texts: Will afterburner work at settings less than full dry thrust?

texts:
Dry thrust is normal jet engine power without using an afterburner. Max dry thrust is the engine's most powerful thrust level without afterburner.

But what if the engine is at half power, or even idle power? Can you safely engage afterburner at that point?

I'm interested in turbojets and turbofans. Both can have an afterburner. I'm wondering if it's possible to engage afterburner on both of them at a time when the engine is not already at full dry thrust.

Edit: one reason it might not work is that idle thrust might not be powerful enough to ignite the fuel in the afterburner.

The reason I ask is for emergencies. Jet engines need several seconds to spool up from idle to full thrust. If you could engage afterburner from the get-go, you could be up to max speed much quicker.


texts:
Why don't ailerons affect pitch, or do they?

I'm told spoilers can affect pitch if not placed in the right spot.

On a classic standard wing configuration, why don't ailerons affect pitch as they are at the trailing edge
and would create a moment around the spar which I'm told it usually located at 25% chord
in ultralights.


texts: Single-engine plane with long range flyable in Europe

texts:
Not 100% sure if choice of airplane is on-topic here, please let me know if not.
Just got my PPL, and looking for a choice of single-engine meeting a few conditions:

Long-range, definitely >800nm, ideally >1200nm
Can be flown IFR with only IR (no special type/class ratings) under both FAA and EASA
Available used for under $100K, ideally less

Are there planes out there that meet these conditions?


texts:
Since Ben Gurion International Airport is closed, flights are being directed to Ovda, with a 3000 meter / 9,843 foot runway. Can large passenger jets, such as the Boeing 747, land at such an airport?

I understand that a 747 at MTW needs about 10000 feet to land safely, but it can be done in a pinch at 6000-7000 feet. Would a commercial airliner fly flights to a temporary airport such as Ovda considering the shorter runway (i.e. not emergency conditions)?

Also, if I may ask, in the linked thread a 747 pilot refers to the 747 as "a gigantic replica of the North American F-86". To what might he have been referring?


texts: Why must one wait 48 hours to fly, after scuba diving?

texts: Is this rule even true and why is it? I'm going to assume it has to do with pressure but can someone give me a good explanation?


texts: What does the term "trimming" most commonly mean in aviation?

texts: Why does an airplane need trim, and what does it do during the flight? Does an autopilot adjust the trim automatically?


texts: Why does Ryanair always fill its flight plans with the same remark?

texts:
With my current position, I have access to samples of ATC recordings, including all the flight plans received by a FIR. Parsing these recordings, I noticed that Ryanair always put the following sentence in both ICAO field F18/RMK and ADEXP field -RMK:

  PAX SCHEDULED FLIGHT CONTACT +353 IRISH PHONE NUMBER

Why does Ryanair do that?

Note: the field "flight type" is also filled, and contains the letter S for Scheduled, thus my surprise.
Note2: +353 is country code for Ireland where Ryanair is based.


texts: Airliner speed when descending through 10,000 feet

texts: How do airliners get to 250 kts when descending through 10,000 feet as required by the FAA? Do you level off at 10,500 feet until speed is less than 250 and then descend further? Must pilots ask ATC permission to temporarily level off slightly above 10,000 feet to decelerate and then get further permission to continue descent? I’ve wondered for years how this works. On a 787 into SFO, we had the screens on the headrest that showed us GPS and speed etc. I remember looking at it on descent and noticing we were leveled off traveling around 145. Also, considering 250 is the maximum, do you travel around 240/245 above 10,000 feet to be sure you do not accelerate beyond 250? Thank you for the explanations.


texts: How does the cabin pressure controller work in a large commercial airliner?

texts:
The cabin pressure controller controls the pressure in the cabin in relation with aircraft altitude, and a manual control is possible using the overhead panel:

A320

Air Conditioning and Cabin Pressure panels on an Airbus A320 (source: Olivier Cleynen on Wikimedia)

B737

Pressurization panel on a Boeing 737 NG (source: B737.org.uk)

Overall how do the controller and the related equipment work in a commercial airliner, e.g:

What is the source used for pressure reference?
How outflow and relief valves and packs are related to the controller?
When and how is used the manual control of the pressure?


texts: Is there an FAA definition of what "normal flight operation" means?

texts: Some documents talk about normal and abnormal operation. Is there a definition by FAA what normal operation is?


texts: Why isn't cabin air quality in airliners directly monitored with sensors?

texts:
Airliner air conditioning systems refresh the cabin air volume every couple of minutes. A portion of it is filtered and re-circulated into the cabin, however AFAIK there are no direct cabin air quality sensors on board, only pressure and temperature sensors. This question and this question on this site are related.

When researching for an answer to the oxygen question, I came across the surprising research result from this site: carbon dioxide levels in the first column are pretty reasonable, but oxygen content in the second column is around 12%,  a bit over half of the normal percentage.

A report on fumes and smoke events in Australia shows that these are rare, but that often there is not a direct cause found. Would the fumes be detected by human smell only?

  Many fumes/smoke notifications to the ATSB are followed up by a maintenance inspection that does not find a potential source or defect causing the fume/smoke, in which case an Service Difficulty Report would not be submitted to CASA.

Airliners do have smoke detectors on board. A Google search reveals that there are cheap key hangers for sale that detect carbon monoxide. Oxygen and carbon dioxide percentages can be easily monitored. My question is: why do aircraft not contain sensors for direct monitoring of the quality of the cabin air that passengers breathe?


texts: Why does an increase of airspeed result in a decrease of angle of attack?

texts:
In Chapter 02:  Aerodynamics of Flight of Helicopter Flying Handbook, on page 10, it says:

  Induced flow velocity is increased, resulting
  in a decrease in AOA.

I don't understand how airspeed can change AOA. Looking at other posts on the topic, it seems that everybody assumes that to be true without an explanation. Can anyone tell me why?

PS: the statement above explains why there is a positive stall region in a helicopter's retreating blades when the rotor speed is too fast.


texts: What part of the F-18's wing profile allows for high AoA flight?

texts:
I'm trying to analyse the relationship between the angle of attack and lift coefficient of a wing profile I tested. However, I am finding that the data shows that the wing hasn't stalled by the time it reaches an angle of 25 degrees, whereas I am under the impression that a wing usually stalls around 15 degrees. I cannot recall where I have heard it, but I am under the impression that one of the reasons the F-18 is capable of high AoA flight is because of the "surfaces" around the cockpit:

Is that correct? Is high AoA associated with smaller wing width and high chord length?

Also, this is the data I've gathered. I tested the same wing at three different airspeeds. Sorry about the text being in Danish.


texts: What's the cabin pressure of a Bombardier CRJ-900?

texts: In terms of altitude (6000, 7000, 8000, etc), what is the cabin pressure in a CRJ-900?


texts: What happens when a temporary pilot certificate expires?

texts: What can I do if my not-so-newly issued temporary pilot certificate is about to expire and I haven't gotten my permanent certificate yet?  Is there any way that I can keep flying while waiting for it, and is there a way to check on the status of the permanent certificate?


texts: Are frisbees and boomerangs technically gliders?

texts:
Frisbees and Boomerangs are heavier-than-air, unpowered, and fly through the air. So are they technically gliders?

They also rotate, so I wonder if these are actually some kind of rotorcraft-type gliders. I looked up all types of rotorcraft on wikipedia, which listed 4 things: helicopters, auto-gyros, gyrodynes, and cyclocopters. All of them were powered, so none of them were rotor-gliders. But then, auto-rotation in a helicopter might be considered gliding (with a pretty bad glide ratio).

One reason I ask is because I want to try to figure out the glide ratio or lift-to-drag ratio of these weird things. Not so easy to do empirically for a boomerang since it takes a weird ascending and descending path. How would you calculate that for a rotating assymetric airfoil?


texts: What is involved in changing runway/taxiway/approach lighting?

texts:
When a runway inspection determines that there are bulbs out on any of the runway or taxiway lighting fixtures, what is involved in changing them?

