AIRCRAFT PARTS GLOSSARY

Aileron - The moveable areas of a wing that control the aircraft’s ability to bank / roll / turn.

Alclad - Trademark name (Alcoa) for high strength sheet aluminum clad with a layer (approx. 5.5% thickness per
side) of high purity aluminum. Alclad is popularly used in the manufacture of aircraft.

A.P.U. - Auxiliary Power Unit .. A device on an aircraft (or remote to the aircraft when on ground) to provide
energy for functions other than propulsion.

Avionics - The electronic systems, equipment and other devices used in air (or space) flight. Includes devices
used for navigation, communication, performance indicators, instruments used for steering / controlling the
aircraft, radar, collision avoidance, monitoring weather conditions, etc….

Beam - A transverse (crosswise) structural member of an aircraft’s frame used to support the flooring and brace
the sides against stress.

Bladder Cell - A tank formed by a flexible bag which is contained within a rigid cavity. Often found encased
within the wings of an aircraft.

Canopy - A large clear window / blister on small aircraft, (esp. fighter jets and gliders) that also serves as the
means for entering and exiting the aircraft.

Cargo Pit - Area for the storage and transport of cargo. On large commercial aircraft there are multiple locations.
Cargo pits are broken down into stations which are marked on the inside walls of the aircraft. It is up-most
importance that cargo be weighed prior to loading and center of gravity marked prior to assigning each load to the
proper station. Also called Cargo Hold or Cargo Bay

Cockpit - The section where the pilot sits and flies the aircraft. On larger aircraft this area accommodates two or
more personnel.

Control Surface - A movable airfoil, especially a rudder, aileron, or elevator used to control or guide an aircraft,
rocket or missile.

Cowl - A circular, removable fairing around an aircraft’s engine for the purposes of streamlining or cooling. (also
called a Cowling)

Dorsal Fin - A lateral fin / rudder extension on the top of a fuselage. (Opposite of a Ventral Fin).

Elevator - The moveable part of a horizontal airfoil (wing) which controls the pitch (vertical movement) of an
aircraft. The fixed part is called the STABILIZER.

Empennage - An aircraft’s tail group which includes the rudder and fin, and stabilizer and elevator.

Fairing - An added streamlining structure, non-load bearing, usually made of light metal, whose only purpose is to
reduce drag.

Fin - The fixed part of a vertical airfoil that controls the yaw (side-to-side) movement of an aircraft; the moveable
part being the RUDDER, sometimes referred to as the Vertical Stabilizer.

Flap - A moveable, usually hinged airfoil set in the trailing edge of an aircraft wing designed to increase lift or drag
by changing the camber (curvature) of the wing - used to slow the aircraft during landing by increasing lift.
 AIRCRAFT PARTS GLOSSARY
Floor Boards - A grid of closely joined lightweight / rigid panels resting atop beams to form a separation between
the cargo and on-board mechanical workings of an aircraft from the area used by flight crews and passengers.

The flooring allows for mobility within the cabin and accommodates the mounting of seats and/or other apparatus.
The panels can be removed to allow workmen access to the many components beneath such as cables, wire
harnesses, ductwork, hydraulic pumps, etc…

Fuel Bladder - See BLADDER CELL

Fuselage - The main body structure of an aircraft that connects all the other parts (wings, tail, etc.). The fuselage
houses the flight crew, passengers or cargo (payload). On smaller aircraft the engine is commonly enclosed. On
larger aircraft, engines are attached using pylons to either the wings or the fuselage.

Galley - The kitchen of an airliner, ship or camper.

Horizontal Stabilizer - Airfoils (wings) located on the tail of an aircraft that help maintain a straight, horizontal
path through the air.

Landing Gear - The wheels on an aircraft that allow it to land and taxi. Also called the undercarriage.

Lavatory - An on-board (aircraft) bathroom with a toilet and a sink.

Leading Edge - The front-most edge of an aircraft’s propeller blade, rotor blade or wing.

Nose - The front of an aircraft.

Propeller - Two or more twisted blades that most typically pull an airplane forward as they turn. Blades have the
same basic shape as wings. On some light aircraft the blades are attached to a rear mounted engine and
designed to push the aircraft through the air.

Pylon - A device externally installed either under the wings or to the side of fuselage; it is aerodynamically
designed so as to create the least amount of drag; it provides a means of attaching engines … also fuel tanks,
bombs, gun pods, etc…

Radome - A domelike shell that’s transparent to radio frequency radiation used to house a radar antenna and
other communication gear. On large commercial aircraft is typically the ‘nose’ section. Can also be housed in a
‘blister’ on top and/or beneath the fuselage.

Rivet - A metal fastener or pin having a manufactured head on one end, that when inserted through pre-aligned
holes in the pieces to be joined is then hammered on the plain end so-as to form a second head to hold the parts
together permanently.

Rotor - A hub with a number of rotating airfoils rotating at high speed in an approximately horizontal plane to
provide the lift for a rotary-wing aircraft.

Rudder - The moveable part of a vertical airfoil which controls the ‘yaw’ (side-to –side) movement of an aircraft,
the fixed part being the FIN.

Spar - Structural member intended to resist the bending and twisting and shearing loads taken on by the outer
skin of the aircraft, esp. wings.
 AIRCRAFT PARTS GLOSSARY
Stabilizer - The fixed part of a horizontal airfoil that controls the pitch (up and down) movement of an aircraft, the
moveable part being the ELEVATOR.

Tail - The rear part of the aircraft.

Undercarriage - See LANDING GEAR.

Ventral Fins - Small, vertical surface that attaches to the bottom of the fuselage near the tail.

Vertical Stabilizer - Airfoils located on the tail of the aircraft that help maintain a straight upright path through the
air.

Wing - The part of the aircraft shaped in a way to provide lift when air flows over it.

Wing Box - The wing box includes the structural members of the wing such as spars, ribs, braces, struts, etc. and
is enclosed by the upper and lower skins of the wing.

Winglet - A small, stabilizing, rudder-like addition to the tips of a wing to control or employ air movement.

Wiring Harness - An array of insulated conductors (wires) bound together by lacing cord, metal bands, conduit or
other binding (including tape), in an arrangement suitable and intended for use in the specific electronic unit for
which the harness was designed; often include pre-affixed terminations (connectors) on one or both ends.