texts: How far ahead does an airline know which aircraft you will be flying on?

texts:
My favorite features of the United Airlines app are:

you are able to see what specific aircraft will be operating your flight
you are able to trace that aircraft back indefinitely via the "Where is this aircraft coming from?" button

I noticed that each aircraft has a specific number aside from the aircraft model (e.g Boeing 737-900 #3815), that references which specific aircraft will be operating your flight.

My question is how far ahead does an airline plan which specific aircraft will be operating a flight?

I'm not asking if the airline knows that a B737 model will be operating a flight, but I'm asking more specifically how far ahead do they know which specific aircraft in the fleet will be operating a particular flight?

This question may be broad as I realize that it may differ between airlines. I'm just curious as I like to see where my flights have been and will go, I find this very interesting.


texts:
After seeing this question (and its answers):

Why did the Swiss International Air LX40 (a 777-300ER) emergency land at Iqaluit airport?

my interest in Iqaluit (and its airport) was piqued.  But, the satellite/aerial view in Google Maps shows the single runway at YFB (ICAO: CYFB) closed (big "X"s painted on the runway).  Refer to below screenshot (Google maps satellite view):

Best I can tell, this satellite imagery was taken recently ("Copyright © 2017...")

Is Iqaluit Airport closed?


texts: What happens when the velocity of the lower surface of the airfoil is lower than the velocity of the free stream?

texts: At a certain AOA I noticed that the speed of air in the lower surface of the airfoil is lower than the free stream's speed. What is the consequence of that?


texts: Was the Shuttle Orbiter in contact with air traffic control during its descent & landing?

texts: The Shuttle Orbiter crew were obviously in contact with ground control in Houston during their landing, but were they also in contact with any air traffic control, especially once they reached US airspace? Was US ATC involved in the landing in any way other than keeping other traffic out of their way?


texts: Is it recommended to have an ADS-B transponder in ALT mode on the ground?

texts:
Early on in training I was told that unless the airport specifically noted it on the chart, that the transponder was turned to ALT (altitude) mode just prior to taking the runway for take-off (lights, camera, action), and was changed back to SBY (standby) immediately after exiting the runway.

Recently we had a Garmin GTX-345 ADS-B transponder installed in our aircraft and as part of the ADS-B rebate program you need to do a check-out in "rule airspace". When I got the test report from the FAA I noticed that I passed the air portion but failed the ground portion due to an insufficient number of reports (messages) while on the ground. I retook the test making sure to put the transponder in ALT mode at the hangar and subsequently passed.

This leads me to believe that the transponder should be in ALT mode pretty much all the time. Is there any recommendations from the FAA that say that ADS-B transponders should be active while on the ground?

The GTX-345 Manual (2-1) has this to say:

  The transponder system no longer supports a pilot selectable GND mode. The
  transponder should always be in ALT mode prior to moving on the airport surface.
  It must be in ALT mode when operating in certain controlled airspace, in
  accordance with 14 CFR 91.215. For guidance on transponder operation, refer to
  the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), 4-1-20(a)(3)

(Emphasis mine)
Is this backed up by the FAA?


texts:
Walls in wind tunnel stop air leakage at outboard parts of airfoil,pressure distribution at center section is same as at outboard sections(if we neglect interferenece with walls).
-Does that mean that induced drag is zero?
BUT
Brilinat words from memeber @JanHudec:
"The infinite span has nothing at all to do with having no ends.
The ratio of lift to induced drag increases with span. If you fix the lift, and vary span, the induced drag will tend to zero as the span tends to infinity. That means in limit a wing of infinite span generating finite lift (and therefore flying at zero coefficient of lift!) will have zero induced drag."
That mean wall to wall airfoil is not theoretical 2d airfoil,so it has induced drag but smaller than 3d wing BUT REMBER FOR SAME LIFT.


texts: Headset for both plane and heli: buy for plane, use adapter for heli, or vice versa?

texts:
I fly both planes and helicopters and am about to buy a Bose A20. I'm wondering if I should get the helicopter version with a U-174 plug and a coiled cable, or the plane version with a dual plug and a straight cable. (In both cases of course I'd also get an adapter to go from one plug to the other.) Does someone have recommendations as to which way to go? E.g. is the coiled cable a hassle in the plane, or a feature? Is one of the two plug types better, or more impaired by the adapter?
Thanks!


texts: Why do the stabiliser trim wheels not move exactly in sync?

texts:
I've watched a few videos about the Boeing 737, and in particular because it's a bit of a current topic, about the stabiliser wheels in the cockpit.

On some of these videos, which are often in commercial flight simulators, we see the stabiliser wheels rotating backwards and forwards automatically. On the wheels there are white marks. However these white marks are often not synchronised and level with each other, for example this video, or this GIF below from here:

There are other videos where these marks are sometimes nearly 160 degrees out from each other. From my naive expectations, shouldn't these marks be within a a few degrees of each other to accurately represent that the stabilisers are at the same level?

Or, are stabilisers individually independent such that the left stabiliser may need a more acute angle of attack whereas the other may not?


texts: Could D.B. Cooper know where he was landing, when he parachuted?

texts:
The background story is a hijacking that happened 1971.

The hijacker, referred to as D.B. Cooper, jumped from a Boeing 727 using the aft airstair. He knew in what air corridor he was (Victor 23, heading south to Mexico from Seattle) and the time.  The mount St. Helens (8,365'), was about 10 miles north to him. Portland was 20 miles south. He had however zero visibility of the ground. It was nighttime and raining heavily. I suppose he would not see any lights from Ariel (WA), 10 miles north to his position, and which has a population of about 700 nowadays.

With what precision could D.B. Cooper know where he would fall?

There is another related question, but not a duplicate here: Would a 90 kg object jettisoned from an aircraft create a detectable movement?


texts: Is it common for panels on a plane's body to not be perfectly aligned?

texts:
I was recently on a RyanAir flight. As far as I know, they use Boeing 737.

When boarding, I noticed a that one of the panels' edge, roughly where the head / chest part of the logo is, was sticking out maybe 4-5 mm compared to the edges of the neighboring panels.

This wasn't something new because the paint above was in perfect shape.

Is it common for panels on a plane's body to not be perfectly aligned like this? I never noticed this on any other plane I boarded.

The best illustration I could find is a bathroom tile picture:

The skin on the right of the door looked exactly this: one panel had one side not flush with the others and intact paint on top of the whole thing.


texts: Why is there a strip of uncontrolled airspace between Russia and Norway?

texts:
The airspace between Russia and Norway over the Barents Sea is an uncontrolled air space; no FIR is set.

Illustration taken from this document.

This area is like a corridor from the Scandinavian peninsula to the North Pole. It only requires several minutes by a heavy airliner to pass east-west.

Why is this relatively small area not controlled?


texts:
Let's say an F-104 Starfighter is flying at sea level at 600 KIAS with throttle at 100% RPM.
Then, let's say the F-104 is still flying at sea level, but the pilot reduces throttle and airspeed falls to 250 KIAS. The pilot then pushes the throttle to 100% RPM and starts accelerating.
My question is, at 100% RPM, will fuel consumption be greater at 250 KIAS and less at 600 KIAS?
Does airspeed impact fuel consumption? The higher the airspeed, the less fuel consumption, and the lower the airspeed the greater the fuel consumption?
note: I added this chart after I made this post:


texts:
As I asked question about weather minimums yesterday, I've read some material including TERPs. And In the FAA 8260.3b, 'Taking and Landing Minimims' 3.1 there is one sentence "alternate minimims, when specified, must be stated as ceiling and visibility."

But I don't know What alternate minimums exactly means because I am not native English speaker. I have used English dictionary to find exact meaning but failed.

What is the difference between approach minimums and alternate minimums?


texts: Does anyone have free plans for a ultralight?

texts: I am looking for free ultralight plans for a beginner. I have been wanting to fly but I don’t want to spend thousands on a license so ultralight is the next best thing.


texts: MD81: Why are there so many lights on the fuselage?

texts:
Looking at this photo I can see lots of lights on the fuselage of this MD81. It can't be a reflection, can it?

Source: Airliners.net

Why are there so many lights?


texts: What do all the indicators on a HUD mean?

texts:
Every Jet Fighter these days seems to have a Head Up Display.  What do all of these indicators mean?

Some things are fairly obvious:

there is a compass
there is an artificial horizon

Other things are less obvious, i.e. what is this _ / \ / \ _ ?


texts: Why do some Turbofan engines have multi-stage fans?

texts:
I was wondering why some turbofan engine have multi-stage fans.
e.g. F-119 engine:

F100

Saturn AL-31


texts: How do you determine whether you can us LNAV/VNAV minima on an RNAV approach?

texts:
If we look at this approach plate it has

LPV DA
LNAV / VNAV DA
LNAV MDA
CIRCLING

I understand that if you have WAAS you can shoot the approach to LPV DA minimums. If you have only a GPS with a DME providing lateral navigation you can shoot the LNAV MDA. If you are more than 30 degrees off centerline you shoot the circling. So my question is, how can you shoot the LNAV / VNAV DA on a non-precision GPS approach? Does this require a special GPS that has vertical guidance?


texts: At what altitude did Concorde go supersonic?

texts: At what point during flight would Concorde go supersonic? Would it climb to cruising altitude first? Does altitude affect the transsonic difficulties (buffet, need for extra thrust, etc.)?


texts: Why are delta wings not commonly used in commercial airliners?

texts:
Delta wings are most commonly seen on military aircraft. I understand that delta wings are ideal for supersonic flight, and provide high maneuverability.

Having high maneuverability and speed are good characteristics for commercial airliners. But, most of the commercial airliners do not use delta wings (Except for Concorde and Tu-144).

Are there any specific reasons for this?
Are there any regulations that prevent using delta wings in commercial airliners?
Does it cost more in maintenance?


texts: How does the angle of attack vary in turns?

texts: I read somewhere that when the aircraft banks to turn, its angle of attack increases.Since angle of attack is the angle between the relative wind and chord line, how does turning increase it? Is it because the relative wind is now from different direction or is it because the wing that goes higher meets the air at a higher angle?


texts: How does pregnancy affect airline pilots operating under FAA regulations?

texts: Female airline pilots have an area of medical concern that male pilots don't deal with: reproductive issues. If a female airline pilot operating at an air carrier in the United States of America under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were to become pregnant, how would this affect her standing with a first class medical and in general with operations at most airlines?


texts: Can a Eurofighter 2000 trainer be converted to a combat capable Eurofighter 2000?

texts:
It surprises me to see that in some aircraft inventory listings, a rather considerable percentage of combat aircraft are "trainer" versions.

