DICTIONARY OF AËRONAUTICAL TERMS
A
Aërodrome—A tract of land selected for flying purposes.
Aërodynamics—The science of Aviation, literally the study of the influence of air in motion.
Aërofoil—A flat or flexed plane which lends support to an aëroplane.
Aëronaut—One engaged in navigating the air.
Aëronautics—The science of navigating the air.
Aëroplane—A heavier than air machine supported by one or more fixed wings or planes.
Aërostatics—The science of aërostation, or of buoyancy caused by displacement, ballooning.
Aërostation—The science of lighter than air or gas-borne machines.
Aileron—The outer edge or tip of a wing, usually adjustable, used to balance or stabilize.
Airship—Commonly used to denote both heavier and lighter than air machines; correctly a dirigible balloon.
Angle of Incidence—The angle of the wing with the line of travel.
Area—In the case of wings, the extent of surface measured on both the upper and lower sides. An area of one square foot comprises the actual surface of two square feet.
Aspect Ratio—The proportion of the chord to the span of a wing. For example if the wing has a span of 30 inches and a chord of 6 inches the aspect ratio will be 5 or span / chord.
Automatic Stability—Stability secured by fins, the angle of the wings and similar devices.
Aviator—One engaged in Aviation.
Aviation—The science of heavier than air machines.
Angle of Blade—The angle of the blade of a propeller to the axis of the shaft.
B
Balancer—A plane or other part intended for lateral equilibrium.
Bearing Block—Used in connection with the mounting of propellers on model aëroplanes. Made from wood and metal.
Brace—Strip of bamboo or other material used to join together the frame side members. Also used in joining other parts of a model.
Biplane—An aëroplane or model aëroplane with two wings superposed.
Body—The main framework supporting the wing or wings and the machinery.
Banking—The lateral tilting of an aëroplane when taking a turn.
C
Camber—The rise of the curved contour of an arched surface above the Chord Line.
Center of Gravity—The point at which the aëroplane balances.
Center of Pressure—The imaginary line beneath the wing at which the pressure balances.
Chassis (Carriage)—The part on which the main body of an aëroplane or model aëroplane is supported on land or water.
Chord—The distance between the entering and trailing edges of a wing.
D
Deck—The main surface of a biplane or multiplane.
Directional Control—The ability to determine the direction of the flight of an aëroplane.
Dirigible—A balloon driven by power.
Dope—A coating for wings.
Down Wind—With the wind.
Drift—The resistance of the wing to the forward movement.
Dihedral Angle—The inclination of the wings to each other usually bent up from the center in the form of a flat V.
E
Elevator—The plane or wing intended to control the vertical flight of the machine.
Engine—A contrivance for generating driving power.
Engine Base—Main stick used for frame of single stick model.
Engineer—One who controls the power, driving the machinery.
Entering Edge or Leading Edge—Front edge or edge of the surface upon which the air impinges.
Equilibrator—A plane or other contrivance which makes for stability.
F
Fin—A fixed vertical plane.
Flexed—A wing is said to be flexed when it curves upward forming an arc of a circle.
Flying Stick—Name applied to ordinary A type and single stick models.
Flying Machine—Literally a form of lighter than air craft; a gas-borne airship.
Flying Boat—A hull or large float used in connection with an aëroplane to enable its rising from and alighting upon the surface of the water.
Frame—A single or double stick structure to which all parts of a model are attached. Three or more sticks are sometimes employed in the construction of a frame. However, the usual number is two, joined together in the form of letter “A.”
Frame Hooks—The looped ends of a piece of wire attached to the point of the frame to accommodate the S hooks attached to the rubber strands.
Frame Side Members—Two main sticks of an A type frame.
Fuselage—The body or framework of an aëroplane.
G
Glider—An aëroplane without motive power.
Guy—A brace, usually a wire or cord used for tuning up the aëroplane.
