Let me start with the piston engine mechanicals — Page 456, Lesson 574

This is the index of the book — the map of the whole powerplant syllabus. I want to walk you through the entries that appear here, because they tell you exactly what we're going to cover and in what order. Think of this as the table of contents for everything from piston engines to gas turbines to fuel systems. Let me start with the piston engine mechanicals. We have Horizontally Opposed at page 14 — that's the cylinder arrangement where the pistons lie flat, opposing each other, which is the standard layout for most light aircraft engines. Then Gudgeon Pin at page 26 — that's the pin that connects the piston to the connecting rod. Half Crankshaft Speed at page 28 — that's the camshaft speed, which turns at half the crankshaft speed because the valves only need to open once every two revolutions. Gearbox at page 31 — that's the reduction gearing between the engine and the propeller. Now the lubrication system. Hydraulics at page 43 — that's the general study of fluid power. Hydraulic Medium at page 43 — that's the fluid itself that transmits the power. Hot Pot at page 45 — that's a component in the oil system, a heated chamber. High Viscosity at page 49 — that's oil that is thick, resistant to flow. Hydraulicing at page 50 — that's a dangerous condition where liquid, usually oil, gets trapped in a cylinder above the piston and can't be compressed, which can bend the connecting rod. Gills at page 58 — those are adjustable cooling flaps on the cowling. Glycol at page 58 — that's the coolant additive, ethylene glycol, used in liquid-cooled engines. Header Tank at page 58 — that's the small expansion tank at the top of the cooling system. Now the ignition and electrical systems. Galvanometer at page 60 — that's an instrument that measures small electric currents. Grounding Wire at page 68 — that's the wire that connects the magneto to earth to kill the ignition. High Tension Booster Coil at page 69 — that's a coil that provides a high-voltage spark for starting. Now the fuel and supercharging. Gasoline Vapour at page 78 — that's the vapour state of petrol, which is what actually burns. Ground Boosted Supercharger at page 136 — that's a supercharger that boosts the intake pressure at ground level. Full Throttle Height at page 145 — that's the altitude at which the supercharger can no longer maintain sea-level manifold pressure at full throttle. Now the gas turbine section. Gas Laws in the Gas Turbine Engine at page 203 — that's the application of the gas laws to the turbine cycle. High-bypass Ratio (Turbofan) Engine at page 210 — that's a turbofan where most of the air bypasses the core, giving high thrust and low fuel consumption. High Ratio Bypass Engine Exhaust System at page 283 — that's the exhaust system for that high-bypass engine. Now the thrust section. Gross Thrust (Fg) at page 310 — that's the total thrust produced by the engine before any losses. Gross Thrust Calculation (Fg) at page 310 — that's the formula for calculating that gross thrust. I want to point you to the figures here. shows the thrust formula — there are two elements that make up total thrust: momentum thrust and pressure thrust. shows a worked example using those figures. continues that example. Now the starting and fuel control systems. High Energy Ignition Unit at page 344 — that's the unit that provides the high-energy spark for ignition. Hot Start at page 358 — that's a start where the engine lights up but the temperature rises too fast, risking a hot section over-temperature. Hung Start at page 359 — that's a start where the engine lights but doesn't accelerate to idle speed. HP Fuel Cock (HP Fuel Shut Off Valve) at page 378 — that's the high-pressure fuel shut-off valve that isolates the fuel supply. Finally, the fuel additives and contamination. Fungal Growth at page 368 — that's microbiological growth in fuel tanks. HITEC (Lubricity Agent) at page 368 — that's a fuel additive that improves the lubricating quality of the fuel. And at the very top, Horsepower at page 4 — that's the unit of power, 550 foot-pounds per second. So that's the whole map. From the piston engine mechanicals, through lubrication, ignition, fuel, supercharging, the gas turbine, thrust, starting, and fuel additives. Every one of these entries is a topic we're going to cover in detail.