The Journey of Flight.pdf - Valkyrie Cadet

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Systems
Systems
210
...and this is an
example of
retractable
landing gear.
Every aircraft is made up of many parts. Some parts are structures, like the previous sections have
detailed. Other parts are needed to manage the flow of fluids, control engine parameters, receive radio
signals, and release weapons or cargo. These parts are called the aircraft’s systems.
Each aircraft has a different set of systems that help it get the task of flying done correctly. The
major systems of most aircraft include a method to handle Fuel, Hydraulics, and Electrical power.
Fuel Systems. The fuel system for an aircraft engine includes everything that involves delivery of
fuel to the engine. The beginning of this delivery system is the fuel tanks, the middle is the fuel lines
and the end is the engine’s combustion chamber.
Fuel Tanks. Fuel tanks can be located anywhere in the aircraft. Some aircraft have fuel stored in
tanks inside the wings, some in the fuselage and others in any place the fuel will fit. The need for fuel
and the rate at which it is burned helps the aircraft designer decide how much fuel is to be available.
Fuel is forced from the tanks into the engine where it is mixed with air and drawn into the combustion
chamber. To get the fuel from the tanks to the engine requires force. This force may be provided by one
of two possible fuel-feed systems.
The simplest is known as gravity feed, and as the name implies, uses gravity to cause the fuel to
flow from the tanks downward to the engine. The gravity-feed system will most likely be found in a
high-wing airplane or as a backup to the next type of feed system.
Most airplanes use a pump to drive fuel from the tanks to the engine. The fuel pump usually is run
from the electrical power system of the aircraft. It is a small motor that helps to keep a positive flow
of fuel from the tanks to the engine so that it does not stall. In some high performance aircraft this is a
difficult task. The F-15 Eagle in full afterburner consumes over 80,000 pounds of fuel per hour at sea
level. That’s over 200 gallons per minute!
All fuel tanks must have a place where fuel can enter for the filling process; this is known as the
filler cap. In addition to this filler cap, all such tanks must have a vent pipe to the outside. The vent
allows expansion of the fuel when it is heated by the Sun and protects the tank from being broken open