Bashir Salamati wrote:
On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 08:06:35 -0000, "karel"
wrote:

:lurking around here for several years has tought me very much of course,
:thanks to all!
:however a couple of terms pop up regularly without their meaning
:becoming clear from the context, and doubtlessly they are so
:self-evident to those in the know that no-one cares to explain them.
:To this non-pilot (less than a year to go, though!)
:who is not a native English speaker either,
:a couple of terms want explanation, though.
:
:What is the turtledeck? A part of or place in the cockpit, obviously?

The area just behind the pilot's head, in an open cockpit. Less
frequently, in a pusher, the area between the canopy and the engine
cowling.

To elaborate a bit, the turtledeck starts just behind the pilot's
head and then typically tapers backwards blending into the tail
section so as to streamline the aircraft minimizing turbulence
over the upper rear fuselage ahead of the rudder.

:
:What is a cantilever wing? I learned a laminar wing is one that tries
:to achive laminar airflow, to some extent.
:But I fancy "cantilever" rather indicates some type of construction?

Yes, it is a wing where all the bending strength is in the internal
wing spars, rather than in bracing or wires. A Piper Cherokee is a
cantilever wing, a Cessna 172 is not.

In structural engineering a cantilever is a beam that is attached
to its support at one end only. So a cantilever wing is a wing
that is attached to the fuselage at the wing root only, with
no external struts or braces.

Once it dawned on me that "wings are beams" a whole lot fell into
place.

--

FF