E.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Air_Force#Current_inventory

For Spain, it is claimed they have 56 Eurofighter 2000, and 12 trainers. Somewhat similar numbers apply to their F-18 variants regarding combat aircraft and trainer aircraft.

I'm curious what the difference is between these Eurofighter 2000 combat vs. trainer aircraft. In particular, how much effort is it to make a trainer EF2000 combat ready? Perhaps they actually are combat ready? Surely there are some differences though, such as having two seats? What else?


texts: Does air traffic control identify a distress situation when an aircraft flies triangles in the sky?

texts:
There is an account in a TSB Canada investigation report after a loss of radio and transponder:

The emergency procedure to be followed by a pilot to alert radar
stations when in distress and unable to establish radio contact is to
fly a left-hand triangular pattern twice with two-minute legs, resume
course and repeat the procedure at 20-minute intervals.

After the loss of radio, the transponder was switched to 7600 (signal not picked up by ATC). Shortly thereafter, the aircraft experienced a complete loss of electrical power. The pilot did the triangular maneuver.
This story took place in 1998: Is this signal still used today? and has the same meaning in all ICAO countries?


texts: Why do pilots announce the cruising altitude of a flight?

texts: At some early stage in the flight, why will commercial pilots announce the cruising altitude of the flight?


texts: Why does this analysis show very high stress in a propeller?

texts:
I have been trying to evaluate the stress on aluminium propeller:

Diameter: 78", 2600RPM

Have fed load numbers from here, applied distributed mass model onto the blades.

Static Thrust (2600 rpm):
MT 2-blade, 83" composite, 920 pounds
MT 3-blade, 80" composite, 900 pounds
McCauley 2-blade, 82" aluminium, 860 pounds
McCauley 3-blade, 78" aluminium, 825 pounds

The results are rather scary - 30 MPa out of 55 max, for 6061 class Aluminium (the visual deformation is increased 20x for better representation),
resulting in +-1cm vertical bending.

Is this normal?

Is there any info on industry's practice for safety margin (numbers show its less that 50%)? Or any kind of test procedures applicable to manufacturers?

The shear stresses are negligible - 150 Pa out of 150 MPa

The two propeller case is really scary looking
Below is a distributed mass (375Kg) - 80% of Max. yield stress

And centrifugal force - over-stressed by 200%:

Finally, a combined non-Linear analysis (incl. torque) - over-stressed by 250%:
(notice that everything not in blue will bend and likely crack, with only the blade tips surviving the torture)


texts: Why do airfoils in an airplane's wings have different shape and size along its span?

texts: Why wings of an airplane consist of different shape and size of airfoil. What will happen if the thickness of wing are same throughout the wing?


texts: Are the nearby airplanes cleared of the sky when launching Falcon Heavy?

texts: I was checking Flightradar24 when launch occurred and didn't see any difference. Also, 3 boosters landed back successfully. I assume the sky has to be clear of airplanes to avoid any potential collision?


texts: Why does the A-4 Skyhawk sit nose-up when on ground?

texts:
The rear of the plane is nearer to the ground, while the front part of the plane is away from the ground (see image below).

Other planes are more flat.

I think it was for high AoA but these planes are carrier operated so I don't think there is much sense for that.

(wikimedia.org)


texts: Why the need to use right rudder during stall recovery?

texts:
Can someone elaborate on why the right rudder is needed during stall recovery for a small single engined training plane like cessna C152 or C172?

Some possible answers are:
A. When recovering from a stall, you need to add power. The increased power induces a torque in the opposite direction.

My problem with this answer is that torque will result in roll and usually ailerons are used to control the roll. Why rudder in this case?

B. This could be to counteract the P-Factor

Since the airplane is pitched down, the ascending blade on the left side will have a higher angle of attack and will produce more thrust, resulting in a yaw to the right. This should need left rudder and not right?

C. This is a variation of A. Since torque induces roll and yaw is a byproduct of roll, you need to apply right rudder. However, in this case we are not using ailerons, so there is no additional drag which will result in a yaw.

Since this question is causing confusion I am adding steps to reproduce the stall and stall recovery and the point at which rudder control is required. See answer from abelenky below which I think is the correct answer.

Step 1: Get to 3000ft, perform clearing turns etc
Step 2: Add Carb heat, Reduce power to 1700RPM, Add flaps and slowly start descending at 55-60KIAS as if you are really planning to land.
Step 3: Idle the power and increase AOA until the plane stalls
Step 4: As the plane stalls, the nose falls, remove back pressure from the yoke and allow the nose to fall

At this point of time you have successfully stalled the plane

Step 5: Remove Carb Heat, Add full power, set flaps to 20 Deg, apply right rudder
Step 6: As the plane recovers and regains airspeed, remove flaps above 60KIAS
Step 7: Gradually return to 3000ft and resume or retry if you want to.

The question is related to Step 5.


texts: Can a GPS signal sent to a plane be spoofed?

texts:
Related to What effect would an air-to-air GPS jamming system have?, I'm wondering whether it is possible for a terrorist (or likewise, law enforcement) to manipulate GPS signals received by a jet, re-routing it elsewhere?

I gather this would be far from a simple task, but how feasible is it?

Let's assume that this is in uncontrolled airspace, so atc can't spot the change in flight path.


texts: Solutions to improve the aerodynamic behavior of a UAV

texts:
So I'm working at a project of a UAV with the follow characteristics:

Rectangular planform
Conventional tail
The fuselage is just a metal/aluminum rod

So we need to improve its aerodynamic behavior/perfomance.
I thought about: Winglets, big AR, a tapered planform or an elliptical one for reduced induced drag, maybe flaps/slats. I cant think anything about the tail actually.

The UAV is similar to the one in the picture. (The tail and wings)


texts: In Airbus flight control laws what does it mean that "control sensitivity depends on airspeed"?

texts:
Direct Flight Law:

What does the following characteristics exactly mean regarding sidestick input at a very low airspeed (let us assume near stall speed).

'control sensitivity depends on airspeed'

Btw. is direct flight law only achievable with gear down and both FACs off?


texts: How are off-wing jet engines transported?

texts:
One of the optional services in Rolls-Royce TotalCare is "Engine Transportation"

  This service includes routine transportation of engines between the customer’s main base (or designated station) and the engine shop, and/or remote site transportation.

Jet engines can be very large heavy and expensive items. How are they transported? Are they flown or do they use road transport? Are there dedicated vehicles?


texts: How is pitch controlled in a flying wing?

texts: How do delta wing or flying wing aircraft maintain their pitch attitude in the absence of an elevator? I understand that the ailerons on the wings do control the banking/roll, but they are differential in nature. Then how can they help in pitch control? For pitch control, both control surfaces need to deflect in the same direction.


texts: How are bids packages and awards generated?

texts: There probably is no short answer for this. Crews out there, how do you bid and how are you rewarded? Are you always satisfied with your lines? Can someone also explain in brief from a system point of view, if you happen to be a crewscheduler. Thanks


texts: Why is the available power in propeller engine is almost constant for every velocity?

texts: I surfed on the internet for an answer but I didn't find any. I'm taking Aircraft Performance course. I saw that available power for propeller engine is almost constant for every velocity.  But I don't know why...


texts: For length in aircraft design, and in weight and balance manuals, what measurement unit does Airbus use?

texts:
What length measurement unit does Airbus use for aircraft design and in their weight and balance manuals? Meters or centimeters?

Possibly they use both like Boeing does for, say, feet plus inches for overall length and wingspan but just inches for a position along the longitudinal axis for crew, pax, and cargo locations? For example 1821.0 inches for the lower hold aftmost ULD position on a 747.


texts: Please identify this twin-engine airliner

texts: Could someone please identify this aircraft for me.


texts: Should I hold my breath in case of a decompression?

texts:
If I'm, for example, in the lavatory where there are no oxygen masks, would it be advisable to hold your breath until you can reach an oxygen mask, or until the pilot brings the aircraft down to an altitude where we can breath again?

Is it even physically possible to hold your breath after a  decompression accident?


texts: What are these small jets and large propeller aircraft flying in formation?

texts: I came across the photo below on flightaware.com. The image was taken by someone with, I think, an Ukrainian name: Arkadiusz Cieslak. They piqued my interest as they do not appear to have insignia except for the "B" (cyrillic?) on the tail of the transport plane and a design on the fighters. Any ideas? I'm just curious.


texts: What aerodynamic implications would a fictional two-pronged fuselage have?

texts:
Often I see some fictional futuristic aircraft with a two-pronged fuselage, as if they were absurdly oversized canards.

Is there any remote possibility for an aircraft to benefit from such a design?

What would the implications of it be in an actual aircraft?

picture merely demonstrative

Image source: Vic Viper, You are Cleared for Take-Off—kotaku.com

  EDIT: Just to clarify things up a little, since I kind of came out of nowhere asking this weirdness.
  These forked-wing designs is notoriously an aesthetic artifact, my intention is to design a handful of fictional aircraft for a hard-sci-fi novel. I find this design very beautiful but it just screams out impracticity, since I don't like the idea of designing something that wouldn't even take off, i'm after thoughts from specialists and enthusiasts about such design, to seek for any feasible excuses to use it, if it does not gives any positive point except for looking nice, i may just scrap it and get going with more rational designs.


texts:
Hoping someone can help me in understand who is who when using a aviation radio. eg: "Delta Delta, Tac"
I understand some of them but am still quite unsure as to who is a sierra, whiskey, alpha etc. hoping someone can help a newbie out


texts: What is the required accuracy of an airspeed indicator?

texts: What FAA document specifies the accuracy to which an airspeed indicator must be calibrated to?


texts: At what angle-of-attack (sideslip angle) would a symmetric vertical fin plus a deflected rudder have a lift coefficient of exactly zero?

texts:
For rudder deflection angles of 5, 10, 20, 30, and 45 degrees, at what (negative) angle-of-attack does a fin-rudder combination (including dorsal fin if present) have a lift coefficient of exactly zero?

For the purpose of this question, define angle-of-attack in relation to the chord line of the fin alone, not including the deflected rudder.  If we ignore things like spiral slipstream, deflection of airflow around cabin, etc, it would be the same as the sideslip angle.

