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aircraft |
any machine or weight-carrying device (whether lighter or heavier than air) designed to be supported by the air, either by bouyancy or by dynamic action |
aerodyne |
that class of aircraft being heavier than air and deriving it lift in flight chiefly from aerodynamic forces |
airplane (aeroplane) |
a subset of aerodynes, specifically, a mechanically driven fixed-wing aircraft, heavier than air, which is supported by the dynamic reaction of the air against its wings |
aerodynamics |
the science that deals with the motion of air and other gaseous fluids, and of the forces acting on bodies when the bodies are in relative motion with respect to such fluids |
aerostat |
that class of aircraft being lighter than air and deriving its support chiefly from buoyancy derived from aerostatic forces |
airship |
a subset of aerostats, specifically, an aerostat provided with a propelling system and with a means of controlling the direction of motion |
aerostatics |
the science that deals with the equilibrium of gaseous fluid and of bodies immersed in them |
aeronautics |
the science and art of designing, constructing, and operating aircraft |
airships (dirigibles) |
nonrigid (blimp): a lighter-than-air craft having a gas bag, envelope, or skin that is not supported by any framework or reinforced by stiffening. Its shape is maintained by the internal pressure of the gas with which it is filled. semirigid (sometimes blimp): a dirigible having its main envelope reinforced by a keel but not having a completely rigid framework. rigid: a dirigible having several gas bags or cells enclosed in an envelope supported by an interior rigid framework structure. |
amphibian |
an airplane designed to rise from and alight on either water or land |
autogyro |
a rotary-wing aerodyne whose rotor is turned throughout its flight by air forces resulting from the motion of the craft through the air |
balloon |
a bag, usually spherical, made of silk or other light, tough, nonporous material filled with some gas which is lighter-than-air. It is an aerostat without a propelling system. |
biplane |
an airplane having two wings or supporting surfaces, one located above the other |
boat, flying |
type of airplane in which the fuselage (hull) is especially designed to provide flotation on water |
glider |
an engineless airplane flown by being manipulated into air currents that keep it aloft |
helicopter |
a type of rotary-wing aerodyne whose lift and forward thrust are derived from airfoils mechanically rotated about an approximately vertical axis |
kite |
a light frame, usually of wood, covered with paper or cloth and designed to be flown in the wind at the end of a string |
lifting body |
an aerodyne which derives most or all of its lift in flight from the shape of its fuselage, the wings being essentially nonexistent |
monoplane |
an airplane having but one wing or supporting surface |
ornithopter |
a type of aircraft achieving its chief support and propulsion from the bird-like flapping of its wings |
parachute |
cloth device, consisting of a canopy and suspension lines, which basically produces a drag force to retard the descent of a falling body |
[183] paraglider |
a flexible-winged, kite-like vehicle designed for use in a recovery system for launch vehicles |
pusher airplane |
an airplane with the propeller or propellers aft of the main supporting surfaces |
rotary-wing aircraft |
a type of aerodyne which is supported in the air wholly or in part by wings or blades rotating about a substantially vertical axis |
tailless airplane |
an airplane in which the devices used to obtain stability and control are incorporated in the wing |
tractor airplane |
an airplane with the propeller or propellers forward of the main supporting surfaces |
STOL |
short take-off and landing airplane |
VTOL |
vertical take-off and landing airplane |
V/STOL |
an airplane which has both STOL and VTOL capabilities |
Nonrigid airship |
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Rigid airship |
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Balloon |
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Amphibian (Grumman SA-16A Albatross) |
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Autogyro |
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Biplane (Bristol F2B) |
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Flying boat (Shin Meiwa PX-S) |
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Glider (Schweizer 1-23) |
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Helicopter (Sikorsky CH-3C) |
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Kite |
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Lifting body (HL-10) |
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Monoplane (Piper Arrow) |
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Flapping wing ornithopter |
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Parachutes |
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Paraglider |
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Pusher airplane (XB-42) |
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Rotary-wing aircraft (Bell Jet Ranger) |
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Tailless airplane (Avro 707B) |
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Tailless aiplane (YB-49) |
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Tractor airplane (Boeing 377 Stratocruiser) |
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STOL- Short Take-off and landing airplane (DHC-6 Twin Otter) |
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VTOL - Vertical take-off and landing airplane (P1227 Harrier) |
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V/STOL airplane (X-22A) |
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