Aviation

Merit Badge

1

Merit Badge Counselor:

Lt Col Larry “Low Level” Lawver

1 minute

The Definition of Aircraft

The term aircraft is broad, covering nearly everything that

enables people to fly through the air. Some aircraft

(balloons, blimps) are lighter than air; others like airplanes

and helicopters, are heavier than air. Missiles, rockets, and

vehicles like the space-shuttle are called spacecraft since

they are designed to fly outside earth’s atmosphere.

2(1a) 1 minute

Types of Aircraft in Use Today

Here are some kinds of aircraft:

Commercial airliners

Cargo airplanes

Military bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft

Military supply transports

Military and civilian helicopters and gyroplanes

Personal use and training airplanes of various types

Sailplanes, amphibious aircraft, and seaplanes

Blimps used for advertising in the sky and as TV camera platforms

Aerobatic airplanes for exhibitions

Crop sprayers

Firefighting “smoke jumper” transports and “borate bombers”

3(1a)

1 minute 1 minute

Operation of Piston, Turbojet

Engines, and Turboprop EnginesPiston engines are internal-combustion engines with a

series of pistons that compress a mixture of gasoline

and air that explode with a spark to push the pistons

that turn the crankshaft smoothly in a continuous

motion to turn the propeller and produce thrust.

Turbojet engines compress inlet air with rotating fan

blades that is mixed with fuel in a combustion

chamber where a heat source ignites the mixture

producing thrust through the expelling of expanding

gases through the exhaust pipe that also turns an aft

turbine connected to the compressor up front.

Turboprop engines combine the jet propulsion to turn a

propeller in addition to the exhaust gas propulsion.

4(1a) 1 minute

Forces Acting on an

Airplane in Flight

5

LIFTTHRUST

DRAG

WEIGHT

(1b)1 minute 1 minute

Bernouli’s Principle – The Airfoil

• Airfoil – The top is curved &

bottom flat with a slight angle to

produce lift by faster air on top

• Ailerons – on trailing edge of the

wings to effect turn

• Elevator – on trailing edge of

horizontal stabilizer to effect pitch

up or down

• Rudder – on trailing edge of

vertical stabilizer to effect yaw left

or right

• Propeller - similar to the wing, its

shape produces lift as forward

thrust from the engine’s turning of

the crankshaft / propeller

6(1c)

1 minute 1 minute

Control Surfaces During Flight

AILERONS ELEVATORS RUDDER FLAPS

• Takeoff : Level Neutral Centered Down

• Straight Climb: Level Slightly Up Centered Up

• Level Turn: Right – lt down/rt up Slightly Up Slight Right Up

• Climbing Turn: Left–lt up/rt down More Up Slight Left Up

• Descending Turn: Left - “ / “ Slightly Down Slight Left Up

• Straight Descent: Level Slightly Down Centered Down

• Landing: As the plane nears the ground, reduce power and ease

back on the control wheel to slow the airplane. When the wheels

are just above the ground, move the control wheel back further

to decrease the speed and touch down on the two main wheels.

Then ease the control wheel forward to gently set down the nose

gear while reducing the throttle and breaking gently to slow

down.

7

(1d) 1 minute

Pilot Certificates

• Recreational Pilot Certificate: Requires 30 hours of flight

instruction (3 hours solo). May carry one passenger in single-

engine, land-based airplane and share expenses. Can fly in good

visibility up to 50 miles from home airport at 2000’ AGL or 10000’

ASL, whichever is higher

• Sport Pilot Certificate: Similar to the above certificate, but for light-

sport aircraft in daytime clear visibility only with no possibility of

additional ratings.

• Private Pilot Certificate: Requires 40 hours of flight instruction (10

hours solo), including cross-country experience (trips > 50 miles),

night flight, instrument flight, and radio communications. Can fly

above 10000’ ASL, more than 50 miles from home airport, fly at

night an into airspace controlled by air traffic control with one

passenger.

• Instrument Rating: Additional ratings for multi-engine, etc.

8

(1e) 1 minute

Air Navigation

Four standard methods of navigation:

• Pilotage – refer from chart to visible

landmarks.

• Dead Reckoning – Heading and

distance at a set speed for a

calculated amount of time from a

known position to the planned

destination or checkpoint.

• Radio Navigation – ground-based

radio navigation aids (VORTAC).

• Satellite Navigation – global

positioning system (GPS).

9(2c&e)10 minutes

Air Navigation (continued)

Sectional charts have symbols you can

learn from the legend.

• Select a route of flight that includes a

departure airport, an en route airport

for a practice approach, and a

destination airport with a total distance

no more than 150 miles for the trip.

• Measure a true course from a longitude

line for each leg of the trip.

• Apply magnetic variation from an

isogonic line to get a magnetic

heading.

• Measure the distance of each leg.

• Calculate the time for each leg for a 180

knot (3NM/Min) planned ground speed.

10(2c&e)10 minutes

Air Navigation (continued)

11

Wind Triangle:

1. Draw true course and ground

speed line from leg start point A to

way point B.

2. Draw a wind vector pointing to

the way point B with velocity length

from point C.

3. Draw a true heading from leg

start point A to tail of wind vector C.

4. Measure the true heading and true

airspeed required to counter the

wind to arrive at the way point B.

(2c&e) 1 minute

Flight Instruments

12

Attitude Indicator

or Artificial Horizon

gives the pilot the

aircraft’s position

relative to the

horizon for wing

bank angle and nose

pitch in degrees.

Heading Indicator

is a gyroscope that

shows the aircraft’s

heading.

The Altimeter shows

How high the aircraft

is flying based on the

barometric pressure

obtained from air

traffic control or a

weather forecast.