Loosely speaking, at this angle-of-attack we could say the force from the deflected rudder is being  exactly cancelled by the force from the fin, though in reality each influences the airflow around the other and the fin-rudder combination acts as a single unit.

To allow for a definitive answer, I'll specify to use the fin (including dorsal fin) and rudder from current -production Cessna 172 S, but feel to post an answer addressing the fin and rudder from any other aircraft.

Note that an aircraft could never sustain a sideslip angle that caused the fin plus deflected rudder to have a lift coefficient of zero, unless some other yaw torque due to something like asymmetric thrust or extreme adverse yaw from deflected ailerons was acting to maintain the slip angle.

Approximations are fine-- obviously an exact answer would involve a complicated computer modelliing project, or actual wind tunnel experiments.  My hope is that existing information relating to the lift curves of symmetrical airfoils with deployed flaps may be adapted to give an approximation of an answer to this question.


texts: How to know which data came from Mode S and which came from ADS-B (FIS-B)?

texts:
I'm dealing with recorded ADS-B data as a part of my thesis (programming-oriented).

I have a table of ADS-B communication of an aircraft (image below) - I know, that some of these recorded data in the table come from Mode S and some from ADS-B system itself. I need to know which of these data (GPS coordinates, heading, TAS, Mach and meteo data) come from the Mode S and which come from ADS-B (or FIS-B).

I'm unable to find any source, that would distinguish between data sources of these data.


texts: Why is aircraft marshalling still necessary?

texts: I've seen in a documentary that many airports have people guiding the airplanes to the parking spots (marshals). I've also noticed that the key point is to reach a precise spot on which the nose landing gear has to be placed. Couldn't that be solved with a camera installed on the landing gear itself so the pilots can check whether they go along the lines and finally reach the precise spot?


texts: Where can I find glide ratios for commercial aircraft?

texts:
I know that light aircraft have poor glide ratios (typically 1:10) compared to commercial aircraft (typically 1:20 or above). I was wondering if there is a source where one can find the glide ratio by aircraft type.

I am particularly interested in the BA146 / RJ85 following the LaMia crash in Colombia.


texts: Why are smaller wings in the front with these VTOL aircraft?

texts:
I would think it would be better to put the larger wings under the front or middle closer the the payload/center and have the smaller wings in the tail? Why would these designs do the opposite?

With the first (DAPRA's X-plane) you can see the weight is going to be put properly under the bigger wings but I also wonder: why have it fly with the smaller wings infront?
If a teardrop shape is the most aerodynamic then the big wings should be in the front. Also it looks like a having the smaller wings in the back would increase stability in flight.


texts: Where does my pee go when I flush at 35,000 ft?

texts:
One thing I guess a lot of people wonder is: what happens you flush the toilet in an aeroplane?

Does it fall out the belly of the plane and disintegrate? :)

A kiwi woman complains that "aeroplanes are taking a s**t on her driveway", beneath the flight path. Is there any way this might actually happen?


texts: Would a tumbleweed sucked into a jet engine on takeoff cause a serious problem?

texts:
I saw tumbleweeds going across flight path in El Paso, TX and it made me wonder, especially after seeing what birds can do.

Would a tumbleweed ingested by a jet engine on takeoff cause serious problems?


texts: What are the forces acting on the doors of the main landing gear?

texts: When opening and closing the landing gear doors, what forces act upon them and how much power would the actuators need to exert upon the doors to open/close them mid-flight (assuming the landing gear cavity is not pressurised)? I haven't found anything on the actual doors in my research, only the landing gear itself, so I would appreciate some sources if you can provide them.


texts: How much torque can a Boeing 747 apply when pitching?

texts: I know this is a weird way of thinking about / quantifying this, but I'm trying to figure out how much torque a 747 can apply to itself when it pitches upwards (turning about an axis from wing to wing, with the nose moving upwards). I figure it's equal to the lift times the distance between where lift is applied to the wings and the axis of rotation, but I haven't been able to find this data.


texts: Can the assumed temperature be lower than the flat rated temperature?

texts:
I was playing with reduced takeoff thrust in a Boeing 737-800 simulator yesterday and was surprised that I could enter assumed temperatures below the flat rated temperature of the engines. The permissible range was from OAT up to 70°C.
The FCOM (11.40.58 - Flight Management, Navigation - FMC Preflight) says:

Selected Temperature (SEL)
Entry of an assumed temperature calculates a reduced thrust takeoff N1.
Entry can be made in degrees C or degrees F.
Maximum allowable entry is 70 degrees C (158 degrees F). The FMC, however,
will limit the N1 to 25% takeoff reduction.

The lower limit is never mentioned. But according to the following chart, the flat rated temperature of a CFM56 engine is 30°C for TO thrust:

(source)
I would expect the thrust to be constant for all assumed temperatures below 30°C, but I saw a reduction in the Takeoff N1 field of the FMC when increasing the temperature in this range:

The blue points are what the simulator tells me at a sea level airport in ISA conditions, the red model is calculated with
$$ N1(T) = N1_\mathrm{max} \times \sqrt{\frac{T_0}{T}} $$
where $ T_0 = 288.15 \, \mathrm{K} $ is the OAT (15°C).
Is this a bug in the simulator? Or can the assumed temperature actually be lower?

Related:

What is the difference between Assumed Temperature and Derate takeoff thrust?
What is a flat rated engine?


texts: Are certain NOPAC routes reserved for military use?

texts: Are any Northern Pacific (NOPAC) routes reserved for military use?


texts: What's this stick-like thing on the glass of C-130J?

texts:
Just was watching this video:
C-130J Shadow Formation Landing
You can see this stick-like thing on the glass of the aircraft.

What's it? a sensor?


texts: What is the acceptable position of the brake wear indication for A320?

texts: What is the acceptable position of the brake wear indication (PIN) for an A320 to be safely dispatchable?


texts: What are these hooks on the A320's wing used for?

texts:
I was flying on an A320 (equipped with sharklets) the other day, and I found these hooks on the wing's surface:

Note that the single hooked attachment is outside the wing's "DO NOT WALK OUTSIDE THIS AREA" line. What are these hooks used for? Why is the single hooked attachment outside the "safe" walking area line?


texts: What is the best way to retrieve (and transmit) location (GPS) of plane in real time?

texts:
What are some of the best ways to retrieve and transmit the location of a plane I am in, real time.

To speak in realistic terms, I'm currently training for my private pilot's license and as such am spending a lot of time in various planes I do not own / have decision powers over. How could I share my current location with someone in a remote location while in the air without physically modifying the aircraft.

There are a couple of ideas that have come to mind, but my understand of the solutions or challenges are not complete:

There are websites like flightradar24.com, but the aircraft I'm in often don't show up. That being said, a flight I took yesterday DID show up, but was not terribly accurate. Perhaps that is because I filed a flight plan and / or used flight following (which would put me on the radar tied to my tail number).
I could use a simple app like "Find my Friends" on the iPhone. I realize this is crude, but it could work. That being said, I don't know how well cell phones transmit above the ground.
Some other portable device. That device would need to transmit real time in some way and there would need to be some way to look up that transmission.

Any information on this would be appreciated!

UPDATE:
I'm talking about general aviation here. Speeds <= 120 kts altitude typically <=  5,500


texts: What were the common crew ranks on WWII US Navy flying boats and bombers?

texts:
I have been trying to figure this out for some time, but have not had much luck elsewhere. I have found info on USAAF bombers, and what ranks the crewmembers often had, but nothing for larger navy aircraft.
I know Pan-Am's Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat was operated by the US Navy for some time during WWII, but I don't know if the USN operated any heavy bombers or other large aircraft. If they did, what would the ranks of the crew (pilot/plane commander, co-pilot, flight engineer, bombardier, radioman, navigator, gunners, etc.) be?
Thanks in advance for any help.


texts: Why is a control surface that allows two sides of airflow better than those that allow one?

texts: For example, ailerons allow air to flow past both the top and bottom surfaces, which makes it more aerodynamic than speedbrakes. Also, plane rudders have air flowing on both sides, which is apparently mote efficient than a spoiler. Why does this happen?


texts: Why do these safety instructions have a ruler on them?

texts:
I was on a Wizz Air flight the other day and the safety instructions leaflet had a CM ruler running down the side of it.

What is the purpose of this?


texts: How to get the fuel on board reading on UVdatalink via Honeywell ACARS system?

texts:
I would like to find out if anyone has encountered the following issue and how was it rectified.
We are currently seeing the following results on UVdatalink for some of our aircraft that have Honeywell ACARS units installed.

We would like to see the following message which we get from Rockwell ACARS units.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.


texts: I'm working on a research project regarding the Bell XS-1, which used the NACA 65-110 airfoil. I haven't been able to find any data on this airfoil, and I'm wondering if anyone knows where I could?


texts: Why do propellers have less theoretical range (i.e. range ignoring impatient passengers wanting to go fast) than jets, despite greater efficiency?

texts:
I was playing around with the breguet range equation recently, and came across a suprising result, that propellers have less range than jets, despite having greater efficiency.

The range equation for a prop is:

R = 550 * np * ((L/D)/(C / 3600)) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

where C is the SFC, in lb/(hp * s), and R is the range, in feet. Note that the 550 here coincidentally is the same as the speed in the next calculation, but the 550 here is actually a conversion factor from hp to lb-f/s

According to wikipedia, the most efficient turboprop engine is the NK-12, used on the Tu-95 bomber (and Tu-114 airliner), and that engine gets a SFC of 0.36 lb/(hp*h). Assume a propeller efficiency of 0.8, which is typical.

R = 550 * 0.8 * ((L/D)/(0.36 / 3600)) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

R = 550 * 0.8 * ((L/D)/0.0001) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

R = 550 * 0.8 * ((L/D)/0.0001) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

R = 4400000 * (L/D) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

For jets:

R = (V / (C/3600)) * (L/D) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

a SFC of 0.5 lb/(lbf*s) in cruise is considered pretty good for jets, and let's assume a 550 mph cruise speed (or 806.667 ft/s). Range is now:

R = (806.667 / (0.5/3600)) * (L/D) * ln(Wi / Wi+51)

R = 5808002.4 * (L/D) * ln(Wi / Wi+1)

The range expressions for jets and props is identical, except for the coefficient, and 5808002.4 is greater than 4400000, so therefore, jets have better range, even on paper, than props, assuming same L/D ratio and fuel ratio. This is kinda suprising, given that props are quoted to have higher efficiency than jets. I've heard people say props have less range, but I've always heard it backed up with the evidence that "props are slow, and people like to go fast". Are my calculations and data correct? If they're correct, why, intuitively, do props end up having less range?

