texts: What responsibility does a pilot have for people on the ground when making an emergency landing?

texts:
Recently, a Cessna made an emergency landing on a crowded beach in Portugal. The two occupants of the aircraft did not sustain any serious injuries, but two people on the ground died.
A couple of years ago, a similar incident occurred with a Piper in Florida. Again, the occupants were unharmed, while two people on the ground died — one at the scene, the other later succumbed to her injuries. The main difference is that here, the pilot hadn't noticed them and thought he was landing on an empty beach.
In Portugal, however, the beach was not just not empty, it was crowded. And the pilot could have known it would be, too — it was summer in Europe and a lot of beaches are crowded every summer.
It's hard to tell while the investigation is still ongoing, but in a situation like this, shouldn't a pilot choose another way to resolve the emergency?
I understand that a pilot's first responsibility is to the people on board the aircraft, but what are a pilot's responsibilities to people on the ground?
Are there any differences in the different legislations (FAA / EASA)?
Are there any other laws applicable? Have any precedents been set in court?

As noted in a comment, the flight instructor and the trainee have appeared in court, facing charges of negligent homicide.
"Portugal pair in court after fatal plane beach crash", BBC News.


texts:
I need to find an equation for the following problem: Suppose a full-size glider passes 10 feet over my head at high speed. No doubt I will feel the downward air pressure (downwash) caused by the angle of attack of the wings. But if the same glider flies over me at a distance of one mile, I will not feel any effect at all.

So obviously there is a diminishing strength of the downward air pressure that eventually lessens to a point where I cannot physically detect it. Therefore, is there an equation that, with all relevant criteria being inputted, such as air temp, air density, wing speed, wing characteristics, wing angle of attack, etc., can allow me to at least approximate how far I must be below a passing wing to be unable to detect its downward pressure wave?


texts: How are you supposed to get the East/West variation on this question in the FAA PPL written exam?

texts:
While taking a practice test, I needed to calculate the magnetic heading between two airports. Most of the time I run into a problem, the map will provide me with isogonic lines with the East/West variation visible. But in at least one or more questions, the isogonic line is either not shown, or the numbers are not visible.

Using the protractor to calculate the angle on the isogonic line using the latitude/longitude lines doesn't seem to give me the correct number either.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong or how I can come to a correct answer?

Problem

(Refer to figure 23.) What is the estimated time en route for a flight from Claxton-Evans County Airport (area 2) to Hampton Varnville Airport (area 1)? The wind is from 290° at 18 knots and the true airspeed is 85 knots. Add 2 minutes for climb-out.

Valid Answers:

44
39
35

Update: I added an actual sample problem. Assuming the only information I am able to work with is the map, the question and my E6B (manual or electronic).

Update
I found the original question that got this thread started:

(Refer to figure 24.) Determine the magnetic heading for a flight from Allendale County Airport (area 1) to Claxton-Evans County Airport (area 2). The wing is from 090° at 16 knots, and the true airspeed is 90 knots.

The correct answer: 209°

The solution given in study mode: With a plotter, measure the true course from Allendale to Claxton-Evans as 212°. Use a flight computer to find the true heading of 203°. Add variation of 6°W. 203°+6°=209°.


texts: Why is the air inside airliners so dry (low humidity)?

texts:
The air inside an airliner is very dry which causes all sorts of passenger discomfort such as dry eyes, dry skin and in some cases headaches.

Why is the air so dry and what do or can modern designs do to improve the air humidty on board an airliner?


texts: Can a modern airliner handle turbulence forces of +5/-3G?

texts:
In the BOAC Flight 911 accident the 707 likely experienced around positive 5G and negative 2-3G.
The wings of the 707 were only about as 50% as flexible as the wings of airliners today. How would a modern airliner like an A320, A330 etc fare in this?


texts: Are rhumb lines ever used as leg paths for RNP/RNAV?

texts: Are rhumb lines ever used by an FMS as leg paths for RNP/RNAV? If so, what arinc 424 leg type would use them?


texts: Is the lift vector reversed during inverted flight?

texts: Heard a physics professor say that when an aircraft flies inverted, the wing assumes a significant angle of attack (by pushing the stick forward) to continue to generate the necessary "upward" lift vector to maintain level flight. I'm confused. I thought the lift "vector" is actually reversed and points towards the ground (not upward) during inverted SUSTAINED straight-level flight? What am I missing here? The horizontal stabilizer is basically an inverted airfoil, and its "lift vector" points downwards, giving the airplane tail-down force. How is the wing any different when it's inverted?


texts: Does adding a motorized fan to a hot air balloon change its class as an aircraft?

texts:
I have seen fans like these for use in ballooning and glider propulsion.

Does adding one of these change the definition of the flight vehicle?  e.g. is it No longer a balloon, but now an aircraft?  Does only the flight elevation and proximity to a controlled airspace matter — or does the capacity of the craft have an impact?

I suppose another dimension of this question regards if licensure changes in such case.


texts: What's this black rectangle painted on the side of a V-1 flying bomb?

texts:
A friend sent me a photo of the V-1 flying bomb on display at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo. What's the black painted rectangle on the side of the fuselage?

The writing isn't much help... Nicht auftreten is the German equivalent of "No step," but I don't know what Abstellpallung means, except that abstellen is "to cut off / shut down." I can't find Pallung in any German dictionary. The label appears to be pointing to the black rectangle, which appears to just be painted on.
I also can't find this rectangle in online V-1 photos.


texts: Is it appropriate (legal) to request practice instrument approaches in IMC?

texts:
I have always requested practice instrument approaches while maintaining VFR (with a safety pilot or instructor). But I was wondering if there are any issues (legal or otherwise) with requesting multiple approaches in actual weather at the end of a short IFR flight. Assuming, there are no safety or controller workload issues. In other words, assuming weather is well above minimums and controlling facility is not busy (during off peak hours).

I realize I could just make multiple missed approaches, and get the extra approaches that way, but that is not what I'm asking.


texts: Where can I find the aerofoil geometry of a commercial aircraft so as to design it in CAD software?

texts:
As a part of my final year thesis, I need to design a commercial aerofoil for an existing aircraft (such as Boeing/Airbus) to conduct some FEA & CFD analysis. I've been trying to source aerofoil geometry so as to design it on CAD tools, but I haven't had any luck yet.

Note: I've gone through airfoiltools.com and I was looking for more than just the NACA Airfoil. I was hoping I could get the complete airfoil geometry including that of the spars, ribs, skin, slats, ailerons, spoilers & tanks. I've even tried going through the TCDS Database, but I haven't found any relevant information there.


texts: Which commercial aircraft can fly Micro-SLOP procedures?

texts:
"Strategic Lateral Offset Procedures (SLOP) are approved procedures
  that allow aircraft to fly on a parallel track to the right of the
  centre line relative to the direction of flight to mitigate the
  lateral overlap probability due to increased navigation accuracy and
  wake turbulence encounters."

ICAO 4444 Pans ATM 16th Edition section 16.5 Note 1.

SLOP of one or two nautical miles has been recommended for use in oceanic and
remote continental airspace for a long time. For example, the North Atlantic Track (NAT) system has permitted SLOP since 2004 and has been a mandatory requirement to fly SLOP over the North Atlantic since 2017.

In the 16th Edition of ICAO 4444, published in 2015, ICAO extended the use of
SLOP to en-route airspace in tenths of a nautical mile up to a maximum of 0.5NM,
i.e. Micro-SLOP.

This change was originally proposed in ICAO Circular 331 to counter the effect of the navigation paradox after the mid air collision over Brazil in 2006, see Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907.

Currently, Micro-SLOP may only be applied on routes promulgated in AIPs by aircraft equipped with the appropriate automatic offset tracking capability.

Most ANSPs do not permit Micro-SLOP in their AIPs. However, the NAT recommendations have recently changed to recommend that pilots fly Micro-SLOP over the North Atlantic, see Two is not enough.

My pilot friends tell me that small commercial aircraft fitted with the Universal Avionics SCN 1000 and 1100 FMS's can fly 0.1NM offsets but that Airbus A320's can only fly offsets in 1NM increments.

The question is: which commercial aircraft currently have the capability to fly Micro-SLOP procedures with route offsets of only 0.1NM?


texts: How does jet training work for private pilots? Are there jet trainers?

texts:
For a private pilot (not an ATP) that wants to get ratings for jets, how does that work?

What kind of training aircraft is used typically?


texts: Why is it necessary for pilots to have trim controls on fly-by-wire aircraft?

texts: On Airbus family airliners why is it necessary for the pilots to have the facility to trim when there is no aerodynamic feedback through the flight controls?


texts: May an uncertificated pilot log non-PIC flight time for future certification?

texts:
Let’s suppose I as a PIC take a friend up flying with me and this friend does not have a pilots license.  Now let’s suppose I teach him how to control the airplane and let him fly for a while.  I even go on a cross country flight and let him fly most of it.

Looking at the regulations regarding aeronautical experience for a private certificate, CFR 61.109, it states that the pilot must log 40 hours total flight time, 20 hours of instruction and 10 solo.  CFR 61.51 outlines documenting aeronautical experience and has caveats for the type of flight time but nothing for this type of situation however, 61.109 does not stipulate that all of the flight time come from solo or instruction.

So here is the question.  May an uncertificated pilot log non-PIC flight time and use it towards a certificate when another pilot lets him fly the plane as the sole manipulator of the controls?


texts: Is there a standard term for "3D groundspeed"?

texts:
Does the term "groundspeed" always refer only to the magnitude of the horizontal component of an aircraft's velocity vector with respect to the earth, or does it sometimes include the contribution from the vertical component of the aircraft's motion?
If the latter, what are some examples (from outside sources) of the terminology being used this way?
If the former, is there a standard term for the magnitude of the aircraft's full three-dimensional velocity vector with respect to the earth, including the contribution from the vertical component of the aircraft's
motion?


texts:
I was part of a discussion about the differences between all engine climb gradients and one engine inoperative (OEI) climb gradients, and a colleague suggested that climb gradient can be calculated as

$G = \frac{T-D}{W}$

Where

$G$ is Climb Gradient as a percent,
$T$ is Thrust,
$D$ is Drag, and
$W$ is Weight.

