider to fly.

In September 1903, the Wright brothers took their engines to the Kitty Hawk Sea for another test flight. Although the test flight failed, they learned a lot from it. Soon after, they made several test flights in succession, either because of propeller failure, engine failure or driving technical problems.

Undaunted, the Wright brothers still insisted on the test flight. Just then, an inventor named Langlai was commissioned by the American government to build a plane with a gasoline engine and fell into the sea during the test flight.

After learning the news, the Wright brothers went to investigate, learned lessons from Langley's failure and gained a lot of experience. They made a strict inspection of every part of the plane and formulated strict operating procedures. 1903 12 14 They came to Kitty Hawk for flight test.

This afternoon, the two brothers first put two rails fixed on wood on the ground with a certain inclination, so that the plane can slide easily. Then, put the plane they made on the track.

Finally, there is a question of who will fly first. The two brothers could not argue, so they had to flip a coin and Wilbur flew first.

Wilbur got on the plane, lay in the middle of the plane and quickly started the plane. The engine roared and the propeller turned slowly.

After taxiing on the slope for 3 meters, the plane broke free from the wire tied behind it and roared into the air.

"It's flying!" Orville shouted excitedly.

As soon as the voice fell, the plane suddenly slowed down and soon fell to the ground. The whole flight time is less than 4 minutes.

Orville rushed forward. Wilbur had jumped out of the falling plane, and the two brothers soon observed that the plane was not damaged.

"What's the problem?" The two brothers thought about it and checked it one by one. There is nothing wrong with the engine, the propeller rotates well and the technical operation is completely correct. ...... "Brother, I know why!" Orville said with a big smile: "We used the slope to slide, and the plane took off only 3 meters away. At this time, the rotation of the propeller has not reached high speed, and it will be planted in a short time. " "Yes!" Wilbur nodded yes, and then said, "We can't take off by taxiing on the slope, but we must fly by the power of the propeller.". Well, put the track on a flat place and try again. "

They worked continuously for three days, and then re-laid the tracks on the flat ground.

1903 12 17 in the morning 10, the sky was cloudy and the wind was biting. The farmers invited by the two brothers to watch the flight were shivering with cold and repeatedly urged the two brothers to fly quickly.

During Orville's test flight, I saw him climb on the plane and lie in the driver's seat. After a while, the engine began to roar and the propeller began to turn.

Suddenly, the plane skidded, rose to a height of more than 3 meters, and then flew forward horizontally.

"fly! Fly! " Several farmers shouted happily, followed Wilbur and ran after the plane.

After flying 30 meters, the plane landed firmly. Wilbur rushed forward, jumped excitedly at his younger brother who had just climbed out of the plane, and cried with tears in his eyes, "We made it! We succeeded! "

After 45 minutes, Wilbur flew again, with a distance of 52 meters. After a while, Orville flew again, this time for 59 seconds, with a distance of 255 meters.

This is the first successful flight in human history. The Wright brothers told the news to the newspaper, but the newspaper didn't believe it and refused to publish it. The Wright brothers don't care. Continue to improve their plane. Soon, the two brothers built a plane that could take two people, and they flew in the air for more than an hour.

After the news spread, people rushed to tell each other. The American government attached great importance to it and decided to let Wright do a test flight performance.

1908 September 10, the weather was exceptionally clear, and the ground over which the plane flew was surrounded by people watching. People are in high spirits, waiting for the Wright brothers to fly

At about 10, my brother Orville flew their plane freely into the sky with cheers. Two long wings crossed the air, just like an eagle spreading its wings and flying.

People can no longer restrain their excitement, holding their heads high in the sky and calling the names of the Wright brothers. Many people's dreams have finally come true.

The plane flew at an altitude of 76 meters 1 hour 14 minutes, carrying a brave passenger. When it landed, people gathered from all directions. Soon after, with the support of the government, the Wright brothers set up a flight company and a flight school. Since then, airplanes have become another advanced means of transportation.

creator

Aircraft is one of the most important scientific and technological achievements made by mankind in the 20th century. Some people rank it alongside TV and computer as the three greatest inventions that have the greatest influence on mankind in the 20th century. There is a dispute about who invented the earliest airplane in the world;

The French believe that the earliest airplane in the world was invented by the Frenchman Clement Ade, and it was successfully tested in France on June 9, 1990. Some people think that he invented the first airplane in history.

Americans believe that the inventors of the plane were American brothers wilbur wright and Orville Wright, who successfully tested in the United States on June1903+February 17.

Brazilians believe that Alberto Santos-dumont invented the airplane. Santos-Dumont's "14 bis" aircraft successfully flew to an altitude of 60 meters on June 1906+ 10/2, which was the first successful power flight in the world.