Clarification: user3528438 has pointed out that some turboprop engines provide both a power specific fuel consumption number, as well as thrust specific. However, if you plug the thrust specific fuel consumption number for that turboprop into the jet range equation (essentially treating the prop as a jet), the resulting range is very different than the range you'll get if you plug the power specific fuel consumption number into the propeller equation -- so which one is right? I doubt my formula for propeller range is wrong (though I might be using it wrong - could someone please check) because the same formula (but without the conversion factor, because they're using metric) is found here - https://nptel.ac.in/content/storage2/courses/101104007/Module2/Lec8.pdf.

I also have my derivation of the formula on hand too, if anyone wants to check that.


texts: How can I find examples of airports with specific approach types?

texts:
Can you guys help me find airports with these approaches:

An airport with only an LNAV mins (so no LNAV/VNAV or anything other than just LNAV)
One with an LPV lower than 200 feet
One with an ASR approach. And what is an ASR approach?


texts: I've been struggling to find specifications for the CF-100 Canuck. What is the CLmax of the CF-100 Canuck and how can I find it?


texts: How is airspeed measured on supersonic aircraft?

texts: Behind the shock wave air is subsonic, would that not cause an issue with the pitot tubes or any other sensor?


texts: Can two airports have a different ICAO code but share the same IATA code?

texts:
I am searching some airports databases and I find some airports with the same IATA code with different ICAO codes. Is it mistake in the database? Is it OK?

For example:

Beaufort MCAS - Merritt Field (ICAO KNBC IATA BFT)
Beaufort County Airport       (ICAO KARW IATA BFT)

Edit: Another example;

Paamiut Airport    (ICAO BGPT IATA JFR )
Paamiut Heliport   (ICAO BGFH IATA JFR )

Another example with 40 km between them:

Desierto de Atacama (IATA: CPO – ICAO: SCAT)
Chamonate           (IATA: CPO – ICAO: SCHA)


texts: Being told to monitor a frequency, when are you allowed to transmit on that frequency?

texts: Changing frequency, how long do you have to wait before you are allowed to transmit if you have been told to monitor the frequency. Is there a specific time limit? In what aviation manual can the answer be found?


texts: How different is ADFX/ARINC 664 router from normal Router?

texts:
ADFX or ARINC 664 is a protocol that is derived from the Ethernet protocol. What I understand it is

Point to Point (no routing of data)
Deterministic
used VLAN for addressing

I just wonder do we have to get specialised router that cater to ADFX? Can the conventional ethernet router/switch(for eg used in home, office) be used instead?
Regards
EDIT: Sorry based on answer below given, I would like to edit my question to being instead of routers to switch


texts: Is there such a a thing as a single European pilot's license?

texts:
The pilot licensing process in Europe seems to be rather, well, complex... I've heard of JAA, JAR-FCL and now apparently EASA licenses, although EASA's website says otherwise:

  the Agency is not authorised to issue pilot licences and therefore
  there will not be any EASA pilot licence in the future

And on top of that, individual countries can issue their own licenses (or at least ratings) that may not be valid in other countries.

So is there any such thing as a single European (EASA) pilot's license? What I mean by that is a single license that allows a pilot to operate any European registered aircraft in any European country, e.g a UK pilot flying an F-registered (French) aircraft in Germany?

There's some overlap with this question, but the answers there don't cover the practical use of a single pilot's license throughout Europe in the way I described.

EDIT: to clarify some comments, by "Europe" I mean EASA member states (let's keep it simple); and I'm asking about pilot licensing in general regardless of the type of flying. If there's any difference in where private/commercial/ATP license holders are allowed to operate in Europe that would be interesting to know.


texts: What are these small engine inlets on the Super Hornet?

texts:
Does anyone know what these two small variable inlets on top of the engines are used for on the Super Hornet?

Source: navy.mil; cropped


texts: How is the drift corrected in INS-driven attitude/heading indicators?

texts:
(wikimedia.org) EFIS instruments during a test flight.

How is the drift (accumulated error) nullified in INS-driven attitude/heading indicators?

The related post 'How are attitude indicators kept accurate?' does not cover the INS-driven flight instruments, whether electro-mechanical or pure-EFIS installations. In a purely mechanical system one of the solutions is the ingenious 'pendulous vanes' as the other post shows.

While there are two major types of INS systems, the strap-down and the stabilized platform, I don't know if the drift correction is the same (computational?) or different.

I'm asking out of curiosity and thus I'm looking for a simple (as opposed to inner workings) answer. For example, if computational, what inputs/sensors are used to correct for an unknown amount of drift? If mechanical, what is the equivalent to the 'pendulous vanes' when it comes to INS installations?

I've tried searching for an answer, but I keep arriving at very recent [and very technical] innovations/papers, and not the core principle.

Update:

I found this blog post, which is not about aircraft-grade INS systems, but if I understand it correctly, sensor fusion makes such instruments not prone to long-period drift. Is the same principle used in the INS-driven flight instruments?


texts:
Slotted flap is an improved version of the plain flap, generating more lift (a fact I don't challenge). However the principle is air passing between the wing and the flap.

Source

This seems counterproductive as this airstream could also prevent the upper stream to follow the airfoils shape, and lead to air being less rotated downward than with a plain flap.

How does the slotted flap happen to be superior?


texts: Why are planes slower at higher altitudes?

texts: On many flight simulators, I have noticed that planes tends to get slower with increasing altitude. For example, I can reach 1100 knots just above the sea level in Google Earth flight simulator(F16), but only about 400 knots at 11km with the same plane.


texts: Was this a near collision or a normal procedure?

texts:
I flew on a plane from UK to Spain a couple of days ago (FR7542, 15/01/19 16:30) and in the middle of the flight I could see another plane (a private jet much smaller) just flying underneath us.
From my point of view it was excessively close. And given that I came across recently an article in the news saying that two planes of the company I was flying with flew a hundred meters close to another aircraft of the same company. I was a bit worried for that. Just wanted to share this here and hopefully get some explanations.


texts: Why are general aviation planes so expensive?

texts:
My question simply is why are GA planes so expensive?

I can understand that an airliner is an incredible money sink simple because of the size, complexity, development cost and especially the certification process.

But I do not completely understand why GA planes are so expensive,
because:

most GA planes are not luxurious
they have considerably less features than modern cars
there shouldn't be a lot of development cost to cover because a lot of GA plane designs are quite old and "simple"

Possible reasons I can see are:

there are no cheap regulations/certifications for privately used
planes
the overall production amount is not enough to profit from the
economy of scale

Further clarification:

I'm interested in the reasons for purchase and operating cost.
To narrow down the scope of the question I mean planes in the class
of a Cessna 172
location of interest is Europe/Germany but a more general answer would be appreciated to give the question/answer more weight


texts:
When a plane has equipment failure, or any number of other issues, they may declare an emergency. Quite often, one result of that is that the fire and/or rescue vehicles at the airport will be dispatched to inspect for fire/hot brakes, perform emergency services, or other things for that plane.

Who covers the cost of that? The airline? The airport authority?

(Note, I am primarily interested in North American answers, but any will suffice)


texts: Is it possible to become a commercial pilot if one suffered from depression in the past?

texts:
I am 33, from Canada, and am trying to become a commercial pilot. I secured some funding and signed up for a college program...Then I came across a few articles detailing how past mental health issues can bar you from being applicable to fly commercially. My question is; If I have had a period of depression in my past, is it an absolute, that I will not be able to pass my medical evaluation test? Is there a time component element to it?...ie..If a person has not shown signs of mental illness for a certain duration of time, can they pass the aviation medical?
Also, I have not been prescribed or taken any mood altering medication in over 3 years.

Cheers


texts: What is the formula for the bank angle required for a turn in line-abreast formation?

texts:
Imagine we have a line-abreast formation of aircraft, with differing airspeeds, turning around a central pivot point, like points on the radius of a phonograph record, with an equal amount time per 360 degrees of turn for each aircraft.  What is the formula for the bank angle required of each aircraft, in terms of the variables 1) turn radius and 2) time period per 360 degrees of turn?

Note that essentially the same situation applies when a slow-flying glider-- maybe even a hang glider-- and a faster, heavier glider are thermalling together and trying to stay exactly opposite each other.  Again the turn rate must be the same for each, but the turn radius is not, and the required bank angle for each might be different.  Clearly, the difference in turn radius is much more significant in this case, than in the case of high-speed aircraft turning in tight formation.


texts:
I was reading this page about Eurocontrol and flight plans. The author refers several times to a "local handler" who apparently assists in dealing with ATC.

What is a handler, who do they work for and what do they do?


texts: Where can I find a list of past flights at LHR?

texts:
I am doing a project based on some data recorded from London Heathrow during October 2012, to quality control the data I need to know when aircraft flew past the detectors.

Are there any online databases of when flights took off and landed at Heathrow during this period?

If the data contains which runway the aircraft landed on that would also be desirable,

Thanks for the help


texts: What is the best design to stack wings of a triplane?

texts:
I would like to design an ultralight airplane, which probably the total mass will be around 400kg. The speed should not exceed 200km/h. Forget about what the engine I will use. I intend it can land and take off in a small road and/or in a common road, which the road line not more than 2.5m each direction. If I have to occupy both direction, mean the road width is just around 5m, plus small space beside the road in both side. Beside the road, normally many electrical poles. So, not many space available.

To tackle the situation, I need to change wings design without reduce the wing area (A in m2). Was discussed earlier here some of the triplanes that were used during the WWII. If they were used during the war, that mean that such design was safe enough. But, I have a bit confusion regarding how to place the wings' stack? Here are the three options design.

The wings stack are lean to the tail.
The wings are stacked exactly over another.
The wings are lean to the nose.

Another thing. We know that the closer wing to the ground will produce what is called earth deflection (CMIIW about the terminology) during take off. That will make the plane requires longer time to take off. In my opinion, the same effect will occur if we stack the wings too closed one to another, especially if the wings are stacked lean to the nose, the deflection will hit the lower trailing edge if there is no enough space. So what is the best design in this case? And what is the best space?


texts:
I've noticed that there are very few airports that serve MOGAS. If I wanted to start a flying club with a MOGAS powered airplane, but there wasn't an FBO nearby that served MOGAS how would I go about it?