This derivation was never really explained, and it doesn't really make sense to me.  He continues by stating that lift can be assumed to equal weight for small climb angles, so that his equation becomes

$G = \frac{T}{W} -\frac{D}{L}$

Where $L$ is Lift.

For some analyses, I can see using the approximation $W = L$, but since that is essentially assuming your climb gradient is 0, it doesn't seem prudent to use that assumption to calculate the climb gradient itself.

Has anyone seen these equations before?  Or is there a piece to this that I'm missing that someone could explain to me?


texts: What counts as the wingspan of a tandem-wing aircraft?

texts: When calculating the wing-span of a tandem-wing aircraft, like the QAC Quickie Q2, which set of wings do we use for that value? There are two sets of wings, and they both provide lift. In the class, they just teach me that b is for wingspan, but they didn't go into detail about non-conventional aircraft. I am using that value to calculate the wetted aspect ratio of my aircraft


texts: Does RTCA/DO-254 apply to power electronics?

texts:
DO-254 provides guidance for the development of airborne electronic hardware and it is recognized by the FAA in 2005 via AC 20-152 as a means of compliance for the design of complex electronic hardware.

Is DO-254 only applicable for electronics that perform some kind of 'logic' operations or is it also intended to be used to prove compliance for non-logic electronics, e.g. like power electronics.

Some may argue that power electronics as 'simple' but I believe todays electronic designs have to be considered fairly complex.


texts: On a Boeing 737, can the APU, BY ITSELF, provide enough thrust to move the plane while on the ground?

texts:
There are numerous questions and answers about the ability of an APU to provide enough thrust to maintain flight.  In contrast, my question is whether the APU, by itself, provides enough thrust to move the plane on the ground.  This is what motivates this question --
Back in the 1980s I often flew between Bangkok Thailand and Chiang Mai.  It was normally a non-stop.  But on one particular flight, it made a stop at a tiny intermediate airport.  Looking out out the window (passenger window) I saw that the vehicle parking lot abutted the tarmac with no intervening separator.  The parking lot was graveled, and considerable gravel had migrated to the area around the plane.
This seemed to me to be a serious safety hazard for ingestion into the engines, and I wondered whether the APU, by itself, could produce enough thrust to move the plane clear of the gravel.
Thanks.


texts: What is the purpose of the fin at the Boeing 787 APU exhaust?

texts: The fin is located under the Boeing 787 APU exhaust as shown in the picture below. Does anybody know the application of this thing or it is used for 'guiding' the APU exhaust? Thanks.


texts: Is it possible to turn and safely land an aircraft with a malfunctioning rudder?

texts: Is it possible to turn mid air, and land a jumbo Boeing 747, Airbus A380 or any aircraft if the vertical stabilator is jammed in a position that allows it to fly straight at cruise altitude and speed, assuming everything else works including the horizontal stabilators?


texts: How can I find out the best time to practice within towered airspace?

texts:
I would love to practice within towered airspace (approaches, touch and goes, ect.) However, I do not want to upset operations within the airspace.

What is the best way to determine when the best time to practice these maneuvers would be? Should I contact both the tower and TRACON?


texts: What is the GE90-115b turbine power output in horsepower?

texts:
The GE90-115b is rated at 513 kN maximum thrust and is often said to have 110,000 shaft horsepower, but I have yet to find any document or specification that backs the claim on horsepower figure.
A comparable engine, the Trent XWB-97 rated at 430 kN and puts out 50,000 shp according to the Rolls-Royce website.
The vast difference in horsepower 50,000 shp vs 110000 shp and not all that huge difference in thrust 430 kN vs 513 kN makes me suspicious if the GE90 actually puts out 110,000 or if this has become a "thing" for the GE90 without being correct. Or, perhaps shaft horsepower and turbine horsepower is not the same?
Does the GE90-115b actually output 110,000 shp?


texts: Is it possible (not practical) to create a liquid nitrogen jet?

texts: Would it be possible (though not practical) to create a jet that runs on liquid nitrogen that is heated, creating the expansion effect? I believe nitrogen takes up 674 (about) times as much space in gaseous form as in liquid, but if it were somehow evenly heated, could it provide a similar effect to combustion without the carbon emissions?


texts: Where can I find complete aircraft blueprints for the purpose of study?

texts:
Where can I find aircraft blueprints for the purpose of study? I find that I learn a lot more when I am able to get the big picture of a machine that is used in real life (for example, to understand how computers work, I pored over complete circuit diagrams of older computers and studied the complete source code of older operating systems, assemblers, and compilers). I am hoping to apply this method of learning for understanding aircraft, but it seems that there is a lack of publicly available designs.

Questions:

Are there publicly avalable aircraft plans (for example, of older, but relevant, commercial/military jet aircraft) that are good for study?
Is my proposed method for understanding aircraft viable in this field?


texts: Could the non-smoking sign still be turned off in modern airplanes?

texts:
Yesterday, I flew on Germanwings 4U2379 with an Airbus A319. The plane's interior looked pretty modern, and while I can't find a construction year online, I'm pretty sure it was built way after the total smoking ban.

This plane still had illuminated non-smoking signs though and I was wondering if the crew would actually be able to turn these off during flight if they wanted to. Is there any information about that?

This question shows that some planes do not even have a non-smoking sign anymore, but it does not elaborate on the mechanics of existing signs.


texts: Can I log PIC time while flying solo in an R22 toward a helicopter addon?

texts:
I hold a PPL/SEL and I'm training for a helicopter addon. I'm training in a Robison R22 which is subject to SFAR 73. Can I log my solo training hours as PIC time? FOr student pilots, with solo endorsement, I believe the answer is yes.

However, SFAR 73 2.b.1.ii says, "no person may act as PIC of an R22 unless that person ii) Has had at least 10 hours of dual instruction and has received an endorsement from a CFI..."

Is this a different endorsement from the solo endorsement, which I obviously have to fly my solo flights?

The reason I ask - I want to know if my time flying solo counts as PIC time toward my commercial requirements.


texts: I fly out of an uncontrolled airport that has an unmanned, automated weather reporting site with a precipitation sensor (AO2).  The METAR often has a \$ symbol at the end of the report, indicating that maintenance is needed on the equipment.  Can I use this METAR, or any METAR with a "\$" as a reliable indication of the current weather?


texts: How is propeller thrust vector accurately expressed for airplanes and multirotors?

texts:
For propellers, as the airspeed increases thrust decreases. Is the airspeed component taken as a vector quantity perpendicular to the propeller? If that's true, then it's quite easy to visualize in the case of airplanes.

However, for quadcopters can the forward component of the thrust vector of a quadcopter type rotor be expressed as:

$$
V_q\cdot{sin}\theta_t
$$

Where:

$V_q$ is the forward airspeed of the quadcopter, and
$\theta_t$ is the angle of rotor tilt

Is this an accurate expression of the thrust vector?


texts: What is the impact of one trailing edge rotary actuator failing?

texts:
I know aircraft commonly have rotary actuators to extend and retract the flaps.  I am not sure how many but I think I read two per flap on a 747. My question is what is the result if one actuator fails? I don't know if more then one needs to fail in order for a flap not to extend or retract.  I am mostly wondering if could cause an aircraft turn-back because somebody told me it could. However that does not seem right to me.  I thought the flaps are extended before take-off so that worst case scenario prior to flight is a minor flight delay to replace it.

I suppose if it failed just prior to landing that would be the other scenario and am not sure what the worst impact on a pilots ability to land would be (assuming one failed unit would prevent a flap extension?).

Any experienced pilot probably knows more then I do and any insights are welcome.


texts: Why are commercial airplanes painted at all?

texts:
While there was debate over why airplanes  are painted white and a question about how much a new paint job costed, what hasn't been asked is why airplanes are painted at all.

I remember one airline company sent out a press release in the 1980s or 1990s that keeping its planes unpainted (i.e, a nice silver) saved several hundred gallons of paint as well as considerable cost savings because the plane was also lighter and used less fuel.

If there are considerable positives to keeping planes unpainted, why do airline companies bother painting them?

This is prompted by a recent flight I had on an US Air airplane that had just been repainted in the American Airlines livery. The captain joked that the paint was still so new that we shouldn't try touching it. Both companies are famous for always being in severe debt -- so saving every penny should have meant going for the 'naked' look.

Related: A quora question on how much money would be saved if airlines stopped painting their liveries and a Boeing white paper on painted vs unpainted


texts: How can I convert an FAA pilot's certificate to a Canadian one?

texts: What do I have to do to obtain a Canadian pilot's license if I already have an FAA one?


texts: Do commercial airliners have the tail number placed somewhere on a placard in the cockpit?

texts:
I notice, looking at pictures of various light singles, that the tail number of the aircraft is typically prominently displayed somewhere towards the top of the instrument panel. If it were your own plane, you would quickly memorize it given the dozens of times per flight you have to give your callsign, but it's still useful for new pilots, rentals and trainers.

That led me to wonder: are the tail numbers of commercial aircrafts also posted in the cockpit, or is it omitted because commercial airliners more often use their company and flight number as their callsign, while the equipment used for a flight can change every time? I don't see any registration number label in this shot of a 737 cockpit, for instance, but it could be on the overhead panel obscured in this shot.


texts: How are taxi to and hold instructions given on an airport without taxiways to the runway end?

texts:
In a smaller airport which still handles large commercial aircraft (i.e. Princess Juliana Int. Airport (TNCM), Robert L. Bradshaw Int. Airport (TKPK), etc.), what are the taxi instructions given? I don't want to just assume that an airliner would be given a taxi and hold short, but that is what I would expect.

Here is a diagram of Bradshaw Airport,

Copyright, Acronautic

Let's say our commercial airliner is taking off from Runway 07. They get a Taxi To and Hold Short instruction preparatory to Cleared To Takeoff. Do they taxi to the end of ramp A and hold short? or do they go all the way to the turn around at the end of 07?

If it's the end of A, what instruction allows then to enter and use the runway as a taxiway?


texts: Do aircraft fitted with both a trimmable horizontal stabilizer and a trim tab exist?

texts:
This question is restricted to trim on the pitch axis.

Both trim tab and THS (trimmable horizontal stabiliser, a whole moving horizontal stabilizer whose movements are used as trim) are used to trim an aircraft. Aircraft having a larger speed range (e.g. jet airliners) tend to be fitted with THS whereas aircraft flying slowlier (e.g. GA aircrafts) tend to be fitted with trim tab.