Airspeed Indicator

shows the aircraft’s

speed through the air

in nautical miles per

hour (knots).

(2f&g) 1 minute

Flight Instruments (continued)

13

Turn & Bank Indicator

shows when the plane

is turning and how well

it is coordinated. “Kicking

the Ball” using the

rudder pedal will correct

a “skid” or “slip” by

centering the ball between

the center scribe lines.

Vertical Velocity Indicator

shows the rate of climb or

descent in feet per minute.

The Whiskey Compass

shows the magnetic

heading, which needs

to be adjusted based on

wind and magnetic

variation.

Navigation Display

of either GPS or

VOR / TAC bearing

and distance

measuring devices.

(2f&g) 1 minute

Flight Instruments (continued)

14

The Tachometer has two

purposes: to show whether

the propeller is turning at

the recommended speed

for a maneuver, and

whether the engine is

operating normally.

Oil Pressure should be

in the Green indicating

normal operating pressure.

Dropping pressure in the

Yellow zone or less is a

sure sign of engine trouble.

Oil Temperature is

another indicator

of engine health.

It is usually marked

with a green zone

for normal operations

and a red line for

maximum temperature.

Communications

are usually via

VHF or UHF

radio using ICAO

phonetic alphabet

and common

aviation terms.

(2f&g) 1 minute

How to Build

an FPG-91. Cut out the paper FPG-9 pattern. Do not cut along

the dotted line on the paper pattern. Only cut along the

bolded lines.

2. Place the paper pattern in the center of the foam

plate ensuring that the tail of the pattern stays inside of

the curved portion of the plate bottom. (The tail must

remain on the plate’s flat bottom.) It’s fine if the tab on

the front of the pattern is on the curved portion. The

ends of the wings should spill over the curved edge of

the plate.

3. Trace around the pattern with an ink pen. Don’t

forget to mark where the scissor slits go.

4. Cut the foam template out by following the pen lines

you just drew.

5. Once the instructor has completed the master foam

template, the students may use the template to create

their FPG-9 planes.

6. Have the students place the foam template in the

center of the plate and trace around the template

making sure to mark all of the lines.

7. When tracing slits A and B the students only need to

make one line. These lines will create the elevons and

rudder.

15

8. Have the students cut out the FPG-9 they just traced by

following the pen lines.

Important Note – At this time cut along the dotted line to

separate the tail from the wing of the FPG-9. It works better

if you make all of your cuts from the outside of the plate

towards the center of the plate. Do not try to turn your

scissors to cut sharp corners. When cutting out the slots,

make them only as wide as the thickness of the foam plate.

If the slots are cut too wide the pieces of the plane will not

fit together snuggly.

9. The wing and the tail each have slits drawn on them.

Have the students make a cut along each of these lines as

drawn.

10. To attach the tail to the wing, slide the slots together.

Use two small (2”) pieces of tape to secure the bottom of

the tail to the bottom of the wing. Ensure the tail is

perpendicular to the wing before adding the tape.

11. In order to make the plane fly successfully, the students

must attach a penny on top of the wing right behind the

square tab. Fold the tab back over the penny and tape it

down to secure the coin.

12. Bend the elevons on the wing upward. This will provide

for a flatter glide. If the students want the plane to turn they

can adjust the rudder on the vertical fin.

13. Your FPG-9 is complete and ready to fly. Gently toss the

plane directly in front of you. Once it flies reasonably

straight ahead and glides well, try throwing it hard with the nose of the glider pointed 30° above the horizon. The

FPG-9 should perform a big loop and have enough speed

for a glide of 20 – 25 feet after the loop.

(3b) 20 minutes

Aviation Facilities

Runways are numbered according to the compass heading when

lined up on the centerline, i.e., a runway pointing 030 degrees would

be Runway 03, or 210 degrees would be Runway 21. Parallel runways

are designated Left and Right, i.e., Runway 21L. The runway in use is

determined by the wind direction, and are selected for takeoffs and

landings into the prevailing wind.

The Control Tower provides airport controllers an elevated view of

the runway environment to direct air traffic safely on arrival and

departure, and during ground operations. They relay clearances,

weather updates, and other information to pilots.

Terminal Radar Control Facility or Approach/Departure Control

provides radar approach and departure services to ensure safe

aircraft separation in good and bad weather conditions. They can

provide inflight weather advisories, issue directions to keep aircraft

properly sequenced with other traffic, and can conduct precision

landing approach control.

16

(4a) 1 minute

Careers

1. Airline Pilot – Ken

Lawver flew DC3’s for

United Airlines from

1936-1938 based in

Chicago, IL.

2. Military Pilot Ken

Lawver returned to the

Army Air Corps in 1938

and commanded the

Maintenance depot for

B-29s on Guam during

WWII. He would test fly

repaired aircraft and

certify them ready for

combat. Col Ken Lawver

(5) 1 minute

Careers

3. Aerial Photographer -

Lynn “Doc” Lawver took

Pictures of real-estate

properties to run in

displays at shopping

malls in Tucson, AZ.

18

(5) 1 minute

Careers4. Air Force Navigator /

F4-E Weapon Systems

Officer – Larry Lawver

was commissioned a 2Lt

In 1975 through AFROTC.

He trained as a navigator

and WSO in California.

He flew combat training

missions for nuclear strike,

conventional attack, and

air-to-air combat in Europe.

In Iceland he flew strategic

air defense intercepting 14

pairs of Russian bombers.

He flew 3 years in North

Carolina, then served in

war plans staff positions.

He finished in the EC-130.19

USAF

Air

Medal

(5) 1 minute

Questions?

20

1 minute