Is it worth it to an FBO to offer MOGAS?
Should I have the FC members supply their own gas with a couple of personal fuel stations like the one pictured below? (anyone have any experience with this method?)

Update: Tried to reword questions to make it less business & more "how-to".


texts: Drones photography and ground control regulation

texts:
I have been having a conversation at the office about whether to use ground control when using drones/UAVs to capture aerial images. The ground control that I am referring too is any permanent survey markers, or Real Time kinematic systems that would aid in improving the spatial accuracy of the data captured. I would imagine that the level of ground control you would use, would depend on the accuracy that you were trying to achieve. I am not sure if this is an aviation question or more GIS related due to using surveying techniques.

Would anyone know if there are any fixed regulation for the use of ground control within Australia?


texts: Do any aircraft systems give spoken warnings in a language other than English?

texts:
Since pilots are permitted to communicate in their own language to eachother in the cockpit, and to ATC in their own country, it stands to reason that some warning systems like TCAS or TAWS/EGPWS might say "te laag, terrein!"

I've seen some Russian planes with everything written in Russian in the cockpit:

Do any aircraft have systems that give spoken warnings or callouts in languages other than English?

Are any planes built with the option to change the spoken language? E.g. an Airbus talking French?


texts: Why is braking action (with Anti-Skid) best when the wheel rotates at ~85% of the actual speed?

texts:
During my ATPL training the subject of tires and braking was discussed.

I understand the principle of the anti-skid and also the differences between aircraft and similar systems in cars.
Physics also thought me that static friction is greater dynamic friction.

The script mentions that it has been shown that the maximum braking efficiency is obtained when the wheel rotates at a speed of 85% of the ground speed.
[Clarification: imagine a identical tire wich rolls on the surface without any resistance/braking, this would be 100%. Every bit of slip therefore reduces the rpm. ]

Why would this be beneficial?

My ideas so far are:

that if some slip occurs braking is mostly in the static friction range but some energy during braking is also put into deforming the tire (and thereby heating it) and possibly ripping small pieces of rubber (on a really small scale) off the tire.
In order to find out where the tire begins to slip it actually has to slip, so in this process of: raising the pressure on the brake and if slip occurs, reducing the pressure, on average a slip of 15% occurs- whixh means a tire speed of 85%.

Is one of these correct?

Are there any other factors and processes?


texts: Are there competitors to Jeppesen making Electronic Flight Folders?

texts: Jeppesen has made Electronic Flight Folders and seems to be a pioneer in that. Do they have any competitors for that?


texts: Why wasn't the Boeing 737 grounded in 1991 after a crash's cause remained unknown?

texts:
Why weren't 737-200s (and other variants):

grounded immediately after UA 585 crashed, out of precaution and risk avoidance? The crash's cause was unknown then.
remained grounded in 1992, after the NTSB

  was unable to conclusively identify the cause of the crash[?]

It feels foolhardy to allow an airplane to be airborne, when it still suffers from an unknown fatal flaw.


texts: Why does the glideslope use UHF when the localiser uses VHF band?

texts: Why does the glideslope use UHF, while the localiser uses the VHF band?  I mean, the glideslope could have used the VHF band too, or vice versa, so why is it so?


texts:
Pulsejets (which could have been called pulse deflagration engines) rely on pulsed deflagration to generate energy and thrust. Their pulsed mode makes them hideously loud and rather inefficient, but they can be quite simple to build - they can even have no moving parts.

Pulse detonation engines work in a rather similar way, but rely on pulsed detonation instead of deflagration. It makes them much harder to build (and possibly even louder), but theoretically much more efficient.

Rotating detonation engines are a further development. The pulsed regime being source of inefficiencies, vibrations and noise (so much noise), it is replaced by continuous detonation fronts endlessly going around an annular chamber, with fuel and oxidiser injected behind each front, for the next one.

Is there such a thing as a rotating deflagration engine? Is it theoretically feasible?

The advantage appears obvious at first glance: avoid the inefficiency of pulsed mode from a pulsejet, while avoiding the complexity of using detonation for more manageable (if less efficient) deflagrations. One could also hope to keep some of the simplicity of pulsejets, with fewer moving parts and air being aspired in the chamber as part of the cycle.

However, I couldn't find any reference to such an engine, whether attempts to build it, studies, or even description of why it wouldn't actually work.

Note: this is not about turbines or rocket engines. Those are technically continuous deflagration engines, but there is continuous pumping of fuel and oxidiser (air from the compressor in the case of the turbine), and a stationary burn zone. A rotating deflagration engine would have moving deflagration fronts with fuel and oxidizer (like air) injected after a deflagration front moves away.


texts: How should I build removable wings on a home build?

texts: In the future I would like to build a home built aircraft from scratch, but I would like the aircraft to be able to be hauled by trailer. I would like the wings to be removable but don’t have a definitive answer on how to go about building the wings and how the control cables would connect to the ailerons. I would also like to know how the detachable wings would be attached and kept to the main body of the aircraft securely without falling off. The wings are elliptical that come out straight for about six ribs, then angle up at about 15 degrees.


texts: Are there any widely applicable models for plausible aircraft auto-routing?

texts:
Aircraft travel in well defined airways, at different flight levels depending on direction and also have specific rates of ascend, descend and turn (e.g 2-min turn).

Are there any known models that take these spatial constraints into account and produce a plausible route between two points in space for a given aircraft?

My specific use case is straightforward: I have the current position of an aircraft and a number of alternative endpoints on that route. Instead of drawing straight lines between these alternatives, I would like to draw plausible routes taking into account as many real constraints as it is possible.

I haven't look into how this is implemented in computer games yet (e.g. flightgear) and I could write a simple enough auto-router taking into account the rate constraints. I would however like to know if there are any widely accepted or recommended existing auto-routing models.

Additional Information

In view of comments to this question I would like to clarify the following:

I am not looking for flight-planning algorithms or constrained
routing in the sense of optimal paths that are sometimes sought by
algorithms such as those used in this paper.
I am looking for routing algorithms whose output is the actual path
that if set on an autopilot will bring the aircraft through an
endpoint at a specific bearing, level and speed. Ideally, I am
looking for "names" in the same sense that the paper linked above
states "...some auto-routers for military aircraft do exist including
CLOAR, OPUS and JRAPS...".
As a secondary question, do ATC systems have some sort of
auto-routing as an aid to operators at busy areas? If yes, then
perhaps it would be worth checking if the algorithms are published
because I expect they would have to be standardised and validated.
As an example, consider an aircraft that is approaching an airport to
land. The aircraft is on a specific course, flight level and speed
and it is to be directed to enter the landing pattern at a specific
point. An approach would be to extend the entry point's bearing and
aircraft's bearing and fit a cycle that corresponds to the 2-min turn
to bring the course of the aircraft on the entry point bearing (i.e.
smooth the corner of the intersection). If such an intersection is
undefined (e.g. the bearings are parallel, or they intersect at a
really long distance) then a new leg needs to be added which a)
intersects with the current course of the aircraft b) intersects the
entry point bearing and c) satisfies other constraint (e.g. shortest
distance, no sharp angles, etc). If that is undefined on the side of
the entry point a new leg must be added, this leg should a) intersect the given leg at...and so on.
This approach will result to a path (not THE path) that respects specific
constraints...But obviously the question here is how realistic it
will be both for an aircraft to fly but also would a human operator
produce a path with similar qualities or reject it altogether? Hence,
the question...are there any auto-router algorithms out there
already?

Edit

If the general consensus veers more towards a situation where it is very hard to get acurate information on routing models for civilian aircraft, is there a set of minimal parameters that would have to be taken into account when designing a simplistic auto-router that would be more likely to generate plausible paths given two points in space? "Plausible" is defined as "similar to what a human ATC would have directed the airplane to do" or "a path that appears sensible to an average pilot". At the moment I would be considering the rates of ascend, descend and turn.


texts: Do stealth airplanes need to limit contrail generation?

texts:
Stealth aircraft have low visibility on radar.

I assume that they strive to achieve low visibility optically as well, e.g. spend some effort to not stand out too much visually from the surroundings.

A condensation trail (during daytime against a bright sky) could definitely make an invisible aircraft visible.

So what do stealth aircraft do against condensation trails?

Do they have technology aboard to avoid or minimize them?  Or it just a matter of choosing the right conditions (clouds, humidity, altitude, temperature) to fly?


texts: What is the recommended procedure to land a taildragger in a crosswind?

texts:
Almost 20 years ago I helped a friend (who recently passed away from an unfortunate home accident) ferry a 1948 Stinson from Córdoba, Argentina, to Buenos Aires. We had to make several stops to refuel (while classifying them by how many dogs and cats came out to greet us), and at one of the fields the crosswind component was rather strong. I can handle just about anything thrown at me when flying a tricycle gear aircraft, and went through taildragger endorsement training in a Citabria, but it was a challenge to get this bird safely on the ground.
Thinking about that today, I thought it would be good to gather guidance from experienced taildragger drivers on what is the recommended procedure to safely land a taildragger in a crosswind.


texts: Do tanker aircraft distribute their own fuel?

texts:
Do tanker aircraft, (such as the KC-135, KC-10, S-3B, etc), distribute fuel from their own fuel tanks, or is it strictly from a separate cargo tank?

Obviously, some cargo tanks are going to be involved, as an aircraft carrying only the fuel in it's wing tanks isn't going to be a whole lot, and some of these aircraft are known to fuel some very thirsty birds, such as B-52's, etc.

Sub question: What proportion volume of the aircraft's fuselage is taken up by the addidional fuel. Do they just pack it as full as they can with fuel? Seems like this would very quickly add to weight, and you would struggle getting such a fuel laden ass bird off the ground.


texts: Could the Olympus 593 have been windmill-restarted during supersonic flight?

texts:
The Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 (which powered the Concorde) used a complex intake-ramp system to improve the engine's efficiency and prevent an engine shutdown or failure during supersonic flight from tearing the aircraft apart; it did the latter by dumping almost all of the intake air overboard via a set of spill doors, allowing it to bypass the inoperative engine and thereby avoid the considerable drag generated therein.