Does the runway/taxiway need to be shut down for all bulb changes? (Obviously for center line markers, but what about edge markers?)
What is involved in changing bulbs for any sort of landing system lighting? (i.e. ALS, PAPI, VASI, etc)


texts: Does Betz's Law apply to jet engine turbines?

texts:
Betz's Law says the extractable power from wind is only 59% (16/27) of its original power.
$$P_{max} = \frac{16}{27} \frac{1}{2} \rho A v^3$$
Rho is the gas density, A is the cross section area of gas flow, and v is the original flow velocity (before it goes through the turbine stages).
Note that power is force times velocity, so the force component is $\frac{1}{2} \rho A v^2$ and then multiplied by another v makes it $v^3$. This is a little confusing because it looks very similar to the formula for kinetic energy ($\frac{1}{2} m v^2$). However, Betz's Law deals with power.
Note: I'm asking about the gas flow after it has been combusted. So it starts out hot and fast with some speed and temperature. And we assume the total heat energy remains constant (it's an adiabatic process) because again, this is considering the gas after combustion.
So does Betz's Law apply to it? If not, what are the exceptions invalidating it? I'm interested in any turbine-based engine (turboprop, turbojet, turbofan).


texts: Is there an official record of the pilot with the most logged flight time?

texts: We often hear about pilots with 10 or even 20 thousands hours. So I was wondering how much higher this number can go. Do we know which pilot has the most logged time? Is there any official number?


texts: Is it harder to learn to fly rotary wing after learning on fixed?

texts: I have a private license for single engine land and I want to transition to helicopters. I have been told by some that learning helicopters is more of a challenge after learning fixed wing. However I have yet to see any good sources or explanation for this. Is this generally true and if so why?


texts: Does temperature affect takeoff performance?

texts:
A few days ago, a Copa flight from Porto Alegre to Panama was delayed from noon until 12:30 AM. The company explained that the high temperature (about 40 degrees Celsius) would require a longer runway for takeoff since the air was thinner, and that resulted in non-operational conditions for the wings and engines with the available runway length.

One source (in portuguese): http://www.radioguaiba.com.br/Noticias/?Noticia=515816

Is this true? Can a high temperature really prevent takeoff?


texts: What values can/should be used for the isentropic efficiency of a compressor and turbine?

texts: I was trying to model an turbofan aircraft engine using Matlab and Simulink. In the process I have fixed certain parameters to some specific values which are nominal operating values of the parameters. Can anyone please help me out with the values of isentropic efficiencies of compressor and turbine used in the above case?


texts:
Many aircraft accidents have been caused by downbursts. A downburst is basically a strong downward wind that forces the aircraft toward the ground and causes it to crash. Is it possible for an airliner to escape the downburst and land safely with this much force pushing down on an aircraft?

Here is a downburst illustration: Source:(www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com)


texts: Have pilots encountered a UFO, and what to do if you have?

texts: Have pilots ever encountered a UFO? What guidelines, if any, are in place for times when this happens?


texts: How can I get historic flight data by N-number?

texts:
I'd like to get flight data for the last 10-20 years for an aircraft for which I have an N-number. Basic information-locations and times of arrival and departure.

Is there a free database which will produce these records?


texts: What is the minimum number of people required to manually pushback a 747?

texts:
Similar to :
Is there a minimum number of people needed for an aircraft pushback?

After watching this video I wonder what would be the number of people required to manually push back a 747.

I know small aircraft is usually pushback by the pilot and if possible a wing walker. Large jet at large airport has a few people involved in the process. But manual pushback a large jet is a special event where you need lots of people. How many do you need?


texts: Does lift coefficient vary with the wind velocity for a given angle of attack?

texts:
I have this question in my mind. I have been trying to look for this in different books about aerodynamics and I couldn't find the answer. I know I could check the answer experimentally, if I had a wind tunnel or some advanced software, but I don't have access to any of them.

Let's say we have this plot (fig. 1) obtained experimentally by testing an airfoil at a low speed (subsonic) with a wind tunnel. If I were to change the wind speed of the wind tunnel, would the graph change or would it remain the same?

For instance, if the wind velocity was initially 15 m/s and then 25 m/s, would it change or is the CL-AoA relationship constant for a given airfoil?

I just need to understand this, I don't need any example with numbers (I just give the numbers to have an order of magnitude of the velocities of the testing. And assume the airfoil has a regular shape, for instance a NACA0012, which is pretty common for academic examples.


texts: Are there any aircraft with a 4-wheel nose landing gear and a 16-wheel main landing gear? I need this to answer my review of an aircraft design project.


texts: What do "LC/P" and "PTD" stand for in reference to airport communications?

texts:
When I pull up the Colorado Springs (KCOS) Airport Comm frequencies in Skyvector or in FAA database there are some frequency listed as "LC/P" and "PTD". Would someone explain what those acronyms stand for?

  LC/P: 119.9 360.6
  PTD:    122.85 372.2


texts: Does the safe taxi distance vary behind jet types for light aircraft?

texts:
It would seem a light aircraft taxiing behind a business jet could be closer than a B747. Perhaps there is a law (country or international) regulating power setting of a jet taxiing.

One authors recommendations.

Is there any rule of thumb for taxing behind jets based on size or type?


texts: Since pitot static systems are open the outside, how does the system remain clear of water or other contaminants?


texts: Do surfaces ahead of propellers decrease thrust?

texts:
I have had this question for ages, nearly impossible to find anything on the web. My experiments confused me even further! Its concerning the blockage effects of surfaces ahead of a propeller. For example lets  consider  the usual dual vectoring propellers on the sides of airshipcars like in the skyship 600 for instance.The gap between propeller disc and underside of blimp is 1diameter.

In vertical flight the propeller's  intake are faced by the underside of the blimp body itself. How are the propellers still able to generate thrust when the propellers' intakes are  "somewhat blocked" due the very close surface of the blimp?

As An experiment I  attached a foam sheet about  1.5 diameters above a big 28 lbs 8-rotored octo- multirotor in hopes to see that the multirotor would still lift.  At full throttle the multirotor  didnt even move or lift.  Obviously it lost almost all of its thrust due to the the sheet blocking the airflow above.. even though the foam sheet was high above the props,  about 1.5 diameters.

Can someone help me  on what could be going on here? does having a surface above  a propeller decrease its thrust? Why did my experiment showed different results than the blimp. Are there other factors involved? if so.. what is the relation between distance, disc loading, surface shape, other factors etc  and thrust decrease?
Thanks!
Best Regards
/Eric


texts: What happens if a seat belt is found broken, before flight take off?

texts:
What happens in a commercial airliner, when a passenger finds the seat belt to be broken. Does the crew de-plane the passenger or do they provide him something like a child/infant seat belt?

I'm also curious as to FAA's regulation on this area, if any.


texts: Was the transatlantic crossing for Concorde too short to reach optimal cruising altitude?

texts: When listening to Gander/Shannon ATC on shortwave, you could hear Concorde communicate its planned flight levels at longitudes from 20 West till 50 West. What I remember is that it would continue climbing to, say, flight level 570 at 30 West and then descent. So, it seems that it never reached cruising altitude, it would climb until halfway on the Atlantic and then start to descent again.


texts: What is the difference in purpose of the 1:40 Obstacle Identification Surface and the 1:50 clearance plane for an ILS glideslope?

texts:
I have found references to the Obstacle Identification Surface (OIS), which is approximately a 152ft/NM slope from the end of the runway (1.43 degrees, 1:40 rise/run) and a 1:50 clearance plane noted in the illustration in this answer:

1:50 is 121.5ft/NM, so they clearly aren't one in the same.

Why are there both? What is the difference in purpose?


texts: I received a 1st Class medical certificate in May 2005. Do I qualify for BasicMed?

texts:
One of the requirements for BasicMed is:

Comply with the general BasicMed requirements (possess a U.S. driver's license, have held a medical after July 14, 2006).

I received a 1st class medical certificate in May of 2005. I was under the age of 40, so it would have been valid for 12 months, expiring in May 2006 (i.e., just before the BasicMed cutoff).
That said, it would have still been valid for an additional 24 calendar months (i.e., until May 2008, well into the BasicMed era) as a 3rd class medical. Am I correct in my understanding that this qualifies me for BasicMed?
Thank you.


texts: What is a navigational fix? Where can I get navigational fixes for a local airport?

texts:
Amateur in aviation, so please explain the purpose of navigational fix and its characteristics. How is a navigational fix being placed around the runway, or how it is determined this would be the right spot? How does it help a aircraft to make it land?

And where would I get the details of navigational fixes for a airport near me? Is there a API, does ICAO provide any info?

Any links/charts could be of great help.


texts: How will a variable pitch propeller move during takeoff?

texts:
In my ATPL books i've learned that for a variable pitch propeller, it is better to have a fine pitch for take-off (higher RPM) and a coarse pitch for cruise (lower RPM).

In this question taken from the ATPL question bank it states that a propeller will move towards the coarse pitch on take off.

Does anybody understand why the correct answer for this question is coarse pitch. Is this implying that we initially start our take-off with a fine pitch but slowly change towards a coarse pitch during the climb?


texts:
When looking at Google Earth, I often find myself looking for airports. I often notice that no matter what size airport, over time many of them have abandoned old runways and built new runways in different directions.