Is there any aircraft type that use both? (Maybe one being a backup device)


texts: Why is an outward spinning propeller better in theory on the North American F-82 Twin Mustang?

texts:
In this question the Wikipedia article of the F-82 Twin Mustang is quoted. In the third paragraph of the article it says:

  In this arrangement both propellers would turn upward as they approached the center wing, which in theory would have allowed better single-engine control.

There was a comment in the other question that questioned this statement:

  according to that article, an outward-spinning engine configuration is better in theory. i don't see how this would be. in a single-engine
  scenario, wouldn't the working engine torque push the non-working
  engine side down?

A spinning propeller should also produce more lift on the wing section behind it as it is increasing the airflow over that section. Forgetting about the torque for a second, this would already push the other wing (with the failed engine) down.
[EDIT: As answered in the comments, the lift generally has way more effect then the torque.]

So what exactly makes it more favorable to have a outward-spinning configuration in theory?

Also: Does this only apply to this aircraft, or is it valid in general?

Why does it say that the outward-spinning engine configuration is better in theory? What am I missing?


texts: What is the use of saw-teeth present on the nacelle outlets of modern turbofans?

texts: I've noticed that there are saw-teeth on modern jet engines such as the GEnx and the Rolls Royce Trent 1000. What is their purpose?


texts: Can a helicopter stand on the ground upside down on its rotor head?

texts:
From what I understand the rotor head needs to be strong enough to hold the craft weight hanging below it, and sounds pretty strong. The blades however look quite fragile (for a piece of metal).

In short, can a helicopter do something like this?

I found source of this GIF image: Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). This scene is around the 1h 19m mark. All hail @Peter Kämpf for identifying this copter as Hughes 500 which led me to list of copters in movies.

In the scene with humans and the Australian helicopter, a trained eye can spot the lack of a "green screen effect" (it's a 40-year-old movie!) so it seems this Hughes 500 was really put upside down! (Should we investigate it further to Movies.SE now?)

Followup on Movies.SE


texts: Could a 30 knot direct crosswind make a Learjet roll over 90 degrees?

texts:
Could a 30 knot direct crosswind really make a Learjet roll over 90 degrees?

A recent incident has prompted this question, but it's not explicitly about that incident (with its ongoing investigation).


texts: How fast do the F-35 weapons bay doors open/close during combat ops?

texts:
(YouTube)

I came across the following Norwegian F-35 video launching a live missile from its right bay door. Of course, opening the door and launching the missile drastically increases RCS, but it seemed to operate quite slowly, about 3-4 seconds for the whole operation.

My questions are:

Is combat-operation of the bay door really so slow or does it speed up for a lesser chance of detection by today's powerful A2A radars?
Is 3-4 seconds of an exposed RCS increasing surface tactically significant? Obviously, if it wasn't there would be no need to overly stress the components if unnecessary.


texts: What are the bump outs on a Bell 430 helicopter for?

texts: On a Bell 430 helicopter, you'll see what look like short wings on the side. I've seen people fueling in them, so I assume they are fuel tanks, but do they serve another purpose? Do they have a name?


texts: What licenses / permits are required to perform slingload operations in a helicopter?

texts:
Regulation-wise, what is needed to conduct slingload operations in helicopters in the USA?

I would like to know regulations about both the aircraft and the pilot.


texts: Depth and range for FDR/CVR black box detection

texts:
What is the maximum depth range of a FDR underwater, at which it is able to be detected by receivers?

I want to know the maximum range of ULB pinger locator if it's submerged.


texts: Why isn't transition altitude standardized in Europe?

texts:
In the US, the transition altitude is standardized at 18,000ft, however in Europe it is different for every airport.

Why is it not standardized like it is in the US? I could see situations where someone has their altimeter calibrated differently, and thus giving different altimeter readings, which would seem dangerous, especially for smaller GA aircraft that might not have TCAS?


texts: How does the Eurocopter Blue Edge and Blue Pulse rotor blade design work?

texts:
In response to my question about quieter helicopters,  KeithS mentioned the Eurocopter Blue Edge helicopter blade design.

According to an article I found on them, there appears to be two components at the very least: a boomerang style rotor tip (Blue Edge) and piezoelectric active flaps (Blue Pulse) on the trailing edges.

How do these (as well as other changes) affect the noise level (i.e., what is the aeronautic principle behind their design)? Also, the sound reduction itself seems relatively modest (3-4 decibels), but is the quality or tone of the sound perceptually different such that it seems much quieter?


texts: What should be done in case of the avionics failure?

texts: Yesterday I was flying in my simulator with the Cessna 172 when I thought about simulating a fault in the plane's electrical system (alternator and master). But then I was in doubt, if I can't contact the tower or enter a code on the transponder, how can I inform that I need to land on a runway?


texts: Has there been any attempt to use an underground cable system, a la a cable car, to tow aircraft along taxiways?

texts:
I've been looking at some proposals to try to reduce the time that an airliner's main engines are run at idle or near idle when taxiing to and from runways--a situation that uses non-trivial amounts of fuel and greatly increases local emissions.
I've seen proposals for fleets of tugs and onboard wheel motors, but I wonder if there might not be a simpler way. Why not use a continuously moving cable system, such as that used by San Francisco cable cars? Simply run a cable in a trench in the center of a taxiway, and have a means of attaching to and detaching from this cable as a way to tow aircraft down a taxiway and to the end of the runway. I don't know the details, but I do know cable car designers figured it out more than a century ago, so surely it can be done.
Similarly, one might also utilize a roundhouse system to rotate aircraft to the proper position to pick up the cable. Again, roundhouses have been used with trains for well over a hundred years, and locomotives are quite heavy. Clearly one would need ways to slow the cable speed at termini, but this is done on high-speed ski lifts. Some means of "clutching" to buffer a sudden application of force would also be in order--but again, think of the cable cars, or steam catapults/deceleration cables on aircraft carriers. It's been done. Surely it can be done in this context.
What's not to like? The benefits of reduced fuel consumption and emissions are obvious, and it beats a flotilla of tugs, by eliminating empty return trips, logistical hassle, and large numbers of staff. Also likely beats an onboard motor system, on weight, cost, and complexity. There are tons of reasons to do it.
Seems obvious to me. What are the arguments against it?


texts: Could drag in a turn be twice the drag of that encountered in straight and level flight?

texts:
I Just wanted to see if my understanding of drag is correct, as I am unsure.
I understand that during straight and level flight, the drag can be calculated as:

With the first term being the parasitic drag component and the second term being the induced drag component.
However, in a coordinated turn with the same angle of attack at the same airspeed, I have been told that the total drag can be expressed as:

And because the angle of attack is the same, the lift to drag ratio is the same. In this scenario the load factor is 2.
However, since in straight and level flight L = W. So does it follow that the total drag in this turn is double the total drag in the straight and level flight?
i.e.

I don't know why but I feel that this is wrong.
If this is correct, however, the question says that the parasitic drag of the turn is equal to the parasitic drag of the straight and level flight; so would it correct to follow that the induced drag is equal to the following equation?


texts:
What is the temperature in the storage compartment on board of a cargo aircraft? I'm ordering a temperature-sensitive package by airmail and wouldn't want it to freeze.
There are many questions related to temperature of the luggage compartment on a passenger airplane but I didn't find anything about cargo-only aircrats.


texts: Could Airbus resume production of the A380?

texts: Airbus is phasing out the production of their A380 superjumbo due to low demand from airlines. But what if (for the sake of argument) in the future Airbus' prediction of the need of a large aircraft to relieve congested hubs on popular route finally comes true and the need for a large aircraft comes up again? Could airbus resume production of the A380? They would probably have to upgrade the model to state-of-the-art technology (probably to an A380neo) to make it efficient enough to be attractive to airlines. What would Airbus need to do to put an A380 back on the market that would also satisfy the airlines' economic constraints (assuming there is demand for such a large aircraft)? Or would it be cheaper to develop a new model?


texts: What is the upper altitude limit for propeller driven aircraft?

texts: Is it possible to fly 100 kilometers with a propeller driven aircraft? and if not what is the limit of a propeller driven aircraft?


texts: How realistic is Google Earth Flight Simulator?

texts:
Sometimes I like to fly a bit in flight simulator in Google Earth (not the Pro version), and I was wondering how realistic it is. There are two planes you can fly. I included some stuff I personally tried.

F-16

Max altitude (starting from ground): 46200 ft (14081.8 m)
Max altitude (starting from the highest google earth let me start): 80000 ft (24384 m)
Max speed while falling down: 1450 knots (2685.4 km/h)
Max vertical speed: 980 knots (1814.96 km/h)
Flies rather stable, I can do some aggressive maneuvers without any problems. Difficult to land. When I'm very high, it's difficult to get control of the aileron.

SR22

Max altitude (from ground): 19800 ft (6035.04 m)
Max altitude (from highset starting point): 60000+ ft (18288+ m)
Max speed while falling down: 550 knots (1018.6 km/h)
Max vertical speed: 155 knots (287.06 km/h)
Not very powerful. Quite unstable (aileron always moves by itself). Easy to land.

Interestingly, Google Earth allows you to fly beneath the surface of oceans, and it flies exactly the same as in the air. The support for taking off from a real airport is rather limited, but it's there. It supports a full ROM afaik.


texts:
Have it ever happened that the flight attendants asked the most wanted and feared question of all flight-simmers out there: "Can Anyone Fly A Plane?"

My question is for events when all the pilots was incapacitated, and someone who in not a qualified pilot landed the plane.


texts: How much do 1947 and 2014 Beechcraft Bonanzas have in common?

texts:
A question about the tail shape of the Bonanza and Oldest aircraft still in production led me to wonder how much the first and latest aircraft in this series actually have in common.

1947

 lost flights

2014
 Beechcraft
 AOPA

Clearly the following have changed

tail design
number of windows
engines
internal arrangements for seating and baggage
detailed changes to wing shape
cockpit instrumentation
cockpit controls

and many other changes

Is the basic central-airframe and core-wing design and construction identical?
Are there any parts in common - or at least directly interchangeable?


texts: Can I log flight training outside the US in a US-registered aircraft?

texts: I work outside the USA. I have access to fly an airplane with work. I'm working on my instrument rating. Can the time I'm flying be used towards my instrument rating requirements? We always fly on an IFR flight plan and I can fly "under the hood." The guys that I'm working with are all CFII and willing to sign my log book and the a/c have N tail numbers.


texts: What is the division of tasks among the control towers at Chicago O'Hare airport?

texts:
I was at KORD this week for the first time in decades. I spotted 4 control towers (two near the terminals, and one at each end—and I am not sure if I got them all). I was not counting the short ones, obviously for gate control.

