Aeronautics

Aeronautics

The branch of science that deals with flight aerodynamics and with the operation of all types of aircraft.

Contributors in Aeronautics

Aeronautics

A hinge in the rotor system of a helicopter that allows the individual blades to move back and forth in their plane of rotation. This movement helps minimize vibration. The drag hinge is also called ...

inside calipers

Aviation; Aeronautics

A hinged measuring device similar to a pair of dividers. The difference between inside calipers and dividers is that the ends of the caliper’s legs are bent outward so they are at right angles to the ...

lightening hole

Aviation; Aeronautics

A hole cut in a piece of structural material to get rid of weight, or lighten the structure, without losing any strength. A hole several inches in diameter may be cut in a piece of metal at a point ...

relief hole

Aviation; Aeronautics

A hole drilled at the point at which two bend lines meet in a piece of sheet metal. When a piece of sheet metal is formed into a pan, a square is cut from the corners of the sheet, and the sides are ...

sprue

Aviation; Aeronautics

A hole in a mold through which liquid plastic or molten metal is poured to fill the mold. When the molded material becomes solid, the mold is opened, and the metal which was in the sprue (this metal ...

orifice

Aviation; Aeronautics

A hole. When the word orifice is used, the hole is considered to have special characteristics. The orifice in a carburetor jet, for example, has a specific diameter, length, and approach and ...

sodium-filled exhaust valve

Aviation; Aeronautics

A hollow exhaust valve that is partially filled with metallic sodium. The sodium is a soft solid at room temperature, but at the operating temperature of the valve, it melts and becomes a liquid that ...