It doesn't matter between rural and urban, so residential doesn't seem to be the cause. Is it that the wind direction changed from decades ago? Did they decide that sunlight matters more or less at some point in time? Anything to do with Earth's magnetic field?


texts: Do airline pilots use speed stability to cope with unreliable airspeed indications? If not, why not?

texts:
There have been a couple of airline accidents in which unreliable airspeed indications (or the fear thereof) have played a role:

Birgenair Flight 301 in 1996, where one of the pitot tubes was blocked, causing unreliable airspeed indications. At one point, the captain gave full throttle at low airspeed and high angle of attack, causing the left engine to flame out, and producing a spin.
Aeroperú Flight 603 in 1996, where the static ports were blocked, causing unreliable airspeed and altitude indications. The altimeter read high, and the plane crashed into the ocean.
Air France Flight 447 in 2009, where the pitot tubes iced over, causing unreliable airspeed indications, for about one minute. The aircraft entered a stall and the pilots failed to recover from it. Presumably, the pilots were uncertain about whether or not the airspeed indications were reliable, which contributed to their failure to recover.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if your airspeed indicator fails in, say, a Cessna 172, you can use the aircraft's speed stability to maintain a safe airspeed. Do something like:

Move the trim wheel to the takeoff position.
Keep the nose from rising or falling suddenly (unless you're near a stall), but allow it to rise and fall slowly.
If the pitch stays constant with no elevator input, you're flying at a reasonable speed. If it tends to rise, you're flying faster than that, and if it tends to fall, you're flying slower than that.

Once you get the nose to stay still, you don't have to touch the elevator much unless you change power or configuration.

Yet, I've never heard of airline pilots doing anything like this. Do they do this sometimes, and if not, is there a reason why they don't?

(For that matter, is there a reason why my suggested procedure isn't a good idea in GA aircraft either?)


texts: Where can I get a copy of my notice of disapproval from a failed checkride?

texts:
I can't find the notice of disapproval that I was given after I failed the oral portion of my private pilot checkride. I have looked EVERYWHERE.  What do I need to do?  Is there something on IACRA or can I go back to the examiner?

I am fairly close to taking the checkride again (I switched instructors), and I am under the impression that I need to take that paper with me.

Any suggestions?


texts: Lift and Drag Coefficients using load cell data

texts:
I have a MAV and I need to find out the lift and drag coefficients for the wing and tail. I am not available with a wind tunnel so I will be using a load cell along with a separate wind source. Now I can measure forces on the MAV, airspeed at the wing and tail surfaces.

If I just use the angle of attack at the centre of mass then I can find the corresponding lift and drag coefficients (since there are two unknowns and two equations for forces along x and z axis). Now if I want to find separate lift and drag coefficients for wing and tail, for the corresponding angle of attacks, how am I going to do that? Once again I have force on the MAV in the x and z axis, angle of attacks for wing and tail, air speed, two equations of forces but four unknowns.

Please guide me resolve this issue.


texts: Can a commerical jet fly into a tropical cyclone?

texts:
There is little doubt on whether planes can fly over a tropical cyclone as clearly demonstrated by this video of a Gulfstream jet flying over hurricane Katrina in 2005 to drop weather instruments.

I do not know the intensity of cyclonic wind at 10km above sea level, but my limited understanding on the subject suggest that the wind is strongest near the surface and weakens with height. If a small plane with high service ceiling can fly over such a powerful storm. Is it possible for a larger plane with a lower service ceiling to fly into a cyclone unscathed?

Considering that most pilots would try to go around a cyclone and that safety regulations may also forbid pilots from putting their passengers in any kind of risk that airlines do not want to bear, by just strictly looking at the aerodynamics and aeronautics of the aircraft, is it feasible for large commercial planes like 747 to fly into a tropical cyclone?


texts: Fuel consumption database using ICAO codes?

texts:
I will preface this by saying I do not have any level of knowledge in Aerodynamics - I'm a freelance journalist and so apologies for the poor level of general understanding.

I'm attempting to create a visualisation that would depict CO2 produced per time in the air per flight, but have not been able to find any comprehensive dataset for average values of fuel consumption per hour per aircraft model.

My goal is to calculate an approximation how much "additional" CO2 is being emitted by delays.

Most flight calculators I've been able to find give an estimate per person, or per person which tends to evoke distance (https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CarbonOffset/Pages/default.aspx / https://co2.myclimate.org/en/flight_calculators/new)

Therefore the constants given in the methodologies tend to reflect a fuel consumption per distance in their datatables - which given the fact that the distance travelled overall remains "the same" even if the plane is late doesn't really tell much.

I've attempted to look through the questions here but best thing I've been able to find is a forum post from years ago that isn't comprehensive (here)

I get the feeling I'm missing a source glaringly obvious by not using the correct terminology....

Thank you in advance for your help.


texts: How do flaps deploy and stow with very large wing flex?

texts:
On large airliners, the wings are generally of the high aspect ratio types and hence very flexible. Now the flaps are attached to wing only through a series of tracks, and as the wings flex, these tracks change relative positions to one another as well. How is the flap designed so that it can ride on these tracks regardless of their positions? I scoured the internet for answers and the only vague one I got is this description

  One of the flap tracks positions the flap and all others absorb horizontal displacement.

Intuitively this is like designing a door that can open and close with a doorframe that is sometimes straight and sometimes crooked. Is the door also flexible itself?

This question applies to not just flaps, but to spoilers, speed brakes and leading edge slots or drooping leading edges as well. How are they designed?


texts: How much money do commercial pilots make per year, and per hour? Is there significant non-monetary compensation, such as free hotels stays and food?


texts: How to select a SID during the planning stage?

texts: During the planning stage of an IFR flight how to choose the correct SID for your route in an airport with multiple runways and multiple SIDs? and how to predict the runway you will be going to use?


texts: What are the engine-out implications of giant turbofans?

texts:
It seems that turbofans for civil airliners are improving fuel efficiency by building larger and larger fans that spin slower.  For example, the RR Trent 800 introduced in 1993 had a diameter of 2.8m, while the RR Trent Ultrafan expected in 2025 may be 3.56m in diameter.
In the case where both engines fail in flight, I imagine that wider engines would create much more drag, reducing glide distance.  Is this true, and if so, what do aircraft manufacturers and airlines do to mitigate it?


texts: How does a flight control computer deal with control surface disengagement?

texts:
What action does the flight control computer take (under normal law) when it realizes, for instance,

Inboard actuator of aileron/elevator disengaged or
There is a disconnect between the LVDT and the actuator

Is there any backup for this?

Are there any minimum control requirements established for the flight control computer to 'arm' or 'enable' the "backup" if available ?


texts: How heavy are turbofan and turboprop propeller blades?

texts:
How heavy are the blades from

Turbofan (CFM56-5B, RRTrent800, PW4062A) and
Turboprop (PW127M)

engines?

Is there a general appromixation like
$$ m_\mathrm{Fan} = 0.1 \times m_\mathrm{Turbine} $$
as well?


texts: Does a runway have to be closed for not having markings due to resealing work?

texts: Is it required to close a runway if the paint has been removed for resealing the asphalt?


texts: why does the flow need to decelerate (by a thermal throat) in a scramjet?

texts:
I have a question about the thermal throat in a scramjet. From my textbook:

"The scramjet, on the other hand, needs an area increase as combustion occurs. For this reason, on the scramjet the mechanical throat is substituted by a thermal throat that decelerates the flow through
tailored heat release."
why does the flow need to decelerate in a scramjet?
if flow in a scramjet is supersonic, wouldn't heat release
accelerate the flow? (from general 1d form of equations du/u=1/(M^2-1)*(dA/A+dF/P-dQ/CpT))
Where is the thermal throat in this flow located?


texts: What are the regulations for lighting fixtures around an airport?

texts:
I work for a company that is right next to an Air Force base and we were wondering what and if there are regulations for the lighting fixtures that we can install on our lot since we have a couple of lights that are out of service and we were looking into upgrading them to LEDs

what is the temperature limit etc etc

I don't know much about aircraft regulation so i get lost in all the documents.

thank you!


texts: What is the wing angle of attack of a Boeing 737 in cruise?

texts: I would like to know the angle of attack that a 737 flies at during cruise. I am specifically interested in the wing angle of attack (if you know the cruise nose-up attitude and the wing incidence angle, that would be good too).


texts: Are there any certification requirements for steering bypass or lock pins?

texts: Are there any requirements for aircraft bypass and/or lock pins? Do they have to be somehow certified by local or international aviation authorities?


texts: Why don't commercial passenger safety videos ever explain policy instead of merely dictating it?

texts:
British Airways announced and published their new in-flight passenger safety video:

I'd like to draw your attention to two pieces of instruction given in the video, but also stated in every passenger safety video I've ever seen on every airline I've flown:

Never inflate the life-vest inside the aircraft.
Always put on your own air-supply mask before assisting others.