What is the division of labor?

Is it anything like KDFW?

I was not counting


texts: Why are the leading edges of wings not always made as 'sharp' as possible?

texts:
Why is an airplane's wing (the leading edge) not made as sharp as possible to break the air, in the same way that a ship's hull is made sharp to easily break the water?

This is unlike Concorde's nose and most jet fighters' noses, which are made very sharp.


texts: As you make a symmetrical airfoil thicker, in which direction does the lift force increase?

texts:
I am working on a project and just need to understand one concept that I cannot find an answer to anywhere and hoping you could answer for me.

The project I'm working on is with airfoils and the main on NACA 63-021. In short, from what I have read as the foil get taller/thicker it creates more lift and can handle higher angles of attack as well.

My question to you is: if a foil like this which is symmetrical top and bottom foil shape, what direction of lift is increasing as the foil shape gets thicker? is the lift seen as forward motion lift/thurst?

You help on this would be greatly appreciated!


texts: What's the difference between feathering, and flapping in a helicopter?

texts: Aren't both methods used to increase angle-of-attack (AoA)? Blade flapping will change the blades level, while feathering will change the pitch, but if both increase AoA why not just use one method?


texts:
This question is not a duplicate ...

Would wing fences or chord wise corrugated tape increase the efficiency of a short span wing?

I understand that larger span wings have less % span wise flow.

Which begs the question.....  at least conceptually, couldn't you just use end plates and multiple wing fences to reduce span wise flow?

or even better, use some sort of corrugated tape, with corrugations running chord wise, like the corrugated skin of a blue whale?


texts: What made the below flight path to have very low speed during the middle of its course

texts:
This is an ongoing flight details of my in-laws travelling from Frankfurt to India. I observe the speed of the craft is drastically reduced to 100mph and then picked up normal.
Could someone please explain this?

Thanks,
Raj


texts:
Are any jet engines used in combat aircraft water cooled?

If they are not, and instead are air cooled, how can the engine ensure consistent cooling? Wouldn't the airflow passing through whatever radiator implementation it has be greatly affected by the airspeed? Consider low subsonic numbers with heavy maneuvering in a dogfight, vs. mach 2 sustained flight?

While I can imagine that variable air inlet for the radiator would change the airflow, I really have no idea how this would work.

I'm also aware that certain rocket engines, e.g. the F-1 allow the fuel itself to circle around the thrust chamber to cool it. Perhaps a similar system is used in jet engines.


texts: If I have a VOR receiver and a GPS, which should I use to navigate VOR airways?

texts:
FAR 91.181a states that aircraft on ATS routes shall be flown along the route centerline. I would like a clarification regarding VOR airways. I have a GPS and a VOR receiver, and usually when I fly VOR airways I set both to navigate the leg I'm on. This gives me two navigation needles and two CDI sources. Usually they both line up very well, especially when close to the VORs themselves. A few times when I've gotten far from the station I've noticed a discrepancy between the the VOR nav and the GPS. I assume this is due to inherent error with the VOR as the aircraft gets farther from the station. When this occurs, which navigation source should I use?
I understand VOR airways have 8nm width to account for VOR error, but again, according to FAR 91.181, pilots must fly along the centerline (as best they can anyway). So will the GPS get me closer to the centerline, or the VOR receiver?


texts: Given the fact that Helium is now readily available (as compared to times when Zeppelins were around), why isn't Lighter Than Air Aviation used for cheap travel?


texts:
What design considerations go into the decision between conventional tails and T-tails?  Functionally the horizontal stabilizer/stabilator are the same in both cases, providing negative lift, the elevator control and a method for pitch trim.  What are the differences though?

As far as I am aware the T-tails I have flown have T-tails for avoiding propwash (PA-44) or aft engine placement (EMB-145).  Are there other reasons for having a T-tail?  What are the aerodynamic consequences a pilot needs to be aware of with a T-tail (e.g. avoiding hard de-rotation on touchdown, issues at high AOA, etc)?


texts: What is the difference between ground speed and airspeed?

texts: What is difference between ground speed and airspeed? Is ground speed used only for takeoff or is it used for flight too?


texts: Diversions because of fog: What are the reasons?

texts:
It's fog season again around my local airport MUC (EDDM), and I have noticed a number of diversions recently. Some planes were holding a bit before attempting to land, performed a go around and then diverted to some of the nearby airports.

It appears that mostly smaller planes (< 200 seats) from not-so-distant departure airports diverted and most long-haul flights made it to the terminal as scheduled, maybe with a bit of delay.

This made me wonder what the specific reasons for the diversions could have been, and I am asking mainly for answers providing some of the top reasons, including the background information.

The airport allows for ILS CAT III approaches, which, in the case of CAT III C, translates to auto-land, possible even in no-visibility conditions, if I understand the details correctly.

This, depending on the equipment installed on the aircraft, would mean that planes capable of performing CAT III b or CAT III c approaches could land when the runway becomes visible 75 ft above ground, and all others couldn't? Would long-haul aircraft mostly be equipped with auto-land, while regional jets probably wouldn't?

Would ATC have to use bigger separation, reducing the airport's capacity, and it would be the smaller planes who lose the game of who-gets-chosen? This would, however, most likely not explain the above example of a flight actually trying the approach and diverting only after having done so?

Those who are familiar with the particular airport might be aware that there's a long debate going on about whether or not a third runway should be built. In what ways would (or wouldn't) a third runway help prevent diversions on foggy days? My guess is that CAT II planes would have to divert no matter how many runways were built, but maybe separation issues (in the air/on the ground) would be less of a trouble?


texts: If you were to fly an ILS in a knife edge would you receve GS and LOC be flipped?

texts: because LOC and GS work the same way, if you were to fly one at 90 degrees bank would your information be displayed on the wrong indicators?


texts: In xflr5,how is the value of Fz calculated?

texts: I am building an conventional plane with AR=6 and I find the wing area,A.So I have selected an airfoil  for building my plane that is sd7062. Using xflr5 I got a cl vs alpha graph and I took the cl value at 4 degrees . using this cl value I calculated my lift and equated to the weight of my plane which is 2kg*9.81=19.6N .now equating L=W I find the area ,A and using this area and aspect ratio 6 or 7 I  calculate the span and chord .Now when  I do an analysis for the wing dimensions I got and plot a graph between Fz(lift) and alpha graph and find that at 4 degrees the Fz value is 13.078N ....why is there a decrease in my lift.....if there's a decrease then are the calculations I have done wrong?..please help me out]1


texts: Is there a maximum or minimum temperature for take-off and landing?

texts: Is there a maximum or minimum temperature that a plane can take off or land at?


texts: How is fuel stored in a tanker aircraft? What arrangements are made to make the aircraft liquid tight?


texts: What is this black symbol on a VFR chart?

texts: What is this black symbol near KLBE VFR chart?


texts: Does the FAA have specific Air Ambulance safety guidelines?

texts: Does the FAA have some specific air ambulance safety guidelines to adhere to?


texts: What should be the minimum time spent in cruise (for e.g. a B737)?

texts:
Having a short sector to fly, it would not be convenient to climb all the way up to the best cruise altitude, since the time in climb would burn more fuel than that necessary for a flight at lower altitudes.

Having said that, what would be the minimum time spent at the best cruise altitude that will make it reasonable to climb to that pressure altitude with a medium range twin jet transport airplane (B737 or similar)?


texts: How is the air traffic managed at a field with many privately owned aircraft?

texts: As example "Spruce Creek". Many residents own private aircraft and can fly anytime they want. Do they have an separate air traffic controller? How is this high amount of air traffic managed?


texts: How to get out of icing conditions asap?

texts:
We all know certain weather can cause ice to form on an aircraft, and the danger it poses. Obviously the best way is to avoid flying near these areas in the first place.

Let's say I happen to fly into one. Aircrafts have de-ice equipment such as de-icing boots, pitot heat, engine de-ice etc; but sitting there and flying through the ice-cold cloud does not seem to be a good idea. So something must be done to get the aircraft out of icing conditions asap.

What is the best course of action? Should I descend at normal speed? Or descend and pick up speed? Climb? Perform a 180? Would a weather radar (which reflects precipitations) help?


texts: Why would a PAPI and ILS glide slope for the same runway not coincide?

texts: Some pilots are reporting the glide slope on our PAPI is not coinciding with the glide slope on our ILS even though FAA did a flight check of our PAPI's. Are there any reasons why a PAPI and ILS would indicate different approach glide slopes?


texts: How does a jet fighter with water-skis land safely?

texts:
I just read about the Convair F2Y on the obvious encyclopedic site. It's a delta wing jet fighter from the 1950's, with hydroskis so it can take off and land on water.

Can such a landing be made reliably safe? What is the angle of attack, landing speed, and other techniques of such a landing? I'm concerned because it's such a small craft, and if the skis catch a wave the wrong way, it cloud flip over and disintegrate. It seems to me that even a tiny amount of waves on the high seas would make this thing very dangerous to land.

It looks like the Convair was canceled for a different kind of accident in mid-air. I could not find how many landings it performed safely. For all I know it could have been only 1 or 2 landings before it was canceled.


texts: Are there aircraft exemptions for CPDLC in the NAT area?

texts:
Another question lists the aircraft that are exempt from the EASA CPDLC rule.

Is there a similar exemption for aircraft operating in the North Atlantic?


texts: What is the Hot Air Pressure Regulating valve and what's its purpose?

texts:
What does the hot air pressure regulating valve do, yes I know that it regulates hot air pressure but what does that do, create hot air? How does it regulate hot air pressure?

I have a picture of the valve here at page 3. It's an Airbus A320
http://www.smartcockpit.com/docs/A320-Air_Conditioning_and_Pressurization.pdf


texts: I flew the wrong pattern at an uncontrolled airport... Should I be worried?

texts:
Ugh... I'm beating myself up as I feel I made a pretty serious mistake over the weekend. I'm a PPL trying to build up XC hours trying to work towards my instrument. Over the weekend I did a short XC to an extremely remote desert airport which is a nice little flight. I do flight following all the way there, uneventful. 15 miles out I get the ASOS and it says winds calm. After canceling flight following, I switch over to the CTAF.

