Part of Aircraft (2)

Part of Aircraft (2)

FUSELAGE

The fuselage, or body of the airplane, is a
long hollow tube which holds all the pieces of
an airplane together. The fuselage is hollow
to reduce weight. As with most other parts of
the airplane, the shape of the fuselage is
normally determined by the mission of the
aircraft. A supersonic fighter plane has a
very slender, streamlined fuselage to reduce
the drag associated with high speed flight. An
airliner has a wider fuselage to carry the
maximum number of passengers. On an
airliner, the pilots sit in a cockpit at the front
of the fuselage. Passengers and cargo are
carried in the rear of the fuselage and the fuel
is usually stored in the wings. For a fighter
plane, the cockpit is normally on top of the
fuselage, weapons are carried on the wings,
and the engines and fuel are placed at the rear
of the fuselage.
The weight of an aircraft is distributed all
along the aircraft. The fuselage, along with
the passengers and cargo, contribute a
significant portion of the weight of an
aircraft. 
The center of gravity of the aircraft
is the average location of the weight and it is
usually located inside the fuselage. In flight,
the aircraft rotates around the center of
gravity because of torques generated by the
elevator, rudder, and ailerons. The fuselage
must be designed with enough strength to
withstand these torques.