ETHIOPIA AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Department of Air Frame and Power Plant(APG)

Course title: Airframe theory

Course Code: AFTH-1432

Nominal Duration: 35hrs

Name of Instructor: Cor. Abrham G.

 CHAPTER -1

DEVELOPMENT OF AIRCRAFT
 Objective
Objective of this chapter ; After the accomplishment of this chapter
students able to :

 Get introduced about history of aircraft development.

 Differentiate & explain aircraft, airplane & airframe.

 List & describe military aircrafts recently in use.

 Contents
 Introduction

 Historical developmet of Aircraft

 world war the 1st (W.W.I)

 world war the 2nd ([Link])

 Wright Brothers (The first successful flight)

 Modern Aviation
 Introduction

The need for AVIATION TECHNOLOGY for any nation

arises from the necessity of facilitating CIVILIZATION.
 Since the beginning of civilization people have attempted to
find an easier way to travel.
Transportation is the backbone of our modern economic
society.
 Aviation has played significant role in this regard and
towards civilization of human race in the field of
TRANSPORTATION and WAR.
 Many centuries ago man has DREAMED to fly and travel
faster as transportation is the back bone of our modern
economic society.
 Wright brothers (1903) have changed this dream to reality
after huge sacrifices of human life’s only in 19th century.
 Today with a little more than a century period,
aviation has remarkably progressed and very
significant achievements have been registered
(transcontinental) and round the world nonstop flights,
supersonic and Subsonic flights, stealth technology,
space flights etc.
 AIRCRAFT

 Any structure, flying machine or set-up designed to be

supported in the air either by dynamic reaction with the air or by
it’s own buoyancy.

E.g. Air planes, airships, gliders, balloons.

 Any structure or machine designed to travel through the air,
whether heavier or lighter than air.
 A vehicle capable of atmospheric flight due to interaction

with the air, such as buoyancy or lift.

AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE
 Physical components of the aircraft that makes the aircraft

fly.
Aircraft structure provides the strength and rigidity to an
aircraft to meet performance and design, according to
structure.
 AIRFRAME

 The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the

airframe.

 This structure is typically considered to include the

fuselage, undercarriage, empennage, control surfaces

and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.

 Airplane

 Is a vehicle that has wings and one or more engines and is

capable of moving through the air.

 Is an engine driven, fixed wing, heavier-than- aircraft that
achieves flight through the reaction between the air and its
wings.
Fixed-wing aircraft are that have their wings attached to the
fuselage so that they can create lift while flyig through the air.
 Brief History of Aircraft Construction
Early dreamers

Greek myth – Daedalus with his son Icarus, flew with wings
made of feathers and wax.
 Daedalus and Icarus flew using wings made of wax and

feathers.
 The earliest ideas of human flight can be found in Greek
mythology.
 Icarus and his father, Daedalus, attempted to escape from the
labyrinth of Crete by attaching wings to their arms, which
were constructed from feathers, threads, and beeswax,
mimicking the wings of birds.
 Leonardo Da Vinci
 Leonardo Da Vinci made suggestive drawings of the
orinthopter, a parachute and a helicopter.
 An ornithopter (from Greek ornis, ornith -'bird' and pteron
'wing') is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings.
 Larger, crewed ornithopters have also been built and some
have been successful.
 Crewed ornithopters are generally either powered by
engines or by the pilot.
 An aircraft that generates lift through the flapping of its
wings.
 In his note-books, he also shows an aerial screw device
resembling a helicopter.
 In addition, Leonardo daVinci considered engine concepts,
realizing that humans could never produce enough power to
achieve flight.
 However, he does not seem to have integrated his ideas of
engines with his flying machine concepts.
 The Montgolfier Brothers
The hot air balloon
 The history of modern aircraft has an almost immediate

antecedent in hot air balloons.

 French brothers Jaques and Joseph Montgolfier, inventors of
this machine that since the end of the 17th century would
mark a before and after in the world of aviation, entered the
history of aviation.
 Great inventions, the hot air balloon was discovered almost

by accident.
 The foundation of modern Aerodyamics started around the
same tme as a result of diverse theories in
mechanics ,particularly fluid dyamics and newton’ s law of
motion.
 Work on developing a steerable or dirigible balloons
contiued throughout the 19th century.
The Montgolfier brothers made their hot air balloon from
linen cloth lined with paper and flew their unmanned balloon
in June, 1783.
 The Montgolfier brothers began manned flights of the hot-
air balloon at the time.
 On November 21st, 1783 the Montgolfiers launched the
first free flight with human passengers.
 The balloon was powered by a wood fire.