This is where I started to get a little overwhelmed and I start making mistakes. I had waited a little longer to start my descent so I was approaching a little faster than usual. I have made this flight several times before and the winds are usually from the east so I planned my normal pattern entry to cross the field, make a right turn and enter the left pattern for the easterly runway. As I'm approaching I'm using my standard communications; someone on the ground radios to say the winds are actually out of the west and at at least 10 knots as the windsock is almost straight out. At that same moment, another pilot radioed announcing they were 3 miles to the west and inbound to land. For some reason this last minute information really overloaded me and I just went into autopilot. For some reason, I still just had "left pattern" baked into my brain. Instead of continuing to cross the field I entered at a 45 into a left pattern for the westerly runway. (sigh). I fly it normally and on final the traffic that was a few miles out now announces they are on a right downwind. My heart sinks. I realized my mistake, and although I am mortified, I decide to continue the landing and go on with my trip back to my base.

Afterward, I debriefed myself trying to isolate what happened, and how to prevent this kind of mistake again. I take safety and procedure very seriously. I shudder to think what might have happened if there was a NORDO in the pattern...

My question is should I be worried? I've never made this type of mistake before and am frankly expecting a call from the FSDO. It's not a populated area and there is very little traffic there but still...


texts: What are the differences between an OBS, a CDI, a Heading indicator, and an HSI? As far as I can tell they all use VORs. Why would 4 different version of the same instrument be invented? Is the HSI the most advanced of the 4 because it shows the most detail?


texts: What are the consequences of turboclair system on restriction due to turbulences?

texts:
A turboclair system basically consisted of jet engines used to warm the air around the runway and dissipate the fog. I understand that better visibility due to less fog allows less-well-equipped aircraft to land safely, but such an artificial temperature elevation may create strong turbulence (due to convection) and, thus, restrict the types of aircraft than can land safely (e.g., only heavier aircraft, which could be less affected by localised turbulence).

(I imagine that, nowadays, ILS is more effective than a fog removal system in bringing an aircraft safely to the runway.)

My question is: Because of probable turbulence due to this system, do operations into runways using a turboclair system come with additional restrictions compared to the same runway without fog?


texts: Why do airplanes bank sharply to the right after air-to-air refueling?

texts:
Whenever I see videos on YouTube they bank really sharply to the right after disconnecting from the tanker. Why wouldn't they do a more shallow 30-degree bank?

See this video for reference:


texts: What are the benefits of a non-orthogonal (scissor) tail-rotor?

texts:
Why is the tail-rotor of some helicopters (e.g., Boeing AH-64 Apache) made of non-orthogonal (scissor) blades?

What are the aerodynamic benefits (or any other benefits) compared to the orthogonal cruciform option?

(Source)


texts: Does an instrument rating bridge category and class?

texts:
I had previously been under the impression that if a pilot held an instrument rating that it would apply to aircraft in another class.  The requirements of 61.57 would seem to support that since currency can be maintained in aircraft of the same category.

However, reading section 61.133 leads me to believe that any check ride to add a class would require an instrument checkride as well:

  A person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category or powered-lift category rating and does not hold an instrument rating in the same category and class will be issued a commercial pilot certificate that contains the limitation, “The carriage of passengers for hire in (airplanes) (powered-lifts) on cross-country flights in excess of 50 nautical miles or at night is prohibited.” The limitation may be removed when the person satisfactorily accomplishes the requirements listed in § 61.65 of this part for an instrument rating in the same category and class of aircraft listed on the person's commercial pilot certificate.

Am I correct in this interpretation?  Are there any other CFR sections that might shed some clarity on this?  Does any class rating add-on, (presuming one wanted to exercise the option of IFR in the new class) require a full blown instrument check even if one is already instrument rated and current in a different class?

ADDENDUM:  After re-reading this almost seems self answering based on the quote I provided, but I know what sometimes regs can be interpreted differently based on other sections.  I am just incredulous that a full-blown syllabus per 61.65 would be necessary when really IFR isn't any different from Single to Multi.  Makes the upgrade that much more pricey!


texts: How does an aircraft form wake turbulence?

texts:
This question discusses how wake turbulence can affect planes flying in formation.  It got me wondering, how do aircraft (the wings in particular) form wake turbulence to begin with?  It can't be as simple as tip vortexes right?

As a follow up, how can you design an aircraft to minimize wake turbulence?  And what are the trade offs in doing so?


texts: How can a sUAS operator contact ATC/identify themselves when contacting ATC?

texts:
In a comment, abelenky offered some words of wisdom which I personally agree with regarding sUAS ops near a surface Class C:

  When in doubt or close, call Tower and state your intentions. They'll approve you, and if you cross into their airspace you will be legal. If you stay outside their airspace, you asked approval for no reason, but no harm done.

However, how should a sUAS operator contact an ATC entity that has jurisdiction over surface airspace (such as Tucson or Davis-Monathan Tower, in the querent's example)?  Should they place a phone call to the Tower phone number? Call the Tower on frequency with a handheld airband radio?

Further, is it even legal for a sUAS operator to use an airband radio in the US (i.e. does a commercial sUAS certificate count as a FCC aeronautical-mobile license the same way a regular PPL/... does)?  And if they were to call the Tower on the radio, how should they ID themselves/what callsign should they use, as I am not sure if a sUAS registration number is a valid radiotelephone callsign?


texts: Altimeter shows 100 foot drop when power is added. Is this a leak in the static system or broken altimeter and how long will the fix take?

texts:
My instructor and I were preparing for my Private Pilot Check ride today when we noticed that the analog altimeter would suddenly lose 100 feet when we added power.  The only way I can think to explain this is that there could be a leak in the static system that caused the altimeter to read the cabin pressure instead of outside static pressure.  We had the cabin vents open so that when the prop blew in more air it probably caused the cabin pressure to rise slightly causing the altimeter to read a lower altitude.  However, we only noticed an error with the altimeter and not with the airspeed or VSI.  At one point I was in a climb and the altimeter was showing my altitude decreasing and the VSI was showing an altitude increase.  If the problem was a leak in the static system you would think that the airspeed and VSI would be affected as well.  I did call the mechanic about this and he decided to take the airplane out of service.

My question is could this problem be isolated to just the altimeter and not the entire static system.  Also, what would the typical downtime be to fix this issue?  I am supposed to take my check ride Sunday but it looks like that may not happen if this would take awhile to fix.

Note:  This airplane does not have the option of using an alternative static source so no it is not due to the alternate static source being selected.


texts: What physical and mental attributes do I need to become a pilot?

texts:
I want to be a pilot (civil aviation), but I'm afraid that my body composition and field of study might not fit with aviation. What are the physical requirements and academic/mental prerequisites to become a private pilot?

For instance, I have a masters degree in computer engineering and am skinny (50Kg, 1.72m and 24age). Could this be a problem?


texts: Where can I get full audio cockpit recordings of all four flights involved in the 9/11 attacks?

texts:
First of all, this is a question specifically asking about the September 11th, 2001 attacks. It is not focused on NTSB or other accident investigations in other countries. If you think it is, please explain your reason.
I have always been curious to know how people reacted to that terrible day, and if I remember correctly, there was a thirty-one-minute recording from flight 93 that started with someone saying there was a bomb on board up until the crash.
I guess the main reason I am so focused on sound is because of something I am going to explain to you all. I am a totally-blind user who uses screen reader technology and accessible web sites to brows. Since I cannot obtain visual information and expressions, my next source of information is how things sound. It is frustrating to not have this information. Someone could tell you that this or that happened, and it looked horrific, but if you can't see it, how do you know? Maybe some people would say that it was a blessing that you didn't have to see such things, but still, I feel like I'm missing out on something. Sounds of horror, of grief, all of those can be just as traumatising to hear as one would see an image. I have spent numerous hours on YouTube, trying to find stuff to add to my audio memorabilia of 9/11, because as we move through history, I want people of the future to know how everything played out from beginning to end, what people endured, how many people were killed, hurt, and willing to risk their lives to help rid the bad guys. Most importantly, I want them to experience all of this without the ability to see what's going on. If you can hear the recordings, you should be able to make pictures based on all of your senses, and you'll be able to make appropriate emotional responses.
Also, a friend of mine inspired me to do all of this because she had a former acquaintance of hers, who is no longer her friend tell her that 9/11 never happened, that it was all a conspiracy. So I vowed to help her out by obtaining as much proof as I could by making a file containing as many audio recordings detailing the events of that day.
I have heard that the NTSB is exempt from releasing these audio recordings even with the FOIA, but I believe that if you can approach an attorney, you can circumvent this exemption by claiming that such recordings must be available for historic reasons. I don't know if they will release it twenty-five years later, fifty years, seventy-five, or a hundred years from now.
And yes, there has been evidence of CVR recordings being leaked into the public, which is like finding a rare piece of jewellery since they are scarce.


texts: Is there a typical time on site during an investigation of a major accident?

texts:
An answer to the question Why does it take months, sometimes years, for the BEA and NTSB to complete aviation accident investigations? said,

  Visiting the Site - First there will be a team that heads to the incident site to collect information. If the site is easily accessible, this may be a fairly quick process. If the site is tough to access, or takes a while to find, this will of course take much longer. This is generally the part most visible to the public, but is only the tip of the iceberg in generating a useful report.

When the site is easily accessible, what is the typical (or average) amount of time spent on site collecting data of a major accident?


texts: Are the size and location of the registration number regulated?

texts:
On modern airliners, how large are the registration numbers?

I know they are on the tail, but are they also under a wing?

Do the regulations vary by country? If so, what is the US regulation?


texts: What needs to be considered when changing a tire during boarding/deboarding?

texts:
Passenger aircraft tires are physically inspected by the cockpit crew member or technician after each landing or before take-off, that the tire may have been cut or punctured as it may have hit something on the ground (FOD) while taxiing. If the tire needs to be replaced for any reason, the tire is lifted with a jack in the parking stand and the tire replacement is carried out less than half an hour (similar to changing a car tire).

