Airframe; Introduction - Cessna 172S NAV III Pilot Operating Handbook

CESSNA
MODEL 172S NAV III
INTRODUCTION
SECTION 7
AIRPLANE AND SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION
This section provides description and operation of the airplane and
its systems. Some equipment described herein is optional and may
not be installed in the airplane. Refer to the Supplements, Section
9, for details of other optional systems and equipment.
AIRFRAME
The airplane is an all metal, four-place, high wing, single engine
airplane equipped with tricycle landing gear and is designed for
general utility and training purposes.
The construction of the fuselage is a conventional formed sheet
metal bulkhead, stringer, and skin design referred to as
semimonocoque. Major items of structure are the front and rear
carry through spars to which the wings are attached, a bulkhead
and forgings for main landing gear attachment at the base of the
rear door posts, and a bulkhead with attach fittings at the base of
the forward door posts for the lower attachment of the wing struts.
Four engine mount stringers are also attached to the forward door
posts and extend forward to the firewall.
The ex1ernally braced wings, containing integral fuel tanks, are
constructed of a front and rear spar with formed sheet metal ribs,
doublers, and stringers. The entire structure is covered with
aluminum skin. The front spars are equipped with wing-to-fuselage
and wing-to-strut attach fittings. The aft spars are equipped with
wing-to-fuselage attach fittings, and are partial span spars.
Conventional hinged ailerons and single slot type flaps are attached
to the trailing edge of the wings. The ailerons are constructed of a
forward spar containing balance weights, formed sheet metal ribs
and "V" type corrugated aluminum skin joined together at the
trailing edge. The flaps are constructed basically the same as the
ailerons, with the exception of the balance weights and the addition
of a formed sheet metal leading edge section.
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172SPHAUS-OO
U.S. 7-5