Many aircrafts are
designed to do many different things.
Some carry big loads, travel long distances, and move at a very high
velocity,
and some are made to land and take off in a short distance and haul a
small pay
load. (The figures below display aircrafts designed for both
of these
circumstances). Other planes are designed to do everything in between.
All of
these different circumstances create very different
needs and very different
aspects to think about when designing an aircraft.
One example of an aircraft that is designed to carry
a large load, travel at a high rate of speed, and a far distance is the
Boeing 747-400.
This plane has the above
needs, so it will need a large amount of power to accelerate to high
speeds, have a lot of room and
still be aerodynamic so it will have to be very
large, it will not need a large angle of attack though it will need
some, and have a large
enough planform area to combine with the thrust to
produce enough lift to get off the ground. It will also need a long
runway and
land strip to accomodate all this.
This is an example of a plane designed to carry a
small pay load but can take off and land in just a few hundred feet and
in some cases even less!!
This aircraft is a Supercub. It
is a very popular Alaskan plane because of it's versatility and ability
to get in and out of the remote places
Alaska has to offer. This plane only has 80
horsepower and can only fit 2 people. This equates to 2 people, their
gear, and a moose.
This aircraft has a low cruise speed, but a quick
acceleration and a large Coefficient of Lift. It also has a large angle
of attack.