On the other hand, a windmilling engine restart (one of only two midair relight methods possible for the Concorde, as it had no APU - the other being the use of bleed air from a still-operating engine - and the only one available in the event of a quadruple engine failure)1 requires that ambient air be forced through the engine in order to get it spinning, which would seem to necessitate closing the spill doors and not dumping the intake air overboard.

Could the Concorde's engines have been windmill-lit during supersonic flight, or would the aircraft have had to have been slowed to subsonic speeds prior to attempting a windmill restart?

1: While admittedly an unlikely scenario, there are multiple possible ways for this to happen other than fuel exhaustion; possible examples would be if a Concorde inadvertently flew through a volcanic ash cloud, or suffered fuel contamination, or experienced an upset at high altitude.


texts:
I am planning to pass my PPL and I am trying to buy everything I can before starting the flight lessons to spread the expenses. Most of the private pilots I have met told me that an iPad is almost essential for them now. But I am not sure which one should I take? An iPad Mini seems more than enough to me and the small size would help in small cockpit (like in a 152).
4G or Wifi-only, is 4G reliable at those altitudes?

Thanks !


texts:
Does using wings with different wing loadings work the same as a swing wing, without swinging the wing?

Was just wondering: we need the maximum co-efficient of lift at slower speeds at takeoff, but a much smaller co-efficient of lift at cruising speed.

For a triplane, wouldn't you want the top wing for flying and the other wings just for takeoff?

In other words:

you could make the top wing, a classic unsymmetrical wing like a NACA2415, set at around 5 deg angle of incidence, where I believe these airfoils are most efficient.

The other wings could be a wing with a high wing loading, like a high speed laminar foil, like the canard of a velocity, set at a incidence of 0 deg during straight and level flight.

In that way, the lower wings provide no lift, but also no induced drag ( drag due to lift) during straight and level flight, just like a classic tail airfoil.

During takeoff, you would have to rotate early prior to takeoff, ( like the Concorde) to get an angle of attack for all wings.

Say all 3 wings are the same size and you size your wings to get an overall wing loading of 7psf, which means you can land slow and short, but during cruise you would only be using 1 wing, so your effective wing loading is a very efficient 21psf. If it's gusty out, you could always land long and fast , using all 3 wings.  So this would be like a swing wing, without the complexity of actually swinging the wing.

Is this correct, at least conceptually?


texts: Why do tail dragging seaplanes not exist?

texts: I am in the process of starting to build an ultralight that will be a tail dragger with floats, and in my conversations with the fellows I'm building it with, we've realized we've never seen a plane like it before. Does this mean we are doing something dumb? Thanks in advance.


texts: What are typical resins used in carbon fiber for aircraft? Are any resins impossible to recycle?

texts:
What types of resins are typically used in elements of aircraft, such as structural beams or sheets?

Are some of these commonly used resins more easy to recycle than others? I've that Pyrolysis and Solvolysis are used to recycle the carbon fibers, but it is unclear to me which resins make the carbon fiber composites able to be recycled.


texts: Are any flight schools or clubs in Canada using Pipistrel's Alpha Electro or Velis Electro?

texts:
I'm interested in the business and environmental possibilities of using electric trainers for training.
Are there flight clubs or flight schools training with electric aircraft?
I thought I'd read that Canada provided some kind of type rating for the Alpha Electro, and I'm hearing that Pipistrel's newer Velis electro is certified (at least in Switzerland).
Is anyone doing this now in Canada? If not, why not? Are there regulatory obstacles?


texts: Why don't the ATR 42's propellers start/stop rotating simultaneously?

texts:
Why is it that for the ATR 42 one of the propellers begins to rotate before of the other?

I've noticed that they also stop rotating at different times. Is there a reason for that or is it just for turning left or right?


texts: What are these parts on STOL/bush planes?

texts:
I've seen these (note the parts pointed to by the red arrows in the image) on the landing gear struts of Super Cubs and plenty of other STOL bush planes with large tundra tires. It looks like maybe just an aerodynamic fairing on the gas tube/strut of the landing gear but I'm wondering why on every example I've seen of this, the aerodynamic shapes are angled differently (one is more "up" than the other). What is this if I'm wrong about what it is and most of all why are they always angled differently? Is this to try and help with adverse yaw or something?

You can also see them in this video here (note that they, too, like all I've seen, are angled differently): FlightChops Super Cub


texts: I am licensed as a Private Pilot, Airplane Multiengine Land, what do I need to do to be able to fly as PIC in a Single Engine Land aircraft?

texts: I basically got my Multi Engine Rating however not a single engine rating even though most of my training was in ASEL. Now I am curious what I would have to do to be able to fly friends and family in a single engine instead of a twin.


texts: How long is a climb leg in a step-climb cruise flight segment allowed to take, according to regulations (FAA/EASA)?

texts:
I am working on a trajectory optimisation program for commercial, large aircraft, in which I want to incorporate realistic air traffic control regulations. One of the constraints I want to incorporate is that of ATC requiring step-climb cruise at specific flight levels.
Specifically, the hemispheric rule, though not universal, is a good example of how air traffic is managed by enforcing that westbound flights take even flight levels (FL020, FL040, etc.), whereas eastbound flights take odd flight levels (FL010, FL030, etc.).
So, aircraft should fly at one of these flight levels during cruise, when in level flight, thus resulting in a step-climb cruise, as opposed to a continuous-climb cruise profile. E.g., if an aircraft flying east starts its cruise at FL330, it would want to increase its altitude at some point for increased fuel efficiency. If cleared by ATC, it should climb to FL350 (maybe even FL370, if feasible), and so on.
My question is; are there any restrictions on how long the climb part between each of the level portions can take, at maximum (in terms of distance, time, or some other measure), and if so, what is the specific FAR/JAR or CS25 chapter that mentions it?
One could imagine that if such regulations aren't imposed, the climb segment in between level steps could take up so much time, theoretically, that effectively the cruise would still be continuous-climb. Although this is probably not too much of a problem in real life, it is a problem in my trajectory optimisation program. I.e., without proper bounds on the duration/length of this in-between climb leg, the solution always tends towards a continuous-climb solution by making the level flight portion short and the climb portion large.


texts: Why can't Norwegian's Boeing 787 operate from Vegas during hot weather?

texts:
In a German news article it was stated that the additional weight (Norwegian puts 291 passengers on their 787-8) leads to operations restrictions in Las Vegas when temperature conditions exceed 40°C.

Is the 787-8 really limited at 40°C? What would happen at airports that are not only hot but also high?

What are the temperature/altitude limitations for the 787-8 at MTOW in this specific case?

  European low-cost carrier Norwegian Air will suspend its four Las Vegas routes in March, saying hot weather there has created performance issues for its heavily loaded Boeing 787 aircraft.

  — usatoday.com

  — aerotelegraph.com


texts: What switch was Skiles talking about shortly before the Hudson landing?

texts:
I'm always amazed by the "miracle of the Hudson River landing" and just now stumbled across this video by the NTSB.

At 3:52, Jeffrey Skiles appears to say "* * switch" shortly before they ditch in the Hudson. I am assuming it was unreadable on the recording what he said before "switch". Does anyone know? Any ideas what and why he said that?

Side question: On the video it is not identified who is speaking but rather what channel it was spoken on. HOT-1, I assume, is the captain, HOT-2 the first officer. PA and stuff is obvious, but what is CAM, why did it stop recording on impact and why does the first officer sometimes speak on CAM, sometimes on HOT-2?


texts: What was the lowest ground speed landing?

texts:
Planes fly if their speed relative to the air is high enough to produce lift. If there is no wind, the plane's air speed will be the same as its ground speed. If flying against wind, its ground speed will decrease.

That said, what was the lowest ground speed during landing ever recorded?

I think there should be some rules against landing with the wind from behind, as it would make the plane go too fast, but what about opposite? Has any plane landed with zero, or close to zero ground speed? How about 'negative' speed, pushing the plane backwards relative to the ground?

I found some information about the highest ground speed while in flight, but I'm interested in the exact opposite.

Highest points for answers with passenger airplanes (737 etc), helicopters are considered cheating.


texts: How to decode this METAR published during huricane Harvey?

texts:
I have the following METAR from the FAA Aviation Weather Center (AWC) website for KCRP (Corpus Christi Airport):

 KCRP 260551Z AUTO A2935 RMK AO2 SLPNO 6//// 402610239 53014 PWINO

A few questions:

How do we know what the altimeter setting is if the sea level pressure indicator is inoperative?
What does 6//// mean?
What does 402610239 53014 mean?


texts: Is it possible to add "planets" to the gearbox of a Trent 1000?

texts:
The gearbox of a geared turbofan engine has 4 reducing gear small wheels being spun by a larger wheel or gear, simultaneously spinning the shaft that is attached to the fan.

That is 8 points of contact, two for each small wheel/gear meaning 8 the points where friction and subsequent heat would result.  I gather the use of 4 small wheels/gears instead of one is for reducing the load on the teeth at each given point.

Would increasing the smaller gear wheels (i.e. the "planets" ) from 4 to 8 or 12 or 16 for a gearbox designed for an engine the size of a Trent 1000 or more render the gear teeth less likely to break or fail?

With some reinforcement on the teeth, would it be possible to make a gearbox for this large engine?

As for the extra heat, cooling and rotating the oil through a cooler or along the length of the aircraft several times over, exposed to the  atmosphere at cruising altitude using a high pressure oil pump passing oil through a sealed gear box would take care of cooling.

With the ambient energy loses to heat would this render the engine a lot more fuel efficient and possible?


texts: Electrically heated windshields are mostly transparent, but their colors vary from light blue, yellow or light pink. Please explain

texts: Found it on a quiz worded this way. No other details unfortunately. I can only assume it has to do with the heated element materials of tungsten or molybdenum reaction with film layer materials. Perhaps it is a coating to reflect nothing but infrared. Hope to explain to students taking aviation maintenance course on ice and rain systems.


texts: Why do the 737-100's JT8Ds, and no others, have suck-in doors?

texts:
Of the various use cases of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D (the most-produced low-bypass turbofan in history, and the second-most-produced turbofan of any description1), those installed on the 737-100 appear to use a set of auxiliary suck-in doors, similar to those so familiar from the earlier JT3D:

(Image by Steve Fitzgerald at Airliners.net, via Fæ at Wikimedia Commons, modified by Fæ and Marc Lacoste at Wikimedia Commons.)
The always-useful 737 Technical Site confirms that these are, indeed, suck-in doors:

History
The original choice of powerplant was the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1, but before the first order had been finalised the JT8D-7 was used for commonality with the current 727. The -7 was flat rated to develop the same thrust (14,000lb.st) at higher ambient temperatures than the -1 and became the standard powerplant for the -100. By the end of the -200 production the JT8D-17R was up to 17,400lb.st. thrust.
Auxiliary inlet doors were fitted to early JT8D's [sic] around the nose cowl. These were spring loaded and opened automatically whenever the pressure differential between inlet and external static pressures was high, ie slow speed, high thrust conditions (takeoff) to give additional engine air and closed again as airspeed increased causing inlet static pressure to rise.