Since airline companies are commercial enterprises and the time the aircraft will spend on the ground cause extra cost, can the tire replacement and passenger boarding/deboarding and/or cargo offloading/onloading operations be performed simultaneously?

What needs to be considered in order to replace the tire and perform the other mentioned operations safely at the same time?


texts: Does the flight crew in big airliners hear the cabin crew PAs?

texts: In big airliners, does the flight crew hear the PAs the cabin crew is doing to the passengers, e.g. on their headsets? If not, how do they make sure they’re not talking simultaneously to the passengers?


texts: Can a wide body airliner land safely with a full fuel tank?

texts: Can a commercial double-aisle jet aircraft (e.g., 777, A330) land safely with a full fuel tank (minus the fuel spent on taxing and takeoff)? Has that ever happened?


texts: How does a turboprop engine keep running during thrust reversal?

texts:
For thrust reversal after landing, a turboprop engine reverses blade pitch and blows air forward. But the engine itself requires air flow for the turbine.

How can a turboprop engine keep running when the prop blows air away from it?


texts: What does the isolation valve do in the landing gear extension/retraction system?

texts:
The isolation valve is an integral part of the landing gear extension/retraction systems on most larger aircraft.

What is its funtion?


texts: What weather should we expect when temperature and dew point are similar?

texts:
What should i expect during my flight planning when i see both temperature and dew point are the same?
I understand there will be fog but what else? could it mean icing? any difference between 20/20 and 04/04 for example to expect?


texts: Is there absolutely any way (hook or crook) to listen to ATC in India, especially Bangalore?

texts: We can listen to various ATC radios across the world, but I really want to listen to the ATC at VOBL.


texts: Can this aircraft wreckage be identified?

texts:
I live in Salinas (central coast California) and there’s an old plane wreck (located within the boundaries of Toro Park County Park in a remote section). On a hike yesterday, we located and took some pictures and I was seeking some help to identify the type of aircraft and then perhaps some more information (searching the CA plane crash registry came up empty). So looking for more details – firstly identifying the plane and then perhaps locating who/where/etc – there are no other known details.

I have some photos for reference (but would only let me add 1).


texts: Is it legal to bring (or allow someone else to bring) a firearm on a private flight?

texts:
Say that I want to leave the city and go hunting somewhere.  Is it legal to bring a hunting rifle and ammunition with me in a private airplane?

If yes, are there specific procedures to follow in order for it to be done safely?


texts: Why does the Mitsubishi MU–2B have its own SFAR?

texts: The Mitsubishi MU-2B has a very long & detailed SFAR 108 that details the trained and currency requirements for anyone who wishes to manipulate the controls of the plane. I'm wondering what incidents or accidents and unusual handling characteristics required a Special SFR for this plane.


texts: Why do some aircraft series have an extra window?

texts:
Take a look at these two Boeing 717s, in some cases they have an extra window. why?

Another instance. Boeing 737:


texts: What happens when a helicopter loses an engine?

texts: It seems like at this point it would be game over, since the spinning rotor is the only thing keeping it in the air. Is there any way to land a helicopter in this condition without crashing?


texts: Why does the Sukhoi-30 MKI have both canards and conventional horizontal stabilizers?

texts:
I believe the Sukhoi-30 actually has 3 means of altering pitch and roll - canards, horizontal stabilizers, and thrust vectoring.

Image courtesy www.mars.slupsk.pl

What is the point of this?
Does it lead to an increase in maneuverability?


texts: What is the role of a CFI (not CFII) as safety pilot for hood time?

texts:
I am an instrument student at a flight school with a "primary" CFII whom I'm logging dual instruction time. Things are going pretty well, making progress but the instructor has been unavailable a bit more lately. Now, I also belong to a flying club next door at the same airport where the planes are much cheaper but double-I instructor availability is not as prevalent. My checkout instructor at this club has been giving me hood time. The rental cost of the plane at the club plus non double-I instructor time is actually more cost effective, and scheduling has been more of a breeze than getting dual time with the flight school's instructor. My flight school instructor looked at my logbook and did a double-take on a recent entry with the checkout instructor. I'm guessing he's not happy because I'm not doing business with his flight school 100% and renting their higher rate airplanes with a safety pilot (i.e. his other IR students). My double I is encouraging me to do some safety pilot time with other IR students, which obviously isn't a bad idea either for some folks. From my standpoint, I didn't want to do as much safety pilot time at the school since we trade off (i.e. I need 2x the amount of free time), and I figure I get the value-added of CFI coaching at the club. BTW this checkout CFI is about 1-2 months away from his double I and is actually signed off on giving me FTD dual instruction. Hopefully this makes sense so far...
I guess the questions that arise are: would this be a red flag for you as an instrument student? Is it really a big issue if a non-II CFI provides mentoring along with being a safety pilot for the simulated hours that is NOT dual instructor allocated (i.e. the other 25 hours)? Is the CFI in a legal bind somehow because they should "know better" if they let me as PIC do something wrong?


texts: How to estimate runway length for airport master planning?

texts:
I use the manufacturer aiport planning manuals. But they are incomplete (unless for Boeing). Airbus and Embraer for example, only present range X weight charts for MTOW.
Is there a free (or affordable) software or good charts for this estimation?
I'm interested in airport planning.


texts: Is certification required to conduct runways repairs?

texts: I know that you need a certain certification to fix a plane, but are you required to have a certification to fix a runway?  Or can anyone with the proper equipment be paid to do it?


texts:
I was reading last week of the public listing of the Italian ATC provider.

In the article it is said that

  If successful, the IPO would mark the first listing of a European national air traffic controller, although not the first privatisation.

and this got me wondering: how do they make money? Usually private companies are there to make a profit, do airlines have to pay the ATC providers?

It made me wonder also about possible impact on safety and security: I assume that this is in accordance to EASA rules, but is there any specific mention of "private ATC", or is it permitted simply because it is not forbidden?


texts: How can a crew be warned of "Clear Air Turbulence" during the flight?

texts: Is there any piece of equipment, on board, to assist the crew to identify and avoid clear air turbulence (CAT)?


texts: How much fuel aircraft should carry to complete flight plan?

texts:
Here is the question I was looking for (it didn't answer my question though), but this is specific to Boeing 787.

Is there any regulation to carry certain amount (may be %) of fuel aircraft should carry when its flight plan is prepared?

Note: We had argument that aircraft should carry 150% of fuel of it's planned travel, then someone bought argument of hijacking planes and said that 15 to 30 minutes of extra travel time fuel they have to carry.


texts: What is the reason for the sudden increase of French published accident and incident investigation reports in 1997?

texts:
The number of accidents and incident reports available online at BEA has changed dramatically between 1996 and 1997:

There was an average of 2 reports per year until 1996, and an average of about 125 reports per year then.

As it is unlikely that there was a sudden increase in the number of events, something in the French legislation and/or the policy of BEA must have changed.

What was the actual reason for this change and sudden increase?


texts: What’s the speed for lowest sink rate on a DA20?

texts:
In the DA20, the POH lists for glide speed (flaps up) only one speed giving the best glide angle / furthest distance (73 KIAS).

But what about, if I don’t need that much distance to glide (e.g. because I’m high above an airport) and rather want to optimize for the maximum time airborne, i.e. the lowest sink rate. Which speed would I need to fly for that? I couldn’t find any L/D diagram in the POH either where I could find it from.


texts: Is pumping the control column an acceptable technique during flare?

texts:
Source: YouTube, higher quality file here.

Example 2: YouTube

Is it normal? Just a different technique? Or do certain situations or aircraft types call for it? The training manuals I've seen advise against excessive changes, or call for constant back pressure, or both.

  Avoid rapid control column movements during the flare (737 FCTM).

But it won't be the first time that a rule has an exception.

An example of minimal changes here: YouTube, albeit a different type, hence the question.


texts: How do pilots stay disciplined and use checklists, even after they have become routine?

texts:
I originally asked the same question on Space Exploration but will repeat it also here:

Before every takeoff and every landing, there are several routine checks which need to be done in order to provide the highest maximum safety to passengers.

But after certain number of repetitions, these tasks can feel as tedious especially if you are flying a plane which goes in "turns"

(Real example of what I mean is commercial line between Prague (PRG) and Frankfurt (FRA) where plane lands, people go out, new people go in and plane goes back. And so on)

How do pilots and other personnel make sure that they actually do go through the check every single time without "It was OK last time, so it will be ok this time. Skip it and say it is ok" ?


texts: Are there required standards for gate power cable maintenance?

texts: I am looking for reference(s) addressing gate power cable maintenance, for both 28V DC and 400Hz. Do the FAA or any manufacturers have standards for measuring the connector pins to determine wear?


texts: Why does a Phugoid occur? How can it be eliminated?

texts:
My model aircraft seems to do phugoid oscillations and I'm having trouble landing. It is around 2 kilos, very high mounted wing, so bad landing takes out the underbelly everytime.

I'm wondering what's causing the phugoid, CG placement? The extremely high wing causing pitch oscillations due to inertia? Insufficient tail?

How can I solve this? I cannot change the wing configuration, but I can change CG along the fuselage length / modify tail.

Edit: More detail - design:


texts:
I came across a mention of a display of "graphical aircraft system synoptics" on this page.  I think in context that it means "status display" or "summary page"- the page that shows flap position, hydraulic pressure, etc.

However, synoptic isn't even a noun in some dictionaries. Google searches for the word turned up only passing references to the term, not a solid definition. The actual word usage seems very aviation-specific.  What does the term actually mean and how does it differ from "system status" or "summary page?"


texts: Why did this plane fly in a zigzag pattern?

texts:
I was tracking flight NKS739 from LAX to SEA this morning and saw that it made some some odd turns. If you look at the track from FlightRadar24.com you can see that it was heading toward SEA then it took a large turn to the right then to the left then returned to its original course.

This does not look like the usual technical glitch from Flightradar24, and FlightAware shows the same track. There was no weather anywhere in the area. There were many aircraft in the area at the time and none of them made any unusual turns. There are no MOA's in the area (most of it is over a national forest) and none of the other aircraft seem to be avoiding anything in the area. I tried to see if LiveATC.net had a recording but that's Seattle center's area and they don't appear to have a feed for ZSE.

I can't come up with any reason for such an odd deviation. The aircraft arrived in SEA and there didn't seem to be any problem. It immediately turned around and made another flight which was uneventful.