It is generally believed that the American Wright brothers invented the airplane, and some people think that it was invented by Clement Adel or Alberto Santos dumont.

history

One of the most important inventions of the twentieth century was the birth of the airplane. Since ancient times, human beings have dreamed of flying in space like birds. The kite invented by China people more than 2,000 years ago, although it can't take people into space, can be called the originator of the plane.

At the beginning of this century, there were two brothers in America, who made great contributions to the history of aircraft development in the world. They are the Wright brothers. At that time, most people thought it was impossible for an airplane to fly by its own power, but the Wright brothers didn't believe this conclusion. From 1900 to 1902, the two brothers made more than 1000 gliding test flights.

Finally, in 1903, the first manned aircraft "Voyager" 1 was built and the test flight was successful. Therefore, they won the honorary award of 1909 from the US Congress. In the same year, they established Wright Aircraft Company. This is a great success in the history of aircraft development.

Early airplanes used a single engine, which often stopped suddenly during flight. This is always a threat to flight safety. 19 1 1 year, British short brothers applied for several engine design patents. Their dual-engine system allows every pilot not to worry about the plane descending due to engine shutdown. This is a significant progress in aviation safety. People call the first plane made according to Short's patent "3.2" plane. The name tells people that this plane is equipped with three propellers and two engines. The plane is also equipped with two sets of flight control mechanisms, so both pilots can control the plane without changing seats.

The Wright brothers made the first sustained, dynamic and maneuverable flight.

From 1927 to 1932, the development of cockpit instruments and navigation equipment has made progress, and gyro technology has been applied to flight instruments. The rotating flywheel mounted on the gimbal can keep its orientation in space, so it becomes the basis of various navigation instruments to guide drivers to fly in the night, rain and snow. At this time, an artificial horizon appeared in the plane, which can indicate the flying height of the plane to the pilot; Gyro magnetic compass indicator, the compass is engraved with degrees, which can display the change of course at any time; Geomagnetic induction compass, it is not affected by a large number of iron things often carried on the plane, nor by vibration and the earth's magnetic field. These instruments, such as a highly sensitive altimeter, can measure the height more than 30 meters above the ground, a turning sideslip instrument that shows the turning angular velocity of the aircraft, and a radio beam that indicates the air route, all of which are used to guide the driver through the fuzzy atmosphere.

Flight simulator, also known as flight simulator, can simulate the flight state of aircraft on the ground. 1930, American Edwin Link invented the first flight simulator and named it "link trainer" after himself. Although there are technical defects, it has demonstrated the advantages of repeated emergency action training safely and economically without using real machines. At present, the aircraft simulator has been composed of computer, simulated cockpit, motion system, control load system and visual system. It is an indispensable technical equipment for modern aviation scientific research, teaching and experiment.

19101210, at the Paris exhibition, an airplane crashed while performing. The pilot was thrown out of the burning cabin. However, this plane has aroused great concern. Because it uses a new engine. The designer is the pilot himself, a Romanian named Henry koanda, who graduated from the French Higher Technical School. The engine he designed is a 50-horsepower engine, in which the fan pushes the air backward, and at the same time, an afterburner is added to make the gas fully expand in the tail nozzle, thus increasing the reverse thrust. This is the earliest jet engine.

In the late 1930s, the maximum horizontal flight speed of piston-driven propeller aircraft reached 700 kilometers per hour, and it was close to the sound speed when diving. The problem of sound barrier is increasingly prominent. The former Soviet Union, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and other countries have vigorously carried out the research work of jet engines. Aoan, a German designer, was the first person to successfully develop a new engine. 1934 Aoan obtained the patent of centrifugal turbojet engine. 1939 On August 27th, Aoan made a He- 178 jet with his engine.

After the jet engine was developed, scientists further made the plane fly over the sound barrier. 10 years later, this work was finally completed by Americans.

194710 June 14, in Sangerfield, California, USA, Bell Company tested a plane that could break through the sound barrier. In the morning 10, a huge B-29 bomber took off, and a small plane with a strange shape hung under the cabin. This small plane was named X- 1 rocket plane. The X- 1 aircraft is equipped with four rocket engines with a total thrust of 2,700kg, and the fuel used is dangerous liquid hydrogen and alcohol. When the B-29 bomber descended from the air, its four rocket engines ignited one after another, and the sound was like thunder. 28 seconds after the aircraft engine starts 1 min, the Mach number reaches 1? 0, the plane reached the speed of sound. At this time, the fuel of X- 1 aircraft is running out, and the speed becomes faster, reaching Mach number 1? 06, the height at this time is 13000m. Although the test flight was successful, this record was not recognized because the X- 1 aircraft did not take off by its own power.