In contrast, the JT8Ds installed on other types of aircraft, so far as I can tell, do not have suck-in doors:

DC-9

(Image by Cory W. Watts at flickr, via Josve05a at Wikimedia Commons.)

727

(Image by Pablo Andrés Ortega Chávez at flickr, via Wikimedia Commons.)

737-200

(Image by Andre Gustavo Stumpf Filho at flickr, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Caravelle 10

(Image by duch.seb at Wikimedia Commons.)

Mercure

(Image by Michel Gilliand at Airliners.net, via Fæ [again] at Wikimedia Commons, modified by Fæ at Wikimedia Commons.)

Why did the JT8D need suck-in doors on the 737-100, and not on any of the many other aircraft it was attached to?

1: Behind only the General Electric/SNECMA CFM56 high-bypass turbofan, used on (among many, many other aircraft) the 737-300 through -900.


texts: Does a trent 900 engine have the ability to spin extra or more fans?

texts: Given that the most modern geared turbo fans gear down spinning the fan, which essentially translates to requiring less torque or horse power to spin the fans.  If the gearing down is in the magnitute of (10:1)(correct me if I'm wrong) and comparable engines were able to spin the fans at a higher speeds without gears, how many more fans can the engine spin if there was a modifaction of an additional propshaft to spin the other fans, because there is a gearbox.  How much of an impact on fuel consumption would the be for an extra 1,2,3, and 4 fans if at all it was possible?


texts: Why is a feather check performed on a piston engine and how much RPM drop should be allowed?

texts:
Light general aviation piston twins have full-feathering props. It's normal to perform feathering checks by pulling the prop level all the way down to feather, briefly, and observing the changes. First, why is the feather check performed and what is the pilot looking for during this check? Also, how far should the RPMs be allowed to drop? Could allowing a large RPM drop cause mechanical damage?

I realize that the specific allowances may vary between Lycoming and Continental engines and between models, but an average number would be helpful for the sake of the question.


texts: How come a plane flying at constant velocity experiences gravity?  If you were in a space capsule flying (not accelerating) you would feel weightless until you hit the ground.  Why not a plane?


texts:
This question focus on airliners but is not restricted to Airbus and Boeing.

In aircraft, there are a lot of audible warning (usually working along with visible warning). This include auto-pilot disengaged, stall, GPWS, wrong flaps configuration, low energy, ... (I'm not aware of all audible warning that are implemented)

Given one of this warning, is the sound associated to this warning the same in different aircraft? For example, does a GPWS warning sound the same in Boeing, Airbus, Embraer,...?


texts: Is it possible to take checkride past AFSP training request expiration?

texts:
My AFSP training request expires next week. Can I do my instrument checkride past that date?

Technically checkride is not flight training (all of my training is complete at this point), so it's not clear to me if I can do it or not.


texts: How can the Perlan II glider climb to 90,000 feet?

texts:
I've been reading material about the Perlan II experimental glider. They hope to take it up to 90,000 feet  -- higher even than an SR-71 BlackBird.

But the Perlan II is just a glider. Can it really just climb thermals up to that level? Is there something special about its aerodynamic design that lets it do that -- or are all gliders capable of climbing as high as possible, with only the  heat and oxygen needs of the human occupants being the limiting factor? Or is it just me that finds it odd that a glider can climb higher than  a powered aircraft?


texts: What is the official unit of airplane/aviation speed?

texts:
Some units I read/found are commonly used in aviation: mach, knot (nautical mile per hour), mile per hour (mph), kilometer per hour (km/h or kph).

"Official" meaning like the units used by the flight data recorders, if a pilot makes a report of their speed, and so on.


texts: Did the cusp in the Boeing 377/C-97/KC-97’s fuselage structure cause fatigue problems?

texts:
The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser - a civilian adaptation of the C-97, a military transport which would also later be developed into the KC-97 - were derived from the B-29/B-50 family by grafting a large, bulbous passenger/cargo compartment onto the B-29/50 fuselage; this created a sharp cusp in the fuselage cross-section, as can be seen in this photo of a half-built Stratocruiser:

(Image source)

Such a sharp discontinuity in the fuselage profile would be expected to serve as a stress concentrator in a pressurised aircraft, like the 377/C-97/KC-97 series, and cause accelerated fatigue cracking in and around the cusp, shortening the lifespan of these fuselages; did these aircraft, in fact, experience fatigue problems emanating from the fuselage cusp, and, if so, how were they dealt with?


texts: How do I have a gravel kit certified as an STC?

texts:
Any idea how one certifies a gravel kit for an aircraft? I am interested in possibly developing and certifying a gravel kit as an STC.

I am looking for FAA regulations that would be involved in such a project.


texts: Why did the tower at a Class D airport not set me up with flight following on the ground?

texts:
On a trip I had a few days ago I had contacted the ground controller at Santa Fe Municipal (KSAF), a Class D airport, to arrange for a VFR departure to the southwest and requested VFR flight following.  The ground controller said he couldn't arrange flight following and that I had to arrange that with Albuquerque Center while in the air.  I was taught (and encouraged) that you could get flight following while on the ground at a towered airport.  The tower was not busy at the time as I was the only plane talking to them and the airport has its own radar which I know the controllers can see in the tower.  In fact I had forgot to reset the transponder to 1200 and they called me out on that after I took off.  Is there any particular reason why they could not set up flight following for me on the ground?

EDIT:  The FAA has a program where they can contract out a control tower at an airport to a private company.  I just looked at this FAA website and Santa Fe is listed as a contract tower.  Could this be the reason why the tower could not arrange VFR flight following?


texts: Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored? One would not be wrong given part of their operations is being on the receiving end of enemy ammunition shooting at them.


texts: How can a military combat pilot indicate surrender?

texts: If a military pilot is captured by an enemy, how can he indicate that he has run out of ammunition to engage in combat or is not in a position to retaliate? Does he use lights, radio, and/or flares?


texts: Can I get my IFR practical and oral examinations directly through the FAA if I can't find designated examiner?

texts: A friend  needs to go for instrument and commercial check rides and can't find designated examiner that is local.  Can she schedule one at the nearest FAA office?


texts: Apart from the C-130, are there other airlifter aircraft that are able to perform LAPES drops?

texts:
The C-130 is well known for her ability to perform a LAPES (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction) drop to deliver vehicles to an airhead.

I'm wondering if other larger military airlift aircraft that are also able to perform this maneuver, in particular the C-17, or (unlikely) the C-5?


texts: How much fuel is burned to carry the trip fuel?

texts:
For rockets, there is a rule of thumb that says for each kilo of fuel put into orbit, 7 kilos is needed to get it there.

For long and ultra-long flights, it feels intuitive that some very significant proportion of the fuel, perhaps the majority, is needed to carry the fuel needed to complete the flight. In other words, imagine that the fuel was weightless and 50,000 litres were needed. But since fuel is not weightless, the requirement is actually 100,000 litres.

Of course there are a lot of variables and it's fairly easy to calculate, but is there a rough and ready rule of thumb?


texts: Why can not two modes coincide perfectly for some cases in Flutter phenomena?

texts:
I have a question about flutter phenomena. As you know, flutter occurs when two modes (for example, first mode and second mode) coincide (that is, after a specific velocity, the frequencies of two modes will be the same and equal) and the damping term will change into positive which causes failure.

However, for some cases, frequencies of two modes do not coincide perfectly (they are not equal) and damping parameter negative sign will change into positive, which mean flutter is happening.

Why is this happening? Why can't the frequencies of two modes coincide perfectly?


texts: Can trimmer and throttle be used for controlling large aircraft

texts:
During my PPL training, We practiced some emergency procedure on Piper cherokee and simulated flight controls failure.

My instructor asked me to sit on one hand and place the other on the trimmer.

I had to fly the aircraft using only rudder and trimmer, using trimmer and power for pitching and rudder for direction until short final.

My question is... Can the same procedure be exercised on big aircraft like Boeing?


texts: Would reverse thrust increase with a decrease in aircraft forward speed when referring to propeller reverse thrust?

texts: Would reverse thrust in a propeller increase with a decrease in aircraft forward speed?


texts: How is the zero-lift drag coefficient calculated?

texts:
The drag coefficient is usually given as a funtion of the lift coefficient and the zero-lift drag coefficient ($c_{D0}$):

$c_D=c_{D0}+k\cdot c_L^2$

How can I calculate/estimate $c_{D0}$?


texts: How is performance downgraded if the windshield is damaged in flight?

texts: A cracked windshield in flight will decrease the performance. To what extent can it disrupt the flight? Can flakes of glass be ingested on tail-mounted engines? Is it possible to blow out the windshield because of the high speed?


texts: What is that device on an Su-27 pilot's helmet?

texts:
While watching a YouTube video (2.5hrs), I noticed this device on the top of most Russian Su-27 combat pilot's helmet. A google search only shows it for a Su-27 and MiG-29, but apparently no other aircraft. It was not on any Chinese, Syria, Ukraine or Russian aerobatic pilots flying the Su-27. It appears to be at the wrong angle and has a metal plate that seems to exclude it from being some type of illumination.

What is this on a Su-27 helmet?


texts: Is it possible for more than one airplane intercept the ILS at the same time?

texts:
I was watching a timelapse video yesterday of the approaches on a busy airport (I don't remember which one), and I saw that about 3 or 4 planes were lined up and descending at the same time (they were far from each other) and that got me thinking:

Is it possible (from a technical perspective) for more than one airplane to intercept the ILS signals (glideslope and localizer) at the same time?


texts: What aircraft equipment produced the three recordings of unidentified aerial phenomenon released by the US Pentagon in 2020? What does black signify?

texts:
I don't follow these things closely and my question is carefully scoped to ask ONLY about the type of aircraft equipment used and what the various gray levels in the images indicates.
In CNN "The Point" Video Barack Obama just said something very interesting about UFOs by Chris Cillizza, there are three snippets from videos which are described as follows:

In April 2020 when the Pentagon released three videos of what they called “unidentified aerial phenomenon” which amounted to a huge break in the government’s acknowledgement of their existence...