These instructions are always given in a dogmatic or dictatorial, way - the airlines expect passengers to comply with these instructions despite never giving any the reason for these policies - and I'm concerned certain passengers would disregard the instructions because they think they know better (and I included myself in that category until I found out why these policies exist).

I understand the reasons, respectively, are:

While being inflated makes it harder to move around the plane when your torso just doubled in volume - more crucially: if the plane does take-on water it means you'll be trapped inside the plane because you won't be able to submerge yourself to access an underwater door or exit.
Useful consciousness at altitude is measured in seconds, not minutes, and you will likely be unconscious and suffering hypoxia if you get distracted - it will take you a good 10-15 seconds to put your own mask on, let alone someone else's. It's entirely possible you'll die or suffer serious brain damage in your selfless attempt to assist your child.

Before I was aware of these facts I simply assumed the reasons were more mundane: inflating your life-jacket would simply make things slightly harder for yourself, and you should don your own mask first simply because it's easier - and I thought that inflating my own jacket inside the plane would actually save me time, and that I believed I was perfectly capable of assisting family members with their masks before my own if I held my breath. While laughable when informed, I genuinely believed these facts about myself until fairly recently. It would not surprise me if many passengers today feel the same way about themselves.

I understand the the real reasons for the policies make for grim reading and putting those kinds of visceral descriptions in the videos would spook passengers - but I assumed that because the videos never give any dire warnings, and are always said with a cheerful tone of voice, that the instructions weren't all that important, so it would somehow be tolerable if I did my own thing and disregarded the rules because I thought I was acting in my own best interest.

So why don't they at least add some transparency and explanation, for example they could say:

Never inflate your life-jacket inside the aircraft so you can fit through smaller openings and to avoid being trapped if the aircraft takes on water.
Always put on your own air-supply mask first before assisting others because seconds matter in low-oxygen situations.

While the sample explanations I gave don't go into too much detail, they still make it clear to passengers that the consequences of noncompliance are serious, if not fatal - and could still be read with a cheery tone of vocie :)

I compare this to the problem with "Danger: Confined Space" warning signs: the layperson thinks a confined space is dangerous because they might casually bang their head on a low ceiling - no thought is paid towards the common, very real risks and dangers of dangerous gasses pooling in a narrow shaft - yet it isn't too much trouble to add a short message to the sign saying "Because of trapped carbon-monoxide and other gasses", for example. It's odd because we already have other explanatory danger signs like "High voltage" (don't touch it without gloves), "Moving parts" (don't touch it, period) and "Falling objects" (so wear a hard-hat) - so why not airline safety instructions?


texts: What are the pro/cons of polyhedral cranked wings?

texts:
Dihedral wings seems to be very common (almost if not all low-wing airliners, many modern gliders,...). Polyhedral seems to be less common and mainly found in relatively old aircraft (F4 Phatom, F4U Corsair, DR400,...). By polyhedral, I mean at least 2 dihedral angle with a sharp discontinuity between both. I don't include wings whose diheadral angle varies smoothly along the wingspan (such as this B787).

But I was surprised to discover that this design (polyhedral with sharp angle between the distinct diheadral sections of the wing) was elected in at least 2 project whose first flight was in the last 10 years (namely the solar impulse and the qinetiq zephyr). I do realize that both examples I gave have similar missions (stay airborne as long as possible, and thus fly slowly; gather as many sun-energy as possible, and thus fly as horizontally as possible) and may thus have similar design.

Given recently-designed aircraft with polyhedral wing exist, what are the pro/cons of such design over well spread dihedral wings and over the smoothly varying dihedral angle?

EDIT: note that the polyhedral does not necesseraly increase the dihedral angle as we go away from the wing root (Be 12, Habicht,...)


texts: Why did my IAH-SYD flight avoid Mexican airspace?

texts:
I'm on UA101 tonight, the very long IAH-SYD nonstop operated by United.  If we look at Flightaware's routing for the flight (verified by the seatback moving map display) it's clear that we departed IAH, flew over El Paso and into southern California, left US airspace just west of Los Angeles, and then proceeded on the "normal" transpacific routing to Sydney.

Source: flightaware.com

What I can't figure out is why we specifically took this routing: it certainly appears that the point was to avoid overflying Mexican airspace, but I can't figure out why. United and lots of other US airlines provide service to Mexico so it's not like the airspace is off limits or anything.  According to gcmap.com the routing we took tonight adds about 300 miles (~40 minutes) to a route that is already VERY long, and the 787-9 that we're on has to be very nearly at MTOW anyway, so adding another 40 minutes of fuel is on the heaviest (i.e. most expensive) marginal part.

The economics of airline travel don't usually allow for things like this - burning a few thousand extra pounds of Jet-A doesn't make for good business.  Now obviously there's some reason for this routing, but I can't figure out what it might be.  I also looked at a few of the other routings for this same flight, and just a couple of days prior the flight did take a more direct routing over Mexico on the way out.

The winds aloft didn't look meaningfully different - Foreflight computed the times as we'd expect, the "longer" one was ~40 minutes more ETE.


texts: Is a complex airplane endorsement required to act as PIC of a plane without all three elements of the "complex airplane" definition?

texts:
Is an endorsement required to fly act as pilot-in-command of an airplane equipped with a constant-speed propeller, adjustable flaps, and fixed-gear?

This does not meet the complex airplane definition because it is not equipped with retractable landing gear.


texts: Which specific version of English are international pilots and ATC required/recommended to learn?

texts:
Are international ATC and pilots technically required to learn British English, American English, or something else? I've heard it said that they are "supposed to speak ICAO standard phraseology, which just happens to be made up of English words," and that many ATC and pilots speak precisely as many English words as they need to scrape by. Even if they aren't explicitly required to speak AmE or BrE, they are still indirectly required to speak whichever version ICAO standard phraseology is based on, so if that is the case, which version would this be?

Some other things that I'm not asking about directly but might be helpful in providing a complete answer: a bit more about ICAO standard phraseology - is it considered a separate "controlled language" like Simplified Technical English, which was incidentally (or maybe not) developed for use in aviation maintenance manuals? Is it a subset of STE?


texts: Can anyone help identify this old 1930s plane?

texts: I would like to identify this plane, if anyone can help? All I can tell you is that it is from an old photo album and probably an English Airshow in the 1920's or 1930's.


texts: If airports with pilot controlled lighting share a CTAF frequency, could the lights be triggered at multiple airports?

texts: In the US, CTAF frequencies can be shared between several uncontrolled airports.  That is, a pilot around airport A can hear the transmit of another pilot utilizing airport B.  The question is can a pilot using the shared CTAF frequency and clicking the Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) affect the lights of all nearby airports using that same CTAF?


texts: Were there ever instrument approach procedures utilizing only Four Course Range Navigation?

texts: Looking for information on 4 Course Range instrument approach procedures.  I am aware of their navigational use as we developed the airway system, but were they ever used for final approach segment navigation? Does anybody have access to such an approach plate?


texts: Why does the CF6/CFM56 Turbofan Fan Frame contain 12 circular holes between the primary and secondary flow?

texts:
This question is related to the answer I found on this particular thread, about the Frames in a Turbofan.

In a turbofan what holds the spinning axis?

I went on this thread after some research on Google, since recently I started working in the industry. I'm working on this particular part of the frame, and I would like to understand more about it. Also I am currently working on understanding more about jet engines in general and how they work, I find this absolutly fascinating since I found a lot of information and answers to my questions - and now for the curiosity :)

My question is about the Fan Frame here (GE CF6/CFM56 Turbofan on pics)

I would like to know the use of the 12 Circular Holes on the inside of the frame, between the 2 flows (Low-pressure compressor way, Right?), you can see here what i'm talking about on those pictures (Red arrows).

(I don't think this is to make the part lighter, because the outside edges of thoses holes, are re-inforced a lot with a big extra thickness.)

Thank you.


texts: Do airlines have an ATC schedule they have to adhere to?

texts:
Do airlines have to include a departure window when they file their flight plan, or communicate it otherwise?

As many people know, airlines operate on schedules, but I think we all have seen delayed flights, sometimes for 10 mins, sometimes for a couple of hours. However, that is the airline and the customer's problem. Do ATC or the Management at the airport have a departure window though, so if the plane does not depart in between these times; and it is not the airport's fault, they will not let the plane depart, or fine them?


texts: How and how often are the oxygen masks in the cabin checked?

texts:
Looking at this old answer I can see that oxygen masks check is mandatory for the flight deck. What about passenger masks?

Is this check done daily on airliners?
How is this check conducted and what is actually being checked?


texts: How much water does a passenger airliner carry?

texts: How is the amount of water for (a) toilet and (b) drinking to be carried by a flight calculated in the industry? Is there any formula or thumb rule using which we can roughly estimate the amount of water required for toilet and for drinking calculated if the aircraft type $A$ is known and the flight has $P$ passengers on board and is scheduled to fly for $H$ before its next landing?


texts: Are pilots allowed to let passengers fly the plane?

texts:
Is a private pilot license holder in the USA who is giving a scenic tour with friends allowed to let them fly the plane? Are there any restrictions on when this can be done?