Gross Weight—The weight of the aircraft, comprising fuel, lubricating oils and the pilot.
Gyroscope—A rotating mechanism for maintaining equilibrium.
Gap—The vertical distance between the superposed wings.
H
Hangar—A shed for housing an aëroplane.
Harbor—A shelter for aircraft.
Heavier than Air—A machine weighing more than the air it displaces.
Helicopter—A flying machine in which propellers are utilized to give a lifting effect by their own direct action on the air. In aviation the term implies that the screw exerts a direct lift.
Helmsman—One in charge of the steering device.
Hydroaëroplane—An aëroplane with pontoons to enable its rising from the surface of the water. Known as hydro in model circles.
K
Keel—A vertical plane or planes arranged longitudinally either above or below the body for the purpose of giving stability.
L
Lateral Stability—Stability which prevents side motion.
Loading—The gross weight divided by the supporting area measured in square feet.
Longitudinal Stability—Stability which prevents fore and aft motion or pitching.
Longerons—Main members of the fuselage. Sometimes called longitudinals.
M
Mast—A perpendicular stick holding the stays or struts which keep the wings rigid.
Model Aëroplane—A scale reproduction of a man-carrying machine.
Mechanical Power—A model driven by means other than rubber strands such as compressed air, steam, gasoline, spring, electricity and so forth is termed a mechanical driven model. The power used is termed mechanical power.
Motive Power—In connection with model aëroplanes a number of rubber strands evenly strung from the propeller shaft to the frame hooks which while unwinding furnish the necessary power to propel the model.
Main Beam—In connection with model aëroplanes a long stick which is secured to the under side of the wing frame at the highest point in the curve of the ribs adding materially to the rigidity of the wing.
Monoplane—An aëroplane or heavier than air machine supported by a single main wing which may be formed of two wings extending from a central body.
Multiplane—An aëroplane with more than four wings superposed.
N
Nacelle—The car of a dirigible balloon, literally a cradle. Also applied to short body used in connection with aëroplanes for the accommodation of the pilot and engine.
Net Weight—Complete weight of the machine without pilot, fuel or oil.
O
Ornithopter—A flapping wing machine which has arched wings like those of a bird.
Orthogonal—A flight maintained by flapping wings.
Outriggers—Members which extend forward or rearward from the main planes for the purpose of supporting the elevator or tail planes of an aëroplane.
P
Plane—A surface or wing, either plain or flexed, employed to support or control an aëroplane.
Pilot—One directing an aëroplane in flight.
Pitch—Theoretical distance covered by a propeller in making one revolution.
Propeller—The screw used for driving an aëroplane.
Propeller Bearings—Pieces of bronze tubing or strips of metal formed to the shape of the letter “L” used to mount propellers. Also made from blocks of wood.
Propeller Blank—A block of wood cut to the design of a propeller.
Propeller Spar(s)—The heavy stick or sticks upon which the bearing or bearings of a single or twin propeller model are mounted.
Propeller Shaft—A piece of wire which is run through the hub of the propeller and tubing in mounting the propeller.
Pylon—Correctly, a structure housing a falling weight used for starting an aëroplane, commonly a turning point in aëroplane flights.
Pusher—An aëroplane with the propeller or propellers situated in back of the main supporting surfaces.
Q
Quadruplane—An aëroplane with four wings superposed.
R
Rudder—A plane or group of planes used to steer an aëroplane.
Runner—Strip beneath an aëroplane used for a skid.
Running Gear or Landing Gear—That portion of the chassis consisting of the axle, wheels and shock absorber.
Rib—Curved brace fastened to the entering and trailing edges of a wing.
S
Scale Model—A miniature aëroplane exactly reproducing the proportions of an original.
Spar—A mast strut or brace.
Side Slip—The tendency of an aëroplane to slide or slip sideways when too steep banking is attempted.
Stability—The power to maintain an even keel in flight.
Starting Platform—A runway to enable an aëroplane to leave the ground.