 It drifted for 8 km.

 The French government established Balloon Companies

 The use of balloons for military purposes began at the end
of the 18th century.
 The French government established Balloon Companies
during that era.
 The foundation of modern aerodynamics started around the
same time as a result of diverse theories in mechanics,
particularly fluid dynamics and Newton’s laws of motion.
 Otto Lilienthal: (May 23, 1848-Aug. 10, 1896)

Glider aircraft
 Was a German engineer and aviation pioneer who made
important contributions to the development of aviation in
the second half of the 19th century.
 Lilienthal was the first man to fly regularly in gliders,
earning him the title “the father of gliding”.
 Made about 2000 successful flights with gliders made of
willow wands and waxed cotton in the 1890’s.
 The glider man

 The first successful controlled gliders in history.

 Monoplane hanging glider.

 Wilbur wright got motivation from Lilienthal papers in

1894.
 He was killed by a glider accident in1896.
 The Wright Brothers:
 The fathers of the first airplane in history.

 The beginning of modern aviation and laid the

foundation for the development of aviation worldwide.
 The Flyer I had an innovative design and was
constructed primarily of wood and fabric.
 It had a wingspan of 6.4 meters and weighed about 340
 The first successful flight
 The wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, made first
successful heavier than air aircraft, the wright flyer.
 The first flight was on December 17th 1903.

 After the wright brothers first flight, there was an aviation

boom.
 Wilbur started studying bird flight.
 Both of them become skilled pilots.
 Modern day aircraft giants, Boeing and Airbus, came into
existence.
The next generation of airplanes before the first world war
were built with a wood truss and had wings braced with
struts and wires.
 Aircrafts before 1st world war
 The next generation of airplanes before the first world
war were built with a wood truss and had wings braced
with struts and wires.
 The occupants seat in open cockpits.
 World War 1 (1914-1918)
During world war the first :

 Aircraft use for military

 Increased demand for military aircrafts, more powerful

motors and larger aircrafts were developed.
 Aerodynamic fuselage design;
Monoplane:-is an aircraft with one main set of wing
surfaces.
 Monoplanes produce less drag than Biplane.

 Monoplanes only have a single wing, so they produce less

drag.
 A monoplane is an aircraft that has only one set of wings.

 Monoplanes are characterized by having a streamlined

body and a high-performance wing structure that provides
lift and stability.
Biplane:- a fixed wing aircraft with two main wing.
 Biplanes have a stacked wing configuration, resulting in
more drag-producing surface area.
 The dual-wing structure provides increased lift.

 Biplanes can achieve shorter takeoff and landing

distances thanks to their increased lift.
 Biplanes are also more maneuverable than monoplanes.
Advantages

1. Structural Strength: The biplane configuration allows for

a stronger airframe due to the interplane struts and wires,
which can distribute loads more effectively.
2. Increased Lift: The two wings provide more lift than a
monoplane of the same wing area, which can be
advantageous for short takeoff and landing capabilities.
3. Maneuverability: Biplanes often exhibit better low-speed
handling and maneuverability, making them suitable for
aerobatics and dogfighting.

4. Shorter Takeoff and Landing Distance: The increased lift

can lead to shorter takeoff and landing distances, making
them effective for operations from smaller airfields.
Disadvantages

1. Drag: The additional wing and supporting structures can

increase drag which can affect speed and fuel efficiency.

2. Weight: The extra wing and add weight, which may limit
payload capacity.

3. Visibility: The upper wing can obstruct the pilot's view,

which can be a disadvantage in certain flying conditions.
 Triplane:-design are all considered viable aircraft.

Saw the rise of aircraft as a weapon system and changing

face of war.
 The aircraft changed the modern battlefield.
Aircrafts which took part during World War 1 were ancient
reciprocating engine with low horse power.
 Mono engines
 Short range and poor cooling

 Low carrying capacity, speed and altitude

Wing construction of bi-plane, tri- plane and Quadra plane.

Mostly wooden airframe.

Advantages

1. Enhanced Lift: generate even more lift than biplanes,

allowing for excellent performance at lower speeds.

2. Maneuverability: are highly maneuverable, making them

suitable for aerial combat and aerobatics.

3. Compact Design: allows for a smaller wingspan while

maintaining lift, which can be advantageous in limited space.
Dis advantages

1. Complexity: involves more components (wings, struts,

and rigging), which can complicate construction and
maintenance.

