Aviation Merit Badge

Mount Diablo Silverado Council

Tracy Lee Peters

How to contact me

• Email – pacificflyer1@gmail.com

• You must copy your adult leader on all

emails

• If you don’t copy your leader, I won’t be

able to answer your question.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Meeting Schedule Wednesday

1. Introduction 5 minutes

2. Materials required 10 minutes

3. Aviation MB Powerpoint 45 minutes

4. Homework assignment 10 minutes

5. Questions?

What you will need for today

• Requirements worksheet

• Merit badge workbook

• Aviation merit badge book

• WPG-9 Glider template and instructions

Meeting Schedule Friday1. Questions? 10 minutes

2. Airplane preflight video 10 minutes

3. Preflight questions 5 minutes

4. Virtual FAA Tower Tour 25 minutes

5. Airport Fire Truck Tour 5 minutes

6. Flight Planning Intro 10 minutes

7. Aerobatics Video 10 minutes

8. Airshow Video 30 minutes

9. Homework assignments 10 minutes

Define “Aircraft”

• • “a weight-carrying structure for

navigation of the air that is supported

either by its own buoyancy or by the

dynamic action of the air against its

surfaces.” – Websters

• • “a device that is used or intended to be

usedfor flight in the air.” - FAA

Types of Aircraft

• Lighter-than-air

• Glider

• Airplane

• Rotorcraft

• Powered-lift

• Spacecraft

Lighter than air – Balloons

The first type of aircraft that flew were lighter-than-air aircraft. They

use a light-weight “envelope” t o contain a volume of gas that is

lighter than the surrounding air, making the craft buoyant.

Lighter than air - Airships

An airship is a lighter-than air aircraft that has propulsion and

steering. Airships generally use gas filled envelopes, but there are a

few hot air (thermal) airships around. Airships can be divided into

two classes, rigid and non-rigid hulls. Rigid hull airships are known

as dirigibles or zeppelins. Non-rigid hull airships are called blimps

Gliders

Gliders are also referred to as sailplanes, and the sport of flying sailplanes is referred to as soaring. Sailplanes get their lift by using gravity as their propulsion. Sailplanes normally have sleek, long, very efficient wings. Some sailplanes can glide for over 60 miles from an altitude of 1 mile.

Glider soaring

Sailplanes use hot air too. Soarers look for thermals, or rising air

currents, to help them gain altitude in order to soar even farther. The

world record for distance flown is well over 1000 mile and sailplanes

have climbed to over 50,000 ft.

Airplanes

The Wright Flyer became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve

controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. Orville Wright flew the 1st successful flight

on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

That first flight lasted all of 12 seconds and covered a distance of 120 feet (less than the

wingspan of some modern airliners). The airplane flew three more times that day, with

Orville and his brother Wilbur trading places as pilot. Wilbur had the longest flight that

day; it was 852 feet and lasted 59 seconds.

Airplanes- Jet Aircraft

The SR-71 holds the “Speed Over a Recognized

Course” record for flying from New York to London

distance 3,508 miles (5,646 km), 1,435.587 miles per

hour (2,310.353 km/h), and an elapsed time of 1 hour 54

minutes and 56.4 seconds, set on 1 September 1974.

Airplanes-Jet Aircraft

Fastest private jet – the Gulfstream G5 cruises at Mach .85

Airplanes - Seaplanes

Airplanes – General Aviation

Rotorcraft

Rotorcraft can be divided into three

categories:

• Gyroplanes

• Gyrocopters

• Helicopters

Rotorcraft - Gyroplanes

Rotorcraft - Gyrocopters

Rotorcraft - Helicopters

Powered Lift Aircraft

US Marine Corp Osprey

Horizontal Flight Take off

Airplanes - UAV

Spacecraft

Virgin SpaceShip 2 SpaceX Dragon

Virgin Spacecraft Flight

Forces on an Aircraft

How is Lift Created?

Lighter Than Air Aircraft

• Lift generated by hot air or lighter than air gasses helium

or hydrogen

Heavier Than Air Aircraft

• Wings Produce Lift

How do Wings Produce Lift?

• Bernoulli’s Principle

• Slower moving air has more pressure than the faster

moving air

How Airplanes Fly

How Helicopters Fly

No Thrust Aircraft

Propeller Driven Aircraft

How a Propeller Works

A Propeller is a Rotation Wing!

Jet Powered Aircraft

Jet Engine Types

Jet Engine Mechanics

How Jet Engines Work

Parts of an Airplane

Directional Control

• Pitch – Elevators

• Roll – Ailerons

• Yaw - Rudder

Pitch - Elevator

• Elevators – The stick

(joy stick) is connected

by means of wires or

hydraulics to the tail

section’s elevators. By

moving the stick, the

pilot can change the

position of the

elevators.

Roll - Ailerons

• Ailerons – The stick is connected by means of wires or

hydraulics to the wings’ ailerons. By turning the stick, the

pilot can change the positions of the ailerons.

Yaw - Rudder

• Rudder – The foot

pedals are connected

by means of wires or

hydraulics to the

rudder of the tail

section. The rudder is

the vertical part of the

tail that can move

from side to side.

Certificates/Ratings

• Recreational pilot certificate

– a person is qualified to act as pilot-in-command of a single-

engine aircraft carrying 1 passenger

• Private pilot certificate

– you can act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft carrying

passengers and baggage

• Instrument rating

– a pilot can fly the aircraft by solely using the flight instruments

within the aircraft

Job Opportunities

• Careers with the Airlines

• Landing Facilities

• Engineering Research & Development

• General Aviation

• Government Aviation

• Aerospace Industries

• Military Aerospace (USAF, USN, USMC, USA, NOAA)

• National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

Concord Buchanan Airport

CCR

Airport Information

CCR Radio Frequencies

• Tower – 119.7

• Ground – 121.9

• ATIS – 124.7

• Emergency – 122.5