Is there anything that might explain this deviation? Is it just a glitch?


texts:
User 'Calphool' writes:

  For example, in a real plane, if you jam the throttle forward too quickly, you can kill the engine or make it backfire. This may sound like a trivial detail, but people have died on takeoff because they never learned proper throttle technique.

Why and how?
What accidents were caused by mishandling of the throttle levers?


texts: If you depressurize an aircraft at FL340, will the temperature inside fall to match the temperature outside?

texts: Assuming you’d have an oxygen mask on before hand, and you depressurized the aircraft at FL340, would the inside and outside temperatures quickly become the same?


texts: I cannot understand why mid point RVR is issued and what's the significance of it


texts: What would be the airspace class when no vignette is visible on a US VFR sectional chart?

texts:
If a airport doesn't have a pink vignette nor blue vignette on a VFR sectional chart, but the airports around this particular airport has pink vignettes, would this airport's Class E start at 1200 AGL or would this airport be Class G up to 14,500 MSL?

For example, Grayson County (M20)  - circled here in red - has no pink vignette but other airports near it do:


texts: Is a magnetic compass required for VFR (day) flight in powered aircraft?

texts:
As the title suggests, Is a magnetic compass required equipment for VFR (day) flight in powered civil aircraft? I have always been under the impression it was.

My question arises from reading CFR section 91.205, article b:

  b) Visual-flight-rules (day). For VFR Flight during the day, the
  following instruments
         and equipment are required:

  ...
     (3) Magnetic direction indicator

This sort of implies I can use anything, including my GPS that indicates magnetic direction. Is my interpretation correct? Has this changed recently?


texts: Is an EASA STC valid if it mentions issue 1 of a Master Drawing List that was later revised?

texts:
EASA STC certificate mentions the original issue of the Master Drawing List of the STC as "Associated Technical Documentation". But the STC provider delivered a revised version of the MDL. Is the certificate which refers to the original issue still valid or shall I request a revised certificate for the STC? Can anyone advise me on this?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Airworthiness Certificates, Registration Certificates, Radio Licenses, Medical Certificates, Temporary Airman Certificates and other important documents are commonly printed on paper, which can be easily damaged or destroyed. Replacement can take weeks or months, grounding the plane or pilot unnecessarily.

Is there any regulation (or other general legal principle regarding official documents) that prohibits lamination to protect them?  If so, is there another widely accepted solution?


texts: I've never understood this, why can't you just idle the engine and let it slow down?


texts: Why is only a single underwater robotic submarine Bluefin-21 being deployed in the search for MH370?

texts:
As my question states, why is only a single Bluefin-21 being deployed underwater to scan the seabed with an area of around 40 square miles?

Why aren't multiple Bluefin-21's getting deployed when deploying multiple machines would make the search faster when everything here is a very time consuming process?


texts: Is the “competent observer” a required crewmember?

texts:
This question came up as a followon to another answer.
14 CFR 91.109 reads in part, with added emphasis:

§91.109 Flight instruction; Simulated instrument flight and certain flight tests.
(c) No person may operate a civil aircraft in simulated instrument flight unless—
    (1) The other control seat is occupied by a safety pilot who possesses at least a private pilot certificate with category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown.
    (2) The safety pilot has adequate vision forward and to each side of the aircraft, or a competent observer in the aircraft adequately supplements the vision of the safety pilot …

Is the “competent observer” a passenger or a required crewmember?


texts: Why does avgas 100LL smell different than automobile gasoline?

texts: Why does avgas 100LL smell differently than automobile gasoline?  And why don't avgas 100LL fumes from a fuel tester located in the cabin make pilots ill?


texts: Why are the minimums between these two ILS instrument approaches to the same runway so different?

texts:
The minimums for the Van Nuys ILS Z Rwy 16R are 1095/40.  The minimums for the Van Nuys ILS Y Rwy 16R are 1461-1 1/2.

Question: Why are the minimums for the ILS Z so much lower than the minimums for the ILS Y?

Van Nuys ILS Z Rwy 16R

Van Nuys ILS Y Rwy 16R


texts: How do you encode a radial to radial turn in ARINC-424?

texts:
I am building my own ATC simulator and for that purpose I need to include several instrument procedures. I have a problem with that particular one:

My problem is on KEA transition, the leg between "RDL 256 KEA" and "RDL 192 ATV" how should the transition be encoded in terms of ARINC-424 path terminator sequences.

Specifically it's the turn from the one leg to the other that bothers me: "RDL 256 KEA" seems to terminate on either 27 DME KEA or RDL 187 ATV. But then what? There is a 20 DME ATV on the next leg that spoils everything. CD (or Course to DME) is not a specific route over the ground so the previous turn won't be able to intercept it. I could either omit the CD part or insert another CR (course to radial) before the CD leg but then I'm not doing what the map says, I improvise. So my question is am I conceiving this wrong, or the IAC is ambiguous in this particular point?


texts: What limits high altitude powered paragliders other than the engine?

texts:
Due to their extremely low wing loading, powered paragliders stall at very low indicated airspeeds compared to other airplanes.  A typical paraglider can continue flying all the way down to 10-15 knots.
That suggests the idea of using a fabric wing for flight at very high altitudes.  At 100,000 feet, for example, an IAS of 10 knots corresponds to a TAS of 85 knots, well below the speed of sound.  Suppose that we take a power source that works at low air density – say, a solar-powered electric motor or an engine with an onboard oxidizer tank – and attach it to a paraglider.  Would anything prevent such an aircraft from flying stably at 100,000 ft?  For example, would flutter be an issue?


texts: Do the four engines of a BAe-146 make it efficient?

texts: The BAe-146 is a small aircraft that can seat approximately 80 passengers, but it has four engines. Does having four engines instead of two affect the way it performs or is it more efficient or less efficient than if it were to have only two engines? I understand that it helps lessen noise during takeoff in populated areas, but is it more/less efficient in terms of both aerodynamics and fuel?


texts:
Source: Wolfgang Langewiesche - Stick and Rudder; An Explanation of the Art of Flying

Why is it called a mushing glide?
In this glide, does the aircraft point its nose less (or more?) steeply?
How does it steepen the descent?

I find the explanation confusing. At one point it seems that a mushing glide is caused by a high AOA and at another point it seems that a low AOA (pointing slightly above horizon) causes it.


texts: Where must the glider tow line connection be?

texts:
I have styrofoam glider and I want to pull it with a rope, to fly with me when driving a bike. Where do I need to connect the attachment point, if I want the glider to fly stable above me?
I think, to stop roll disturbance I need connect the rope at both wings, but where do I need place them, at the center of gravity (CG), at the center of the overall lift, at 1/4 wing chord (center of wing pressure), or at the aerodynamic center?

(I also notice that a plane tow real glider connects at the nose and when the winch tow connect at fuselage under wing, but what does this place represent in an aerodynamic sense?)


texts: How did authorities know that Protasevich was on board of RyanAir flight 4978?

texts: Are passenger manifests available through some channel? Or is there any other way for Belarus to know that a specific person is onboard a flight in their airspace?


texts: Can ekranoplans (GEV) be more efficient than traditional airliners?

texts:
Ekranoplans or Ground Effect Vehicles (GEV) fly low enough to the ground that their wings stay in the ground effect. This increases lift and efficiency.

But GEV fly in the lower atmosphere (literally ground level) which greatly increases drag compared to flying in the stratosphere.

Is it possible that a GEV designed using contemporary composite materials and high bypass engines could be more efficient per cargo weight-mile (or passenger mile) than a tradition airliner? Or are GEV inherently less efficient due to the altitude they fly at?

This question is specific to fuel efficiency over distance. Feasibility, safety, navigation, time, and cost of airframe are not part of the equation.


texts: When do I have to hold during an instrument procedure?

texts: Trying to stay fresh on instrument regs, and I'm reviewing when you are able to bypass a procedure turn. I'm reading that if you perform a teardrop entry for a hold, you may. Does that mean you have to do the entire hold before proceeding the approach when you do a parallel entry?


texts: How dangerous would it be to take off at night with no ATC, no runway lighting system and have a single engine working?

texts:
I was wondering how dangerous it would be to  have an engine failure (with a twin-engine) during take off at night when you have no runway lights (and no city close-by) and no ATC?
Would using the aircraft flight instruments alone be considered IFR?
Thanks


texts: How do I compute thrust of a rotor disk and the necessary power to drive it??

texts:
as it seems, this question has been asked a few times here so please forgive me for asking again.

If I have 50 BHP shaft power available at 5000 RPM and 106 N.m torque, then can I convert it to 200 kgf of thrust?

I intend to use two sets of horizontal rotors, dividing 50 BHP between them and each generating 100 kgf thrust. Is it doable? What will be the diameter of propellers and their RPM to achieve this goal? What about pitch?

Any help, even if in part or help in the form of guidance to correct resource will be immensely helpful.

Thanks in advance :)

Edit:
1. I intend to provide vertical thrust and not horizontal as we do in aircraft.
2. I want to specifically know following things:-

Suppose I have a generic 2000 mm diameter rotor blade, (I have no idea what typical pitch value is). I want to know what RPM it needs to be turned at to produce 100 Kgf force and what will be the power or torque requirement.


texts: Does "resume own navigation" also mean "altitude your discretion"?

texts:
In VFR flights from class C, I sometimes get resume own navigation, altitude your discretion after departure and sometimes just resume own navigation.

Does resume own navigation alone mean altitude your direction as well?

Update:

Let's assume scenario below for KSNA and to be more specific:

Pilot to Clearance Delivery: 529J with request

Clearance Delivery: 529J go ahead

Pilot to Clearance Delivery: 529J is Cessna 172/u west side parking, requesting
El Toro departure to Chino with information Bravo

Clearance Delivery to Pilot: After Departure turn left heading 080, Maintain VFR at or below 2400, SoCal on 124.1, SQUAWK 0210

Pilot: reads back …

Pilot starts taxi then take off with proper radio communication with ground and tower. After departure Tower hands pilot over to SoCal.