In my mind, this could be done safely while at altitude and the pilot could let them do a few shallow turns.  They wouldn't want them doing anything complex and would want them to instantly let go if asked.


texts: Why are speed restrictions imposed for flights flying below 10,000 ft?

texts: I know that restrictions do not always apply and ATC can cancel them or pilots can request for speed restriction being canceled. But why is there such a speed restriction in first place? Are there any reasons other than noise abatement?


texts: Currently, the Antonov An-225 Mriya is being produced with Progress D-18T engines, rated at 229 kN each. However, I've looked at the A340 and I love its Trent 500 engines. But the Trent 556, rated at 249-270 kN, is only used on the A340, and the A340 is not being made anymore. Would it be possible to re-engine a future An-225 to use six Trent 500 engines?


texts: Where can I find/download infos about Special Use Airpsace (SUA) around the world?

texts:
I would like to know if there are any websites where I can find information (and possibly download it) about Special Use Airpsace (SUAs) around the world in terms of time validity, geographical coordinates, flight level restrictions...
If am not mistaking, aixm.areo is a website where I can find such information regarding the European region; I would like to know if there are other websites that allow to download such infos for the rest of the world (North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania....)

If you know please could you also provide some links?

Note: the following quantities should be contained:

time validity
geographical coordinates (lat/lon)
flight level restrictions


texts: What are some of the longest flights without modern navigation systems?

texts:
Context: As a private pilot, I enjoy preparing my flights with a mix of paper charts and iPad apps. In flight, my navigation is now often very assisted by the G1000 or iPad, relegating the paper maps to backup. But I remember that, when I was only using paper maps during training, the workload could quickly rise and that I was sometimes exhausted after a short navigation because of that.

What are the longest (either by time or distance) known flights ever flown without any "modern" navigation system ?

I'm interested by flights that comply to the following criteria:

Did not use any GPS or inertial navigation system (maps and stars are ok)
Radio navigation is ok (but bonus point if the aircraft is not equipped for that)
Have only one leg
Take off and landing fields can be the same if the flight was long enough to require actual navigation (recon missions, circumnavigation...)
Can be historical stories (war heroes, military experiment, pioneers...) as well as modern ones (record attempts...)
May have a flight crew as large as Pilot + Co-Pilot + Navigator + Engineer, but...
...don't have any rest period for the crew (no backup crew on board)


texts: Single vs Twin motor for an electric RC airplane

texts:
I'm designing a fixed wing UAV for a project. I need an airplane that can fly for at least 200 minutes. Obviously, it means a big battery and thus a lot of added weight. I've been debating whether or not I need a twin motor configuration. The idea came after I saw a video of a modified "My twin dream" airplane that has a range of 269 km and can fly for more than 5 hours. The extra thrust might be the reason it can fly for that long but I can not find any research for electric twin motors whatsoever.
Let's say the cruise speed would be 15 m/s. If it only has one motor, maybe it would need to run at 90% of its power vs if it has two motors they would need to be at 45% of their power to match the required thrust for that cruise speed. This could mean, two motors are more efficient than one, even though the extra weight of the added motor.
I'm not sure how to solve this problem.


texts: Can a private pilot fly commercial-type aircraft?

texts: Lets say that a private pilot owns a large commercial-type aircraft like the B777. Can he fly such a plane for himself as a private plane?


texts: How much rudder input does a Cessna 172 require during the take off roll?

texts: I am part of an open-source project developing a simulation of a Cessna 172P. We are tweaking our flight dynamic model at the moment and we are looking for feedback from people with real life experience on the 172. In particular, we would like to know how much rudder input does this aircraft require during a take off roll (with no winds) in order to keep it centred on the runway.


texts: What is this white smoke like thing, seen inside the cabin before takeoff?

texts:
I saw this quite thick white smoke like thing in the cabin in my last flight, before takeoff that is, while it was taxiing and loading passengers:

Video
Please watch in HD to best notice the phenomenon.

It seems to be coming from the AC vents of aircraft. I think it's a quite common phenomenon as the cabin crew didn't even pay any attention to this.
But I saw it for the first time. What is this?

Aircraft Details : VT-IDE (A 3.5 year old A320)

The departure location was Bhubaneshwar and the approximate weather was:
Temperature : 28 °C
Humidity ~ 85%
Clear Sky, good visibility


texts: What is the 0-60mph time of an aircraft carrier catapult?

texts:
Tesla's new Roadster is giving a 0-60mph time of 1.9 seconds. Truly ludicrous acceleration.

I was wondering how a fighter jet released from a steam catapult compares.


texts: How does one deal with a UNICOM operator directing aircraft like at a towered airport?

texts:
Seems like an odd scenario, however I have experienced this a few times now.  A non-towered airport will have someone on the radio directing traffic and reading out weather info like barometric pressure.

I find this to be extremely dangerous and unwanted as the times I have encountered this, the person on the radio has no reason or training to do this (among other things).

Question:  If faced with this scenario what would you do?  Would you report the airport?  Am I looking too much into this and should just let it go?


texts: What is meant by "Control your descent with throttle when landing, not with pitch"

texts:
I have heard it said on several occassion that when you are landing you need to control your descent with your throttle, and not with your pitch.

Two closely related questions that I think can be answered in one go:

Why do we use throttle instead of pitch to control the descent?
How does this work in practical terms?  (How do you do it?)


texts: Does every device/software, developed for use in the cockpit, need to be certified?

texts:
Every avionic, developed for use in the cockpit has to complete a long and expensive certification process.

Is this only applying for avionics, installed fixed into the aircraft or also for apps like ForeFlight for example?

For example: If I had developed an app similar to ForeFlight to use on the tablet, is there anything I had to do in regards to certification or could I just sell it to pilots?


texts: Are there regulations about objects/buildings above (across) taxiways?

texts:
ICAO doc9157 part2 recommend many standard of taxiway system, including width, separation, slope,etc.

How about height of the object above taxiway, like passenger bridge or rail track? Is there any ICAO doc recommendation or major aviation authorities' rule(like FAA) about the vertical clearance of taxiway?


texts: How does type ratings training work at the airlines?

texts:
How does it work to get typed in a different aircraft at a carrier like United, American, and/or Delta? If you're a first officer on the A320, but want to be a first officer on a different aircraft? Is it seniority and bidding on a different aircraft? How long would that typically take to get to that point to change aircraft?

Getting ready to start at a regional, and was curious. I'm also wondering how you get selected for the aircraft you will fly once reaching a major


texts: Do any aircraft automatically test that the pitot-static system is functioning properly before liftoff?

texts: Given that a properly-functioning pitot-static system is absolutely essential for flight (a plane cannot be flown without valid airspeed data, or at least not for long), are there aircraft that automatically check the functioning of the pitot-static system before liftoff?  This seems like it would be quite easy to do; during takeoff, compare the airspeed measured by the pitot-static system against the groundspeed (which could be read from speed transducers mounted on the landing gear), and sound an alarm (“INVALID AIRSPEED” or something similar) if the rates of change of the two fail to match within a certain tolerance (indicating either a failure of the pitot-static system or severe windshear along the length of the runway, both of which necessitate rejecting the takeoff).


texts:
Why don't most military transports use modern commercial engines?

More specifically planes like C-17, the Antonov's use older less powerful engines while modern efficient and powerful engines are available in the commercial sector.


texts: Is there a tool to learn to pronounce aviation jargon accurately?

texts: So I've been reading technical aviation books and I come across a lot words I want to learn to say correctly but unlike simple words which I just look up in an audio Oxford dictionary I can't think of where online I can find audio pronunciations of aviation words. Any suggestions?


texts: How does the pilot check if an engine fire is real?

texts:
I've read this question and its answers basically asking why putting out an engine fire is not left to the computer but a manual task.

One of the points mentioned is that there simply might be a sensor error or similar and the engine isn't actually on fire, in which case you obviously don't want the computer to needlessly shut down an engine.

My question however is, how do the pilots assess wether the engine is actually on fire or not?

All planes I've been on had their engines very close to the aircraft and I doubt they are easily if at all visible from the flight deck. I would assume a good indicator might be the loss of thrust, but that could also be detectable by a computer. Do the pilots have cameras they can activate to check on the engines, or do they call the cabin personal and ask them to take a peek, do they walk out and check or is it based on how loud the passengers scream in the back? I guess all of these work, but what is the common procedure?


texts: What is the bend in the tip of the blade of the new Black Hawk?

texts:
The newer Black Hawks have this angle added to the end of their rotor blades.

