Editing Aircraft (section)

== Flight characteristics ==
=== Flight envelope ===
{{Main|Flight envelope}}
The flight envelope of an aircraft refers to its approved design capabilities in terms of [[airspeed]], [[Load factor (aeronautics)|load factor]] and altitude.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?type=simple;c=ecfr;cc=ecfr;sid=a8f38006e777ba46ba8000f7c2fe6641;region=DIV1;q1=23.335;rgn=div8;view=text;idno=14;node=14%3A1.0.1.3.10.3.70.8|title=eCFR&nbsp;— Code of Federal Regulations|work=gpoaccess.gov|access-date=1 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402202400/http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?type=simple%3Bc%3Decfr%3Bcc%3Decfr%3Bsid%3Da8f38006e777ba46ba8000f7c2fe6641%3Bregion%3DDIV1%3Bq1%3D23.335%3Brgn%3Ddiv8%3Bview%3Dtext%3Bidno%3D14%3Bnode%3D14%3A1.0.1.3.10.3.70.8|archive-date=2 April 2012}}</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20100601204507/http://www.access.gpo.gov/ecfr/graphics/pdfs/ec28se91.001.pdf</ref>

=== Range ===
{{Main|Range (aeronautics)}}
[[File:Boeing 777-200LR banking over mountain.jpg|thumb|The [[Boeing 777#777-200LR|Boeing 777-200LR]] is one of the longest-range airliners, capable of flights of more than halfway around the world.]]
The maximal total ''range'' is the maximum distance an aircraft can fly between [[takeoff]] and [[landing]]. [[Powered aircraft]] range is limited by the [[aviation fuel]] energy storage capacity (chemical or electrical) considering both weight and volume limits.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=9780850451634 |edition=first |publisher=Osprey |date=1973 |page=221 }}</ref> [[Unpowered aircraft]] range depends on factors such as cross-country speed and environmental conditions. The range can be seen as the cross-country [[ground speed]] multiplied by the maximum time in the air. The fuel time limit for powered aircraft is fixed by the available fuel (considering reserve fuel requirements) and rate of consumption. The [[Airbus A350#A350-900ULR|Airbus A350-900ULR]] is among the longest range airliners.<ref name=ArBsigger-A000>{{cite web	|url=https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jlcbta136/files/2024-04/Airbus-A350-Family-Facts-and-Figures%20April-2024.pdf#page=3 	|title=Airbus-A350-Family-Facts-and-Figures April-2024.pdf	|year=2024	|website=airbus.com 	|publisher=Airbus 	|access-date=18 June 2024 	|quote="… Operational flexibility: … The A350-900 Ultra Long Range (ULR) is the latest variant of the A350 Family. Capable of flying 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 kilometres) non-stop, the A350-900ULR offers the longest range of any commercial airliner in service today. …"}}</ref>

Some aircraft can gain energy while airborne through the environment (e.g. collecting solar energy or through rising air currents from mechanical or thermal lifting) or from in-flight refueling. These aircraft could theoretically have an infinite range.

''Ferry range'' means the maximum range that an aircraft engaged in [[ferry flying]] can achieve. This usually means maximum [[fuel]] load, optionally with extra fuel tanks and minimum equipment. It refers to the transport of aircraft without any passengers or cargo. ''[[Combat radius]]'' is a related measure based on the maximum distance a warplane can travel from its base of operations, accomplish some objective, and return to its original airfield with minimal reserves.

=== Flight dynamics ===
{{Main|Aircraft flight dynamics}}
[[File:Flight dynamics with text.png|thumb|Flight dynamics]]
''Flight dynamics'' is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the [[angles of rotation]] in three [[dimensions]] about the vehicle's [[center of gravity]] (cg), known as ''pitch'', ''roll'' and ''yaw''. These are collectively known as ''aircraft attitude'', often principally relative to the atmospheric frame in normal flight, but also relative to terrain during takeoff or landing, or when operating at low elevation. The concept of attitude is not specific to fixed-wing aircraft, but also extends to [[rotary aircraft]] such as helicopters, and [[dirigibles]], where the flight dynamics involved in establishing and controlling attitude are entirely different.

[[Control system]]s adjust the orientation of a vehicle about its cg. A control system includes control surfaces which, when deflected, generate a moment (or couple from ailerons) about the cg which rotates the aircraft in pitch, roll, and yaw.  For example, a [[pitching moment]] comes from a force applied at a distance forward or aft of the cg, causing the aircraft to pitch up or down.

A [[fixed-wing aircraft]] increases or decreases the lift generated by the wings when it pitches nose up or down by increasing or decreasing the [[angle of attack]] (AOA). The roll angle is also known as bank angle on a fixed-wing aircraft, which usually "banks" to change the horizontal direction of flight. An aircraft is streamlined from nose to tail to reduce [[Drag (physics)|drag]] making it advantageous to keep the [[Slip (aerodynamics)|sideslip angle]] near zero, though an aircraft may be deliberately "sideslipped" to increase drag and descent rate during landing, to keep aircraft heading same as runway heading during cross-wind landings and during flight with asymmetric power.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Defense Technical Information Center |url=https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA124610 |title=DTIC ADA124610: Fixed Wing Stability and Control Theory and Flight Test Techniques. Revision |date=1981-11-01 |language=english |pages=V-5}}</ref>

==== Stability ====
[[File:Aircraft tail.JPG|thumb|The [[empennage]] of a [[Boeing 747|Boeing 747-200]]]]A fixed wing is typically unstable in pitch, roll, and yaw. Pitch and yaw stabilities of conventional fixed wing designs require [[Stabilizer (aeronautics)|horizontal and vertical stabilisers]],<ref name="Crane">Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', p. 194. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. {{ISBN|1-56027-287-2}}</ref><ref name="GroundUp">Aviation Publishers Co. Limited, ''From the Ground Up'', p. 10 (27th revised edition) {{ISBN|0-9690054-9-0}}</ref> which act similarly to the feathers on an arrow.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airlines.org/ATAResources/Handbook/Pages/AirlineHandbookChapter5HowAircraftFly.aspx|title=Airline Handbook Chapter 5: How Aircraft Fly|work=Airline Handbook|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620150339/http://airlines.org/ATAResources/Handbook/Pages/AirlineHandbookChapter5HowAircraftFly.aspx|archive-date=20 June 2010|publisher=[[Airlines for America|Air Transport Association]]}}</ref> These stabilizing surfaces allow equilibrium of aerodynamic forces and to stabilise the [[flight dynamics]] of pitch and yaw.<ref name="Crane" /><ref name="GroundUp" />

==== Control ====
{{Empty section|date=March 2025}}