Surface Friction—Resistance offered by planes or wings.
Slip—The difference between the distance actually traveled by a propeller and that measured by the pitch.
Soaring Flight—A gliding movement without apparent effort.
Sustaining Surface—Extent of the wings or planes which lend support to an aëroplane.
Span (Spread)—The dimension of a surface across the air stream.
Streamline—Exposing as little surface as possible to offer resistance to air.
Skids—In connection with model aëroplanes, steel wires or strips of bamboo allowed to extend below the frame to protect the model in landing and to permit its rising off the ground or ice.
S or Motor Hooks—A piece of wire bent in a double hook to resemble the letter “S.” One end to be attached to the frame hook, the other serving as accommodation for the rubber strands.
T
Tail—The plane or planes, both horizontal and vertical, carried behind the main planes.
Tandem—An arrangement of two planes one behind the other.
Thrust—The power exerted by the propeller of an aëroplane.
Tension—The power exerted by twisted strands of rubber in unwinding.
Tractor—An aëroplane with the propeller situated before the main supporting surfaces.
Triplane—An aëroplane with three wings superposed.
Trailing Edge—The rear edge of a surface.
Torque—The twisting force of a propeller tending to overturn or swerve an aëroplane sideways.
U
Up Wind—Against the wind.
W
Wake—The churned or disturbed air in the track of a moving aëroplane.
Wash—The movement of the air radiating from the sides of an aëroplane in flight.
Wings—Planes or supporting surfaces, commonly a pair of wings extending out from a central body.
Winder—An apparatus used for winding two sets of rubber strands at the same time in opposite directions or one at a time. Very often made from an egg beater or hand drill.
Warping—The springing of a wing out of its normal shape, thereby creating a temporary difference in the extremities of the wing which enables the wind to heel the machine back again into balance.
ABREVIATIONS
| H. P. | Horse Power. |
| R. P. M. | Revolutions per minute. |
| H. L. | Hand launched. |
| R. O. G. | Rise off ground model. |
| R. O. W. | Rise off water model. |
| M. P. H. | Miles per hour. |
THE END
Transcriber’s Note (continued)
Errors in punctuation have been corrected. Inconsistencies in spelling, grammar, capitalisation, and hyphenation are as they appear in the original publication except where noted below:
Page 16 – “bob-sled″” changed to “bobsled″” (an ordinary bobsled)
Page 53 – “approximately cross section” changed to “approximately circular cross section”
Page 55 – “run” changed to “runs” (one of which wires runs to)
Page 83 – “ten″” changed to “10″” (10″ propeller)
Page 105 – “five cylinder” changed to “three cylinder” (Schober-Funk three cylinder rotary engine) [This change was made to the illustration caption on this page and also to the entry in the List of Illustrations that points to it.]
Page 106 – “diagram 17” changed to “diagram 18” (The accompanying diagram 18 illustrates)
Page 108 – “crank-shaft” changed to “crankshaft” (The two-throw crankshaft)
Page 111 – “cam-shaft” changed to “camshaft” (provided for the camshaft)
Page 112 – “crank-shaft” changed to “crankshaft” (the crankshaft is driven)
Page 113 – “stream-line” changed to “streamline” (streamline form)
Page 116 – “Bi-plane” changed to “Biplane” (Type Biplane Model)
The prefix of AËRO/Aëro/aëro as in ‘aëroplane’, etc., is used throughout the body text of the original publication with a few exceptions. These latter have been changed for consistency in this transcription. The unaccented prefix AERO/Aero/aero is now only used in title page text.
Incorrect entries in the Table of Contents have had their text and/or page references changed so that they agree with the text and location of the parts of the original publication to which they refer.
Entries in the DICTIONARY OF AËRONAUTICAL TERMS which are not in the correct alphabetical order have been left as they appear in the original publication. Some minor typographical errors and spelling mistakes have been corrected without further note.