Fixed-wing aircraft stay aloft because every fixed-wing aircraft has wings that use forward airspeed to generate lift. Those wings are static planes extending to either side of the aircraft, and together with the fuselage, tail assembly, and landing gear they form the main components of the airframe, making a total of four major structural parts whose strength and shape define the vehicle.
Expert behind this article
Jim Goodrich
Jim Goodrich is a pilot, aviation expert and founder of Tsunami Air.
What are the components of a fixed-wing aircraft?
The components of a fixed-wing aircraft are listed below.
- Fuselage: The fuselage is the hollow main body that holds the aircraft together and houses the cockpit, engine, fuel, and flight systems. It encloses seats for passengers and space for cargo.
- Empennage/Tail Assembly: Stabilizers - horizontal and vertical - form the empennage, alternatively called the tail assembly, and provide longitudinal and directional stability. The horizontal stabilizer carries the elevator and the vertical stabilizer carries the rudder. Some aircraft combine both into a single stabilator, while canard configurations place a small forward surface ahead of the wings.
- Flight Control Surfaces: Flight control surfaces include ailerons, elevators, and rudder. They are the small moving sections attached by hinges to the trailing edges of wings and stabilizers. Ailerons control roll, elevators control pitch, and the rudder controls yaw.
- Landing Gear: The landing gear, or undercarriage, is the assembly beneath the fuselage and wing section that supports the aircraft on the ground. It absorbs takeoff and landing forces. It has wheels, skids or floats, and is often retractable into the fuselage.
Which part of a fixed wing airplane supplies the thrust?
The part of a fixed wing airplane that supplies the thrust is the engine. On most airliners the jet engines are located beneath or mounted on the wings and their exhaust nozzles generate the propulsive force that pushes the airplane forward through the air. Smaller aircraft carry a propeller at the nose; the engine spins the propeller, and the rotating blades convert rotational energy into thrust. Whether the airplane uses jet engines or propellers, the engine converts burning fuel into the thrust that overcomes drag and keeps the aircraft moving.
