General aviation

General aviation

The science and practice of artificial flight which involves the design, development, production, operation of aircraft or heavier-than-air machines.

Industry: Aviation

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General aviation

Solo

Aviation; General aviation

Your first totally unassisted flight that results in a controlled landing.

Span, also "Wingspan"

Aviation; General aviation

The widest straight-line distance between the two wingtips.

Large panels that fold out of the aircraft structure to provide a lot of extra drag to the air. They are not part of the wing structure, but are usually mounted on the fuselage. Military jets most ...

Spin

Aviation; General aviation

A maneuver where one wing is stalled and the other is still flying. This causes the airplane to rotate around its middle while it descends at a high rate of speed. When it's done on purpose, it is a ...

Spinner

Aviation; General aviation

The bullet-shaped fairing on the nose of the airplane around the propeller. This smooths the airflow around the propeller hub and also makes the airplane look much better.

Split-S

Aviation; General aviation

Basically a reverse Immelmann. The airplane rolls onto its back, and then the nose comes down to finish a 1/2-loop. The direction of flight is changed 180°.

Spoiler(s)

Aviation; General aviation

Control surfaces on the wing that destroy lift. They "spoil" it. They are used on sail-planes because they can steepen the very flat glide of the aircraft, which makes landings much easier. On ...