Below are cropped screenshots from my linked video, presumably from the three videos mentioned. The unidentified phenomena all appear as small black objects, sometimes with a lighter "halo" against gray backgrounds. If for example these are thermal infrared images, one might naively suppose that the black tone indicates a temperature far lower than anything else in the field of view.
However

Sometimes thermal infrared images are inverted so that cold is white and hot is black. Why are the clouds white and Australia black in weather satellite infrared images? and also this comment that images are sometimes inverted to make a bright object of interest easier to see when analyzing.
In some imaging systems (showing my age), tiny spots that are too bright and saturate a system can cause much larger and more prominent black areas to appear.

Question: What equipment produced the three recordings of unidentified areal phenomenon released by the US Pentagon in 2020? What does the black tone of the spot in question actually signify?

update: Screenshot from CNN's Retired US Navy Chief explains tech witnessed in UFO aircraft sighting around 00:13 shows a switch between opposite tone scales in the middle of a video clip, clearly the same clouds and object, just flipped in sign:

below left: Himawari-8 IR1 image from Central Weather Bureau showing hotter Australia represented with darker grayscale level (click for full size), right: Source "...illustrate(s) the artifact of a dark area around a bright area" (vidicon)


texts: What does the crew of a long range miltary aircraft eat during a mission?

texts:
The B-52 and other big aircraft often fly long missions.
What does the crew eat or drink?

Is there a list of recommended things to eat, or of specific foodstuff to avoid?

How is it stored onboard?


texts: Becoming a CFI in the USA as a non-US citizen

texts:
This question is not about aviation itself, but rather about job opportunities in aviation.

It kind of goes into law a little, maybe somebody has some experience with this issue though:

Being from Germany, I'd like to become a FAA CFI. This itself is not a huge problem, but working as a CFI in the US is one, as I would need a citizenship or a green card to work there... or would I not?

Does anybody know anyone who is a CFI or works as a pilot in the US and is not a US-citizen?
Or does anybody have an idea of how to work as a CFI without a green card or citizenship?

Knowing this isn't pure aviation, this still appears to me as one of the best places to ask, you all know that experience can not be out ruled!


texts: How do they manage to open a new route? For example Dubai-Panama. Do they have to open new airways?


texts: How does the landing gear damp vibrations?

texts: How does a landing gear on an aircraft reduce the vibrations transferred to the airplane structure, while landing?


texts: Can I log flight time in unregistered helicopters?

texts:
Is there a way to log my flight hours from these flights?

During a time I was in middle east I had an opportunity to fly Astar for more than 200+ hours with multi experience majors as Long line, Rabbling, Mountain Operation, NVG, ... etc, however I'm not a licenced pilot but I have a good experience on Astar,

Now I decided to get use of that experience and put all the effort into some licenced actions but I have a hard time to find how to count my flight hours or if anything can be done with those hours.

I will appreciate all your help.

Cheers
Bravo


texts: What is the cause of cracking and corrosion in Trent 1000 engines?

texts:
According to this description and this one of some Trent 1000 engine problems, there appears to be a problem with cracking/corrosion of the fan blades, but does anyone have any insight as to why this is the case? (And why this problem doesn't occur on other platforms?)

I was thinking it could be due to the composites used in the compressor fan blades, or perhaps something to do with the no bleed-air system unique to the Trent 1000, but I'm not entirely sure.


texts: Is this takeoff of a 767 in bad weather conditions a normal procedure?

texts:
In this video, a 767 takes off in bad weather conditions. The comments of the video aren't very professional, so I ask here:

Is this a legitimate takeoff?
Some comments say that this was a close takeoff. Some comments do point out that on rotate, you can see the end of the strip of the lefter runway. Was it airborne before?


texts: First Boeing 757-200 N757A 'Catfish' was modified with a Canard foreplane. How did it behave?

texts:
The aircraft had these changes made around 2006 to act as an F-22 Avionics test bed. One would expect that the fore plane changed many performances of machine, including take off and landing attitude and behavior. I am interested in knowing more about results of adding the canard fore plane to a series airliner.

A similar arrangement was proposed, it was promissory even at hyper sonic speeds, in a Naval Research Centre in California, for the Space Shuttle.

Source: Airliners.net


texts: What do the partially filled circles on skyvector mean?

texts: What does a partially filled weather status circle signify on Skyvector.com ?


texts: Why is a rectangular wing planform less efficient than others?

texts: I read somewhere that a rectangular wing is inefficient compared to other wing planforms. Can someone clarify why this kind of wing planform is inefficient compared to other planforms and what causes this "inefficiency"?


texts: How do fighter jets communicate with an intercepted plane that's lost comms?

texts:
RAF Typhoons were scrambled today to intercept an Antonov 26 that lost comms, triggering a sonic boom over London.

The flight was escorted to Stansted airport, and the answer at What's the point in escorting a threatened flight with two fighter jets?
 says they "guide" the rogue jet to the airport.

How do they actually do this? Once they've established the jet is not a threat, how do they communicate with the other pilots?

I have an image in my head of them writing ← 120° (etc.) on a little whiteboard :P


texts: What happens when you add a vortex generator to high camber LAMINAR wing?

texts:
What happens when you add a vortex generator (not trip strip) to a high lift or laminar wing, operating say at 500k to 1,000k Re?

I understand vortex generators add a little less lift than a slat on a classic naca wing, about 0.6cL.  I understand that vortex generators are very different than trip strips, as they actually  add energy to the boundary layer.  I understand that both vortex generators and trip strips change the flow from laminar to turbulent, but trip strips don't add cl like a vortex generator does.

So ... what happens when you add a vg to a high lift wing like the selig 1233 or the eppler or Wortmann series of reflex or non-reflex laminar wings.

Do vortex generators still add about 0.6Cl or is it actually detrimental as these wings are designed to operate in laminar flow, not turbulent flow?


texts: What types of wood can be used for making propellers?

texts: Early propellers were made from wood and they still are on some vintage/classic aircraft and reproductions. What types of wood are typically used to make wooden propellers?


texts: Do pilots ever use the aircraft's ICAO 24-bit address when communicating with ATC?

texts: Do pilots know the unique ICAO 24-bit hexadecimal code for their aircraft? Do they ever give it directly to ATC? For example, to controllers who make the flight strips with destination, departure, type of aircraft etc. I know for a fact that some flight plans are sent out that include the unique hex code for the aircraft.


texts: Can an aeroplane ever be so far away from an airport that it cannot land?

texts:
Hypothetically, if an aeroplane with two engines is flying over the ocean and is far away from land, is it not quite likely (but still not very likely at all), that one engine fails and it cannot get to an airport before fuel runs out?

Are there any procedures/precautions that are specifically thought out for this scenario or is it just too unlikely to ever happen?


texts: What is the concept behind being able to continuously pour iced tea while rolling an airplane?

texts: I recently saw Bob Hoover's famous video in which he is pouring tea while he is rolling the plane. Can you explain the physics that allow the tea to flow "up" when the plane is upside-down? Why doesn't the tea fall out of the pitcher like it would normally if turned upside-down?


texts: What is the working principle of g-suits?

texts:
Pilots since world wars have been wearing g-suits in fighter planes to minimize the effect of high g encountered by them during close maneuvers.

How do g-suits help in minimizing the effect of high g's on the pilots?
What is the maximum g that a g-suit could handle properly?


texts: why are regional cruising altitudes higher than those of international much longer flights?

texts:
How come, for example, the average cruising altitude of let's say the Westjet Boeing 737-600 from CYWG to CYVR flies at an altitude of 38,000 feet-40,000 feet, yet the Air Transat Airbus 330-200 flying from CYVR to Man EGCC flies between 33,000 feet and 35,000 feet?
Why is the air transat one flies lower when you'd think that with the Vancouver to Manchester route being more of a long-range flight than the Winnipeg to Vancouver one, it'd want to fly above the regional/domestic flights.

Why is this so?
to illustrate, here are flightaware records for two recent flights:
Westjet: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/WJA307/history/20150903/1210Z/CYWG/CYVR
Air Transat: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/TSC284


texts: Why do airliners on autopilot climb during cruise?

texts:
Several years ago I was a passenger on a near cross-country flight when the pilot came on the PA and announced that we were climbing towards our cruise altitude, on autopilot, and as our fuel load was burning off, and the plane's weight lessened, we would be climbing about another five thousand feet from our cruise altitude.

I wondered why the autopilot, instead, would not make micro-adjustments to the angle of attack to maintain the same altitude, rather than waste fuel making an unnecessary climb.

I realize that maintaining the same exact altitude is probably not realistic, but autopilot, I would think, ought to be able to maintain cruise altitude within about one thousand feet.

This was on a Southwest flight, so it had to be a Boeing 737.


texts: Can a commercial pilot with MPL , obtain PPL for general aviation in the UAE?

texts: Is it possible for an airline pilot in case he would like to fly GA aircraft like c152/172 obtain the PPL license without going through the whole process?


texts: Why are some vertical stabilizers painted 'after' installation?

texts:
I recently watched the Airbus videos on making the first PAL and Air China A350s. PAL’s vertical stabilizer was painted before being installed, as explained in 'Why are the tails always painted, but not the fuselage, in test and delivery flights?'.

But Air China’s (MSN 167) was painted with the fuselage (after installation). This confused me because I have been told that painting the vertical stabilizer is for balancing the rudder.

What factors affect when the rudder is painted?

A photo for MSN 167 confirming what was seen in the video. (flickr.com)


texts: Do airliners use more fuel at low altitude than high altitude?

texts:
Air density at lower altitudes is higher, and thus provides more resistance to objects moving through it. Is this higher density enough to practically impact the fuel efficiency of an aircraft flying at low altitudes?

For example, if a B777 enters a holding pattern for 60 minutes just outside an airport at maybe 5,000', is it going to burn significantly more fuel than if it had (for whatever reason) entered the same holding pattern in the middle of cruising at 40,000'?