What is it for? How does it increase or decrease performance?
Could this be used on airplane propellers?

(verticalmag.com)


texts: Does the FlightRadar24 pose a risk to aviation security?

texts: As you may know, on the internet there is the FlightRadar24 website where you can see the flight information of planes worldwide in real time. Although this is wonderful for those who like aviation, does this type of system not pose any risk to aircraft safety? For example, terrorists may well plan an attack on a specific plane by knowing its information.


texts:
In the event that, despite his best efforts, a VFR-only pilot has gotten trapped on top of a solid cloud layer, what is(are) the safest course(s) of action?

For example, consider a long cross-country flight where the destination was forecast to be clear, few or scattered but upon arrival turned out to be broken or overcast.


texts:
Listen closely to the engine sound here.

It seems to me all rotaries continuously sound on/off. Is that a pilot application to manage the engine's torque (with the whole block rotating), or as mentioned when I brought it up in chat, due to the throttle control choosing which cylinders to fire?

  (...) the Camel gives you throttle control by simply not firing some cylinders.

This question pertains to both the control (mechanism) and application (in-flight) of rotary engines. Prior to the comment I received, I always thought it was the pilot walking the lever up/down. Perhaps due to too much power and not enough fine control.


texts: What is a jet engine tolerance for a bird strike?

texts: Similar questions have been asked ; a partial answer is in 14 CFR part 33-76, stating 16 small birds ( 85 g) must be tolerated . But what other qualification tests are there ; for medium and large birds ? I understand the Rolls Royce RB 211 (?) failed the larger bird test and had to be reworked to replace carbon fiber fan blades with titanium. What is the larger bird test ? Accepting that none will survive a flock of geese or ducks.


texts: Why were the ailerons of the Fokker Dr. I (Red Baron) located on the top wing?

texts:
Photos' source are here: Fokker Dr. I (Red Baron), and here: a Sopwith triplane. They are probably not the actual airplane but only (claimed) authentic models.

It makes sense to me that the Sopwith had ailerons on all three wings. But the Dr. I only had them on the top wing.

My question is, what is the aerodynamic explanation of this design? Why not have ailerons on the middle and on the bottom wing? Which design is better?


texts: What brakes are used between line-up and takeoff?

texts: I was wondering if an airliner was instructed to line-up on the runway ("line-up and wait"), will the park brake be used or will manual braking be used (pedals) during the wait until the take-off clearance is given? Same for holding short the runway before line-up / take-off clearance? Does it make a difference which brakes are used in the first place?


texts: Why are aircraft designed so that the wing stalls before the tail?

texts:
I read somewhere that conventional aircraft are designed so that the main wing always stalls before the tailplane. Why is that?

My concern is that if the wing stalls, suddenly the tail will push the aircraft into a higher AoA, and maybe stall itself, though the pilot would still have control for some time to avoid that. On the other hand, if the tail stalls, the plane will (violently?) pitch down, but would be able to recover afterward.

So what am I missing?

Edit: Assume the center of gravity of the plane is in front of the main wing


texts: How is one's hypoxia resistance affected by the time of day?

texts:
I am doing my PPL course in the Czech Republic and here they have the following question in tests: when during a day is the resistance of a human organism to hypoxia the best? There are 3 possible answers:

3 am
12 am
5 pm

What is the correct answer and why? Is a human's ability to resist hypoxia connected somehow with the time of day? FAA book doesn't have a word about it.


texts: Why do outboard spoilers deploy more than the inboard spoiler on the A320?

texts:
I was reading in the FCOM about the speedbrakes and ground spoilers when I came across the below lines.

The maximum speedbrake deflection in manual flight is:

40° for spoilers 3 and 4
20° for spoiler 2.

The maximum speedbrake deflection with the autopilot engaged is:

25° for spoilers 3 and 4
12.5° for spoiler 2.

Why is there a difference?


texts: Is there a cockpit which can recognize the voice of the pilot and help him/her to fly?

texts: Is there any new cockpit that uses voice commands (think for example Siri from the new iphones) that can identify the voice of the pilot and help him/her to fly?


texts: Is it negligent to depart with one thrust reverser inoperative?

texts:
[Source:] The aircraft had departed with one thrust reverser (on the left wing) inoperative, and the pilots knew of incidents in the craft's maintenance log where the auto-brakes had failed to activate during landings.

Why not fix and then recheck the defective parts? Were these pilots deliquent and remiss?

Footnote: I learned of  this flight accident first after watching Mayday, Season 14, Episode 5.


texts: What is the difference between a volume-limited-payload and a maximum-zero-fuel-weight-limited-payload?

texts:
Reading [Long Range Aircraft-AEA Requirements].

In appendix, Para 1.2 Definitions and specifications, the definition for "Payload" states

  Payload should be the Volume Limited Payload (...) or the Maximum Zero Fuel Weight limited payload, whichever is the lesser.

How can we can define and understand "Maximum Zero Fuel Weight limited payload"?


texts: Why don't modern heavy bombers have gun turrets?

texts: I know that for a period of time the B-52 had a tailgunner, but nowadays many heavy bombers lack any turret defense.Why?


texts: Why don't pushback tugs take the aircraft to the runway?

texts:
As we know aircrafts have to turn on their engines to taxi the entire way to the runway, if pushback tugs are used, it would save a lot of ATF and overall costs.

Is there any specific regulation by the FAA preventing the pushback tugs from taking the aircraft to the runway, rather than the taxiway?

Image Source: Wikipedia


texts: Do airliner cabin filters trap viruses or other pathogens?

texts:
I understand that half the air in an airliner is re-circulated (per How much air is recirculated (vs. bleed air injected) in modern airliners cabin?). Of this 50% re-circulated air, what it's the chance that viruses pass through its filters?

Disregarding possible recent developments due to the COVID-19 outbreak, were filters normally designed to remove viruses or sterilize the air somehow?


texts: What is a "guarded" frequency and how does it differ from a frequency that's unguarded?


texts: What are the reasons for autopilot restrictions on instrument approaches?

texts:
On some instrument approaches, the autopilot-coupled approach is not authorized (or not authorized below a certain minimum).
For example,

Autopilot-coupled NA (MRY: ILS OR LOC RWY 10R)

Autopilot-coupled NA below a minimum (LVK: ILS RWY 25R)

Moreover, on some approaches, the DA is lower if we have a AP/FD/HUD.

I guess the lower DA is because we can give more attention outside the window when there is AP/FD/HUD's assistance. I didn't come up with any idea or context why autopilot-coupling won't work.

If it is turbulent and the autopilot doesn't respond quickly enough to keep the needle centre, we may not use autopilot at all. If the air is calm, the autopilot may well outperform hand-flying. However, it depends on the quality of the autopilot.


texts: Usually we read, on reports, aircraft reporting urgency or emergency during the flight, while airborne. But, is it correct to use these "words" on ground?


texts: What will happen on Airbus A320-200 series when during push back NW STRG DISC in not in the towing position?

texts:
During pushback what might happen if the NW STRG DISC is not indicated green on ECAM?
Will I have an ECAM warning?
What would be the worst case scenario that might happen?


texts: Why did this 737 not take off on first attempt?

texts:
This video shows a 737 'near miss' takeoff. I'm curious as to why the aircraft did not take off as expected, i.e. is there anything obvious from the video?

I'm assuming the speed and payload would have been within the expected limits, so wondering if someone can explain what happened.


texts: Will the G1000 cut off transmission over 35 seconds?

texts:
I'm new on G1000 system, it says;

  If the push-to-talk (PTT) Key becomes stuck, the COM transmitter stops
  transmitting after 35 seconds of continuous operation.

I'm wondering if we keep speaking on COM over 35 sec, will it stop transmitting? Or, if I keep PTT open without speaking, will it stop transmitting?


texts: Need help to clarify the terms "arrival", "departure", "approach", "terminal" and "transition" fix for US STAR and SIDS

texts:
I find it a bit difficult to clarify, while consulting the US published STAR and SID published charts, which fixes are designated as arrival, departure, approach, terminal and transition.

Could somebody point out the aforementioned distinctions or any source that would help clarify these terms? I have gone through the FAA's Aeronautical Chart User's Guide but I was unable to discern the subtleties of each definition.


texts: How are rotorcraft and/or VTOL aircraft handled once they get to an airport?

texts:
I am asking this from an ATC perspective ... my experience as a pilot is that they would make helicopters fly the same approach but once they got the airport environment in site where do they go? Taxi over the taxiway at XX feet?  Are they given "hold short" instructions? The whole thing is a big mystery to me.

Do they stay with tower or do they go to ground frequency even though they are still airborne?