The invention of the airplane has brought people new dissatisfaction with the benefit of the whole people. The plane needs to run when it takes off, and it needs to build a corresponding runway and airport. This has brought a lot of inconvenience, so some people began to explore aircraft that can take off and land vertically, commonly known as helicopters.

1939 On September 4th, the world's first practical helicopter was born. That is the VS-300 helicopter successfully developed by Sikorsky Company, an American engineer. Sikorsky was originally from Russia and moved to the United States on 1930. The VS-300 helicopter he made has 1 main rotor and 3 tail rotors. Later, after many test flights, the 3-tail rotor was changed to 1, and this practical helicopter became the originator of modern helicopters.

After the birth of VS-300 helicopter, it had a great influence, especially since the 1950s, the manufacturing technology of helicopter developed rapidly. Before the mid-1950s, the power plant of helicopter was in the period of piston engine, and then it entered the period of jet turbine shaft. The rotor material structure technology has also gone through several stages; In the 1940s-1950s, it was a metal-wood wing mixed structure, in the 1950s-1960s, it was a metal structure, in the 1960s-1970s, it was a glass fiber structure, and it developed into a new composite structure after the 1970s.

In the 1920s, airplanes began to carry passengers. At the beginning of World War II, the United States began to convert a large number of transport planes into passenger planes. Since the 1960s, some large transport planes and supersonic transport planes have appeared in the world, and turbofan engines have gradually become popular. The famous ones are An -22 and Il-76 produced by the former Soviet Union; American C- 14 1, C-5A, Boeing-747; Airbus in France and so on. Supersonic transport aircraft include Concorde jointly developed by Britain and France and Tu-144 of the former Soviet Union. However, the development of supersonic passenger aircraft is not optimistic. The price of Concorde was too high, which affected the benefit, so it was discontinued in the 1980s. Tu- 144 in the former Soviet Union was grounded in the 1980s for the same reason.

Since the invention of the airplane, it has become an indispensable means of transportation for modern civilization. It profoundly changes and affects people's lives. Due to the invention of the airplane, the time for human beings to travel around the world has been greatly shortened. The first round-the-world trip was completed in16th century. At that time, the Portuguese Magellan led a fleet from Spain, which took three years to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, circle the earth and return to Spain. /kloc-At the end of 0/9, it took a Frenchman 43 days to travel around the world by train. After the invention of the airplane, people made another round-the-world trip at 1949. A B-50 bomber flew 37,700 kilometers around the earth in just 94 hours after four beautiful aerial refueling. It is better to be strong than not. After the supersonic plane appeared, people flew higher and faster. 1979, spector, an Englishman, flew 36,900 kilometers and circled the earth in only 14 hours and 6 minutes. In less than a day, you can fly to every corner of the earth. Isn't this a miracle for people who lived before the 20th century?

The intricate air routes connect countries all over the world, providing people with convenient and fast passenger transportation. As early as the 1920s, air transport started regular flights to transport passengers and mail. Nowadays, air routes extend in all directions, and people will see a silver plane at any time, like a big bird, passing by in the blue sky. For modern people, it is common to be in Beijing in the morning and in another city thousands of miles away in the afternoon without being tired. Before the 20th century, this was unthinkable. From then on, steep mountains and endless oceans will no longer be daunting. Yin Yan closely links people of different races and colors in different regions. Through constant communication, people sow friendship and transmit information, so as to achieve mutual communication, mutual understanding and mutual promotion and jointly promote human civilization.

The invention of aircraft also made the air transport industry develop unprecedentedly, and many raw materials needed for industrial development had new sources and channels, greatly reducing people's dependence on local natural resources. Especially after the birth of supersonic aircraft, air transportation has become more prosperous. Livestock that are not suitable for long-term transportation, delicious food that is difficult to preserve for a long time, can also fly all over the world and be enjoyed by people all over the world. Lingnan litchi, which was not easy for even the imperial concubine to taste, has now appeared in the homes of ordinary people.

When humans marched into the depths of the earth, airplanes were also widely used in geological exploration. People can quickly and accurately survey vast areas, including steep and hard-to-reach places, by airplanes equipped with cameras or electronic equipment called Lan Xiao system. An excellent topographic map can be drawn by splicing aerial photos one by one. This is much easier than the old surveying and mapping method. Even the icy and inaccessible Arctic and Antarctic, which were once only explored by explorers, can now be reached by plane without any difficulty.

Of course, the role of aircraft in modern warfare is even more amazing. It can be used not only for reconnaissance and bombing, but also for early warning, anti-submarine and mine clearance. In the Gulf War that broke out in the early 1990s, the great power of airplanes was obvious to all. Of course, the military application of aircraft has also brought great disasters to mankind and caused devastating damage to human civilization. But the peaceful use of aircraft is the original intention of human beings to invent aircraft.