Pilot to SoCal (initial call): SoCal 529J departed John Wayne, 1100 climbing, requesting 3000 to Chino

SoCal to pilot:  529J resume own navigation

Here is the confusion, sometime SoCal comes back with only resume own navigation. Does this mean pilot can climb to 3000 or altitude restriction for 2400 still valid?


texts: Is the F-16 capable of taking off during a nerve gas attack?

texts:
Imagine a scenario where air bases are attacked with (or indirectly affected by) a nerve agent during a major war. There is also a desperate need to scramble combat aircraft. Can modern combat aircraft, such as the F-16 still take off during such circumstances? What about other typical modern combat aircraft (F-15, F/A-18, F-22, F-35)?

While higher up in the air, I imagine the nerve agent should pose no threat to the pilot. However, it appears that even just suspecting there is nerve agents in the air on the runway should be life threatening to the pilot. Wouldn't the life support system ingest the nerve agent and present it to the pilot through the same system?

I haven't previously read about and couldn't find anything about chemical warfare filters equipped on the F-16's life support system. Does it have any?

However, I glanced at this info card from Cobham on F-16 Support Equipment:
On-Board Oxygen Generating System.

It seems that the F-16 equipped with OBOGS has an on-board emergency oxygen supply. From various forum posts it also seems like the older block C F-16 has emergency oxygen supply. It seems reasonable that all combat aircraft have some sort of emergency oxygen supply, for obvious reasons. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Perhaps naively, it seems like enabling the emergency oxygen supply while taxiing and takeoff for the F-16 would allow it to still get in the air? Is there enough time to do this? Is the emergency oxygen supply stored pre-pressurized or does it require to become pressurized by the running engine? In that case, I suppose this is a futile effort. This is all of course, assuming a rather unlikely scenario where the hangar for the aircraft is assumed safe enough to even start up the aircraft in the first place.

What if the hangar is also unsafe? Can anything be done for the pilot and crew, beyond this? I suppose the crew could wear hazmat suits, but again, what about the pilot? For some aircraft, such as the SR-71, I believe pilots wear pressure suits before getting into the aircraft. However, then I assume the aircraft is then required to support this type of equipment, which I doubt the F-16 does.

Does any nearby nerve agent attack effectively ground all aircraft? It seems like something there should be a solution for.


texts: Can someone identify the Make and Model of airplane that this fuselage belonged to?

texts: This gutted fuselage remnant was photographed by my mother at Whaler's Bay on Deception Island in Antarctica in 1994.  Deception Island is directly south of the Falkland Islands in the narrow area between South America and Antarctica.  Where the wing attached to the fuselage there is grey hand-printed writing that appears to be: 3G9SAY.  Below the windows, also in grey printing are three lines of faded print.  The first line appears to be something like: ESTACION JERASSIEN.  The second line appears to be: BARDA HARE. And the third line appears to be: AGRVFACIAL PIORK.  But I stress that I'm doing a lot of guessing at these letters so interpret them loosely.  Thank you for your assistance in identifying this aircraft.


texts: What constitutes an "emergency" in flight procedures?

texts:
In reading through the more informal literature (Wikipedia, FAA PDFs, Av.SE), I often come across a caveat to standard flight rules and procedures: "unless an emergency exists". The intention is obvious; ATC is going to prioritize helping an aircraft that encounters a situation that simply cannot be ignored. However, most such resources don't go into specifics about what kind of situations constitute an "emergency". There are obvious emergency scenarios, like a "dead stick", and there are obvious non-emergencies like "I have to be on the ground by 5:00 to beat traffic home". Then there are grey areas like "I fought a headwind the whole way here, I'm low on gas and now my home field is IFR and won't grant me SVFR. I might make it to my alternate even further upwind that's clear, but I really think it's best to set down here even if I can't see the far end of the runway".

So, the questions:

What kinds of things constitute a genuine emergency, and what will get a pilot laughed at by ATC (or worse)? Where's the line?
Is ATC allowed to judge what is or is not an actual emergency, or must they prioritize any aircraft declaring one?
Does fault or blame matter at the time the emergency is declared? Will ATC de-prioritize a situation that is obviously the pilot's fault, like flying into the only cloud for 50 miles in any direction?
Is there anything you still can't do as PIC in an emergency situation? Apparently in an emergency you can do a lot of things that would get your license pulled in any other scenario, like violating separation minimums, entering airspace that's normally off-limits like R-zones and Class A space, running on instruments without a rating, etc. While these things are still dangerous, it is apparently the pilot's prerogative to resolve the emergency however he can. Is there anything a plane declaring an emergency still must do other than fly the plane, or conversely something he still cannot do like get too close to Air Force One?
After declaring an emergency in flight, what should be done after the plane's back on the ground (hopefully safely)?


texts:
Does anyone have an SRM (structural repair manual) or AMM (aircraft maintenance manual) available for the Airbus A310?

How is the wing attached to the fuselage?

What types of bolts are used?  Are they any special type (high-strength/titanium/etc.)?

Where can I find details on the A310's wing attachment points?


texts: Why do passenger jets accept input that will cause the aircraft to perform dangerous maneuvers it was not designed for?

texts:
Examples:

A bank angle > 45 degrees is considered an “upset,” putting the plane in a position that can lead to a loss of control.
A pitch > 20 degrees can possibly be dangerous and cause the aircraft to stall (depends on many factors or course).

These are just a few examples of limits that most passenger jets have. Now why is it that the plane actually accepts input that will cause the aircraft to go beyond these limits? What possibly use could “diving” straight towards the ground or towards the sky have? Or having a high bank angle that will almost certainly cause stalling and loss of control?


texts: Why do semitailless swept-winged aircraft, but not delta-winged aircraft, suffer from (primarily) pitch oscillations at high mach?

texts:
Semitailless1 swept-wing aircraft without active stability enhancement2 generally3 have extremely poor handling characteristics, most notably a tendency towards violent pitch oscillations at high subsonic mach numbers, and yaw and roll oscillations at mach numbers slightly beyond this.  As a result, while the swept-wing semitailless layout was briefly quite popular for transonic and supersonic aircraft in the late 1940s and early 1950s (witness, among others, the DH 108, X-4, and F7U), it was quickly abandoned, only making a comeback much (much) later, with the advent of computerised active-stability-enhancement systems.
In the meantime, supersonic aircraft near-universally switched over to delta-winged layouts, which worked just as well for supersonic flight and had none of the nasty quirks of semitailless-swept-winged layouts.  This despite the two layouts being extremely similar; indeed, a semitailless swept-wing aircraft can be seen as a delta-winged aircraft with part of the inboard trailing edge cropped out:

Why do two such similar layouts have such different handling characteristics?

1: Aircraft that do not have a separate horizontal tail, but do have a vertical tail.
2: A system where a computer constantly monitors what the aircraft is doing and continually makes tiny flight-control inputs to keep it doing what it's supposed to.
3: Although not always.


texts: Why does the aileron deflected upwards, thereby reducing lift, not also reduce drag on that side?


texts:
I just saw a plane overhead that was flying unusual low and it turns out it was a 737 MAX 8 that left from the Boeing factory in Renton.

https://fr24.com/BOE867/1fdcadbf

Are planes that are not yet operated by airlines exempt from being grounded?


texts: What is the freezing point of 100LL Avgas?

texts:
Does anyone knows the exact freezing point of Avgas (100LL) ?

I found that Jet A-1 freezes at −47 °C / −53 °F (wikipedia), but didn't manage to find any info on Avgas.


texts: What would happen if an airliner had too much fuel for its next flight?

texts:
There's an old saying that there's never too much fuel left in your tanks or too much altitude below you.

However, in terms of airline fuel planning, could there be a situation where an airliner would land with more fuel than is needed for its next flight, to the point that this extra fuel would be problematic?

Would this, or other circumstances, necessitate that fuel be removed from an airliner before a flight, for example due to a higher payload on the upcoming flight?


texts: What is the difference between Jet Wash and Jet Blast?

texts: I was reading about Wake Turbulence in Wikipedia and got to know about Jet Wash and Wing Vortex. According to Wikipedia, Jet Blast is the movement of air from the jet exhaust. Isn't this same as Jet Wash? What is the difference between the two?


texts: High performance endorsement in airplane modified by STC

texts:
I had trained for my complex and high-performance endorsements in an airplane that was certified with an engine that does not meet high-performance criteria but had been modified by STC such that it did meet criteria.

The logbook endorsement mentions the model of the airplane and that it had been modified such that the aircraft produced more than 200 horsepower. The question is do I need to actually track down the STC information just in case of a ramp check or when going for a more advanced pilot certificate?

Edit:

This question was posted due to a conversation with a flight instructor who had balked at the legality of the endorsement. His argument essentially went like this:

1) If you have an aircraft with a "200 HP" factory new engine, you put it on a dyno, it generates 205 HP. It's still a "200 HP" engine as per the FAA.

2) If you have an aircraft with a "200 HP" engine, you do a top-of-the-line overhaul, you put it on a dyno, it generates 205 HP. It's still a "200 HP" engine as per the FAA.

3) If you have an aircraft with a "200 HP" engine, you apply an STC that changes the cylinder and piston configuration to intentionally generate 205 HP, you put it on a dyno and it does make 205 HP, now because the intent of the STC being to generate more than 200 HP and the FAA approval via STC as a "more than 200 HP" engine the aircraft only at this point meets the high-performance criteria.

His argument was that in cases 1 and 2, since the engine was not "modified" with the specific intent to generate more than 200 HP you merely won the horsepower lottery but it's still certified as a 200 HP engine. He had questioned whether the STC was intended to bring the power output above 200 HP or if it was just an accidental byproduct and it was still therefore certified as a 200 HP engine.


texts: What effect does the angle of attack have on lift and drag?

texts:
In general, what effect does the angle of attack have on lift and drag?

I understand the the B-25 take-off run was normally in excess of 1500 ft, the exact value dependent upon load, density altitude, pilot skill, etc. The B25s used in the 1942 Tokyo Raid had to take off from the Hornet deck in about 500 ft. I've heard that with coaching from a USN pilot, they learned to optimize the AoA so all 16 made it. So I am interested to know more about the trade-off of lift vs. drag.


texts: How much thrust is lost due to the bleed air system?

texts:
I've read that bleeding air for the pneumatic system from the engine core can produce important losses in thrust, and also rising the fuel consumption too. Today this problem is worse, with the more uses of high-bypass turbofans engines, which have less air passing through the engine core.

How much engine thrust is lost due to bleed air?