And then for VTOL operations I guess those aircraft like the F-35B have wheels so they could land and taxi like a normal aircraft ... is that the procedure?


texts: Do flight attendants have a regulatory responsibility to risk their own lives to save passengers?

texts: A documentary about the collision at Tenerife seems to imply that the Pan Am flight attendants left the aircraft without helping a single passenger?  Is this correct? If so how is this possible? Are flight attendants required by regulation to place their own lives at risk to save passengers?


texts: Why is white light more visible than red and green on this Cessna model on a sunny day?

texts:
Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hNgu1vypV3g/hqdefault.jpg

VS

Why is the white Landing light more visible on a fine sunny day and not the other two? I would have assumed the Red one to be most visible during flight, followed by Green but from a distance on a sunny day you can only see the white Landing LED very clearly but neither of the other two. Could it simply be because of the intensity of white light being more (having 2 bulbs) as compared to the other two having 1 bulb each?

This picture does illustrate the position of lights but since it was taken in a dark setting it doesn't do justice to how it appears during the day. Those red and green lights are not visible at all from any distance beyond a few meters.

When its a little dark (evening / cloudy) they are clearly visible.

Please Note: It is not really so that I expect to see all these 3 lights clearly on a bright day, obviously against sun light they stand no chance. I am just curious as to why the colored ones are far less visible than the white one.


texts: Is there any load and balance and attitude that can put positive G on one wing and negative on the other?

texts: I got caught in gusty cross wind on the  final approach to Catalina airport last week and decided to add power and push for quick turn to come back over laterally sliding runway in a Cessna 172N. Later I was thinking back about the distribution of wind and lift pressure on the wings and could imagine a loading that would be directed upward under my left wing but changing downward on at least part of my right wing. Imagine that you're viewing the plane from behind and see it like a catamaran banked into 30' angle. And a horizontal line not necessarily passing through center crossing it as the sea water level. Is it possible and what to do to handle it?


texts: Is the Runway Visual Range (RVR) communicated to the pilots?

texts:
During CAT IIIA/IIIB approach where the decision height is 50 ft/0 ft, if the Runway Visual Range requirement for the approach is not met, what is a pilot to do?

I mean, 50 ft (or even 100 ft?) seem so low enough  that a go around can not be initiated. Unless the pilot knows the RVR beforehand how can he be sure to perform CAT III approach?


texts: I have flight logs for a WW II B-24 navigator who flew with a combat crew in China Burma India.  There is a column for number of landings.  The entries range from 1 to 5 or 6, mostly 1 or 2.  The time can be as long as 8:00 to 10:00 or more.  Why is the number of landings recorded?  Is that still done today?


texts: What runway materials reduce skidding in wet conditions?

texts: What are the possible materials that can be used on a runway, so as to reduce the plane speed and certainly stop the plane while preventing skidding when the runway is wet?


texts: How does the F-35B not flip over during transition?

texts:
As the engine nozzle rotates, the lift-fan cannot. Wouldn't this imbalance of moments around the center of gravity result in the F-35 pitching up onto its back?

As can be seen at 5:14 in this video:

             the F-35B is capable of transitioning from vertical hover to horizontal flight.

It accomplishes this in part by gradually rotating the engine nozzle from the vertical position to the horizontal.
Let us assume that the throttle input stays constant in the following scenario:
As the nozzle rotates, the vertical component of its thrust is reduced (as the horizontal component increases) as

$$thrust_{horizontal} = thrust \cdot \cos(\theta)$$

$\theta$ being the angle between the jet exhaust and the vertical axis.
The problem is, the lift fan does not rotate.  And since it is attached by shaft to the engine, we assume it always rotates at the same RPM as the engine itself.
Therefore, the vertical component of lift of the lift fan does not change for a given throttle input, while the vertical component of the jet engine nozzle does!

So as the nozzle transition occurs, the thrust of the lift fan (ahead of the center of gravity) stays constant, but the vertical thrust behind the center of gravity (rear engine nozzle) reduces: shouldn’t this cause the aircraft to pitch upwards and flip onto its back?
Yet in the video the aircraft seems to pitch up only ten or so degrees (I assume due to the increased coefficient of lift on the wings) but otherwise stays flat in pitch.

The thrust of the lift fan must be somehow modulated to accomplish this, right?  If so how is this done if its shaft speed is tied to that of the engine?

Possible solutions:
1. As the aircraft’s forward velocity increases, the lift of the wings compensates for the reduced vertical lift of the rear engine nozzle.
2. The aircraft pitches up so as to deflect the angle of the lift fan from the vertical to match the angle between the engine nozzle and vertical.


texts: Which avoidance maneuver is best when seeing crossing traffic on approach to a runway?

texts:
Let us say I am in final landing and I saw another aircraft is crossing the runway while I am still in air, should go around be my best choice?

If I touched down and then I saw the traffic, how could I make the best decision to avoid the conflicting traffic, increase throttle to go around, or increase brake force to stop before the impact, or decease the speed and try to exit the runway at a high speed?


texts: Why is the numerically determined location of the center of pressure inaccurate near Cl = 0?

texts:
I am working on an assignment and I need to calculate the center of pressure of an airfoil, through a numerical method (the panel method). I am getting a weird result because it gives its position on a point outside the chord for a determined angle of attack.

When I asked my professor he said that under an angle of attack near the angle of attack that makes Cl=0, it may come out that way, because the center of pressure is calculated through an expression that involves a quotient with the Cl=0 on its denominator.

I am confused because I don't know if it is just that the method fails in that case, or if it has some physical explanation.


texts: Does a straight missed approach require all turns to be less than or equal to 15 degrees?

texts:
I am studying ICAO's PANS-OPS 8168 manual, and I am having trouble understanding the criteria applied to straight and turning missed approaches. In the manual, it clearly states:

  I-4-6-2 Types of missed approach.

  There are two types of missed approach:

  a) straight missed approach (includes turns less than or equal to 15 degrees)

  b) turning missed approach.

When there is a turn more than 15 degrees, it takes into considerations three cases (1. turn at altitude/height, 2. turn at at fix/facility, 3. turn at MAPt). As far as I can tell, each one of them concerns only a small initial portion of the whole missed approach. An example can be seen in the following picture.

Taking the above points into consideration, I would like to know if the requirement for turns less than 15 degrees does not concern all the legs of a straight missed approach, only those which are between the MAPt and the (potential) Turning Point. In other words, it seems strange to have, for example, only one turn more than 15 degrees near the end of the missed approach, which can be many miles away from the MAPt, and suddenly the whole missed approach to be considered a turning missed approach, instead of straight, with all the subsequent rules of a turning missed approach applied from the MAPt until the last waypoint.


texts: Do visual docking systems improve safety?

texts: Are there any studies that shows A-VDGS (Advanced Visual Docking Guidance System) is improving the safety of aircraft movements on airports?


texts: Is there a procedure for landing on an aircraft carrier when the tailhook fails to deploy?

texts:
When landing on aircraft carriers, a tailhook is used to snag one of the cables on the carrier deck, which slows the aircraft.

When the landing gear fails to deploy I have seen it is possible to make an emergency landing by landing on the belly - and I'm sure there are other options too.

However, what would a pilot do if the tailhook failed to deploy when landing on a carrier? Is the carrier deck long enough for a pilot to stop without the tailhook? What else could a pilot do in this situation?


texts: Is it possible to do a barrel roll in a large aircraft like a B737?

texts:
Can the bigger planes like B737 do barrel rolling kind of stunts like fighter jets do? I'm sure if it's full of passengers or cargo it would be very difficult and dangerous, but is it possible with an empty aircraft?

I remember an All Nippon Airways incident where the co-pilot did a 131 deg roll by mistake but I don't know if a complete barrel roll is actually possible in large planes?


texts: How does the fuselage handle the different loads?

texts:
I have been trying to find out how the loads experienced by a fuselage are transferred between structural members (bulkheads, formers, frame assemblies, skin, longerons, stringers).

I understand that the following loads are typically experienced by the fuselage:

empennage loads due to trim, manoeuvring, turbulence and gusts
pressure loads due to cabin pressurisation
landing gear loads due to landing impact, taxiing and ground manoeuvring
loads due to the weight of passengers and cargo

What I don't understand is how are these loads handled by the fuselage structure. I would really appreciate if someone could help explain the concept to me.


texts: Do I have any authority over airspace above my land?

texts:
With all this talk about drones flying around and delivering parcels for the merchant websites, I'm wondering from a "landlubber's" perspective, how much say I have over the airspace of my private land.

Now I know this question is a bit broad and quite difficult because it might differ from country to country and also depend on the size of the land, for instance a farm vs. a house in the city. It might also be interesting to know how it affects a piece of private land with a private runway.