2. Increased Drag: The additional wing increases drag

significantly, which can limit speed and overall efficiency.
3. Weight: Similar to biplanes, the extra wing adds weight,
which can impact performance and payload capacity.

4. Stability Issues: sometimes suffer from stability issues,

particularly at higher speeds.
 World war 2nd (1939-1945)
What was the cause of World War II?
 World War II began in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany
invaded Poland.
 Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on
September 3.
 World War II (1939-1945) was the largest international event of the
twentieth century and one of the major turning points in U.S. and
world history.
In the six years between the invasion of Poland and the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world was caught up
in the most destructive war in history.
During world war the second:

 Drastic increase in the aircraft development and production.

 Aircraft faster and more maneuverable.

 Stronger in design.

 Weapon systems are more sophisticated.

 Roles are dedicated:

 Fighter

 Bomber
 Attack

 Reconnaissance
Fighter:-
 is a fixed wing military aircraft designed primarily for air
to air combat.
 Aircraft designed primarily to secure control of essential
airspace by destroying enemy aircraft in combat.
 The opposition may consist of fighters of equal capability
or of bombers carrying protective armament.
 For such purposes fighters must be capable of the highest
possible performance in order to be able to outfly and
outmaneuver opposing fighters. Ex. F-16
Attack:-is tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of
attacking targets on the ground or sea with greater precision
than bombers. Ex- Su-25 and attack helicopters etc.
Modern attack aircraft (or ground attack or strike
aircraft, as they are sometimes referred to) can conduct
multiple types of operations.
 R-4, the world's first production helicopter.

 Attack, aircraft, which operate at lower altitudes than

bombers and air-superiority fighters and attack tanks,
troop formations, and other ground targets.
Bomber:- a military aircraft optimized to deliver large
volume of bomb, missile and mines etc.
Example:B-17
 Military aircraft designed to drop bombs on surface
targets.
Which are larger, heavier, and less-maneuverable craft
designed to attack surface targets with bombs or missiles.
which are larger, heavier, and less-maneuverable craft
designed to attack surface targets with bombs or missiles;
ground.
Reconnaissance aircraft:- a military aircraft used to
gather or gain information about an enemy. example.
SR-71 black bird.
A reconnaissance aircraft is a military aircraft designed or
adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles
including collection of imagery intelligence (including
using photography), signals intelligence, as well as
measurement and signature intelligence.
 Modern technology has also enabled some aircraft and
UAVs to carry out real-time surveillance in addition to
general intelligence gathering.
 ETHIOPIAN AVIATION HISTORY
 The establishment of Ethiopian Air force has been started
while the aviation entered in Ethiopia since 1912 E.C the
first France air plane was imported to Ethiopia.
 However, the backward attitude of the people could
assume as evil and refused, so it was returned back to its
origin.
 After that in 1922 E.C, the France brand Air plane was
imported through Djibouti port and assembles there by, So
that it has been landed called seamed by France citizen
pilot.
 Then it began to introduce Ethiopian aviation history, since
July 30,1922E.C.
 Ethiopia had about 16 airplanes before Italian Fascism.
Ethiopia began the formation of a small air arm in 1929, with
the delivery of a Potez 25 A2 to the capital Addis Ababa on
18 August 1929.

Potez-25
A French Instructor, established the first pilot training
School in the town of Jigjiga which produced Mishka
babichief and Asfaw Ali who were certified to be the first
Ethiopian pilots.
In 1946, the beginnings of what became the Ethiopian Air
Force were moved from Lideta Airfield in Addis Ababa to
Bishoftu.
The former facility was instead utilized by Ethiopian Airlines.
 The pilots were foreigners and also it hadn’t enough
weapons when Italian fascism war started the military
send 500 military Air planes to our country and destroyed
all the planes.

 The establishment of Air force history has started since

July 27, 1936 E.C as a legal entity.
 At the time of establishment there was two engine Cessna
Airplane granted by American.
 The flight training was given in the Akakimeda.

 The practical and the critical training were given in Orma

garage.
 MODERN AIRCRAFT
 Mono, dual, tri and four engine aircrafts were designed.

 Long range.

 Internal engine cooling system designed.

 High-speed aircrafts.
 Wing construction was monoplane.
 All metal aircrafts were designed .
 Modern reciprocating engines were designed .
 Turbo jet engines were used.
END UP!!!