But since it is sadly the norm these days for every country to follow Europe's lead eventually on these kind of privacy issues, Europe's might be the most relevant in the end. Any general insight from you all on this would be very informative.


texts: How to achieve shorter taxiing time by elongating the airfield

texts:
What about doubling the length of airfields in order to shorten the time it takes for a plane to roll on the ground after landing and before takeoff. The plane could take off from the middle of the air-lane and when it lands it can turn off in the middle, in order to minimise the driving time to and from the terminal. Why don't we see this and what does it take to achieve it?
I had expected a calculation as an answer to this question. Taxiing takes 23 minutes. In Sweden savings for private travel is evaluated to €4 per hour and $20 for business.


texts: If you file a flightplan with "NO SID", can you still get assigned a graphical ODP in your clearance?

texts:
Recently, the FAA has been moving to migrate Obstacle Departure Procedures from the textual form they are in in the A/FD Departure Procedures section to use the same graphical/charted format that SIDs use -- in addition, this means that charted SIDs are just a kind of charted Departure Procedure, just like charted Obstacle Departure Procedures.

However, when SIDs were originally implemented, there was a safety valve put in for pilots who weren't up for handling a complex departure procedure on their own -- you could file "NO SID" in your flight plan and ATC wouldn't assign you a SID as part of the clearance.  However, if the airport has a charted (graphical) Obstacle Departure Procedure and you're filing IFR, will you still get assigned the ODP as part of your clearance even if you are filing "NO SID" in your flight plan?  Or will ATC do something else instead?


texts: What is the difference between the various automated airport weather observing systems?

texts: Automated airport weather observations can be produced by several types of equipment: AWOS-A, AWOS-1, AWOS-2, AWOS-3, and ASOS are the ones I've seen mentioned. What are the differences between these reporting systems? Are the older systems still prevalent, or have they been mostly converted to the new systems?


texts: FADEC or EEC for PT6-42A...is it feasible?

texts:
In a response to a You-tube clip showcasing Piper's M600 single turbo prop, a viewer dismissed it as an inferior engine compared to a GE (probably an H-80 series) due to lack of FADEC or Electronic Engine Control (ECC) which GE engine has but lacking in PT-6.

Since controlling the PT-6 on the above aircraft does not seem to require a big workload from the pilot, I am wondering is there any necessity to equip this engine with FADEC, and whether the cost/benefit ratio is justifiable?


texts: I can't find anything online about flying for the United Nations, either helicopter or fixed-wing, and any of their aviation programs, and I'm really interested in this. Can someone point me toward some more information about flying for the UN?


texts: Is it safe to fly with a B737-800? Is it different from a B737 Max 8?

texts: I'm flying from Costa Rica to Chile in November with a B737-800 plane. I'm wondering if this is a different aircraft than the B737 Max 8 or if it's the same?


texts: How can I find which engines are used on the different A320 weight variants?

texts: When looking in the type certificate for the different configurations of the A320, I found a lot (really, more than 50) weight variants listed. But none seemed to mention the actual engine paired with that specific weight variant. Is there something I am missing, or is there another way of finding out?


texts:
AWS says the SIGWX charts are issued at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC, which I assume matches the VT times on the charts themselves. What confuses me is AWS' parenthesized statement based on the current ETA model available (http://aviationweather.gov/products/swl/info).

Let's say it's 1100Z on Monday morning, and I'm trying to use the SIGWX charts to predict weather as far in the future as possible using SIGWX charts available to me at this time (again 1100Z on Monday morning), and only SIGWX charts. I know there are other information sources, but this question pertains only to SIGWX charts and their timing.

1) Which SIGWX charts are relevant for future weather developments (at 1100Z Monday)? The only two updates scheduled at 1200 and 1800 at this time?

2) I'm assuming that today's (Monday's) 0000Z and 0600Z SIGWX charts will be updated using the current ETA model available at the time the 1200Z chart is published. So is it fair to say that "all" SIGWX charts are updated when a SIGWX chart is published (at 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800)?

Thanks for any clarification.


texts: How did ICAO SARPS come to include the 250 knots speed limit for aircraft below 10,000 feet?

texts:
In certain airspace classes, a speed limit of 250 knots IAS is imposed for aircraft flying below FL100/10.000FT, according to the airspace classes defined by ICAO. How did this limit find its way into the ICAO SARPS?

The answer to this question gives a good reason why such speed limits were introduced in the USA by the FAA. I am interested in finding out why the same speed limits were de facto rolled out world wide by being included in the ICAO SARPS. Did the ICAO include the 250 KIAS below FL100 restriction for the same reason the FAA did, or are there other (additional) reasons?

For example, was this done to give pilots a better chance of spotting other traffic? To reduce the severity of bird strikes? To provide consistency with FAA rules? To allow more efficient air traffic management? To reduce noise? Or for other reasons entirely?

I am looking for actual sources on this matter, not guesses and opinions.


texts:
Are there any flights that go over the South Pole, or any that have? I'm not interested in flights over the edges of Antarctica, I'm asking about crossing right over the Pole.

Are there any problems with the planes compass flying over the South Pole?


texts: Would a canard work better for emergency pitch down?

texts:
In order for a conventional horizontal tail plane to generate a nose pitch down effect in a stall condition, it must increase its angle of attack even more (by use of elevator or pitching up more).  A front mounted canard would pitch DOWN into the airstream, increasing chances of remaining unstalled. A canard would also be in relatively undisturbed airflow.

The old fashioned solution is to mount a lower aspect, wedge , or delta shaped horizontal horizontal tail that clearly allows the main wing to stall first.  Newer designs, especially in airliners, feature reduced size Hstabs of similar planform to the wings, relying on computers to maintain pitch control.

Would a downward pitching canard be a better solution to avoid deep stall or stalls in general?


texts: How much power is used by cabin lighting systems during flight?

texts: How much power is used by cabin lighting systems during flight when all the lights are ON?


texts: How can I know if a landing exceeds the hard landing threshold for a Cessna 172S?

texts: How does a pilot determine the difference between a firm landing, and one that needs to be written up for a hard landing inspection in a Cessna 172S?


texts: What are these aircraft? Seen in silhouette over Palm Springs

texts:
Screen capture on iMac, of photo posted and claimed taken 11/21/15.
Palm Springs, CA


texts: Is this the shortest route served by an Airbus A320? Port Louis to Saint-Denis, 231 km (144 mi). Air Mauritius flight MK248.


texts: Under what conditions does the FWC give the PITCH PITCH aural call-out on the A320?

texts:
I wanted to find more detailed information about the PITCH PITCH aural call-out that the FWC gives out on the A320. However it is not listed in the FCOM. It would help alot to understand about this feature.

It would be really helpful for an official reference also.


texts: Why RNAV SIDs and STARs are RNAV 1 instead of RNP 1?

texts:
I am studying for my CFII check-ride and I was wondering to know why SIDs and STARs are not RNP 1 but RNAV 1?
Let's start with the following two definitions
RNP - Required Navigation Performance: It's a PBN navigation method/specification in which the airplane achieves an specified accuracy (RNP 1, RNP 2, etc) the a 95 % of the flight time. It has an onboard monitoring system that alerts the pilot when the integrity is loss. Examples of Equipments that are able to perform RNP 1, RNP2, etc are IFR GPS receivers with RAIM or WAAS (integrity monitor).
RNAV - Area Navigation: As we know, FAA uses RNAV in chart tittles only to determine Area Navigation. But RNAV it is also a PBN method/specification in which the airplane achieves an specified accuracy (RNAV 1, RNAV 2, etc) the a 95 % of the flight time. The only difference is that the aircraft won't alert the pilot when the integrity of the system is loss. I've never used an RNAV system without integrity monitor, I guess that DME/DME/IRU is wan of those. Is an IFR GPS with RAIM capability lost considered an RNAV system without integrity monitor?
The final and most important question is: On SIDs and STARs, Why is it not required to have a system that monitors the integrity of the equipment and alert the pilot if the accuracy can't be determined? Are pilots supposed to monitor the integrity of the systems by themselves? How?
Thanks
Edit
I found the following on AC 90-100A CHG2 8. RNAV SYSTEM APPROVAL PROCESS (b)(1)
"For procedures requiring GPS and/or aircraft approvals requiring GPS, if the navigation system
does not automatically alert the flightcrew of a loss of GPS, the operator must develop procedures to verify correct GPS operation"


texts:
If efficiency of converting battery power to lift or thrust is paramount, why don't drones use shrouded or ducted fans, instead of unshrouded propellers?

This is the only image I could find to clarify what I mean by "ducted fan":

Image source (public domain)

My thoughts:

An extremely light weight duct could be made, so weight is probably not a factor
Increased suceptibility to winds could be a big negative
Maybe it doesn't make much difference at the low thrust levels of drones


texts: Why would the fuel pressure decrease during a climb?

texts: When performing a climb in a SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 with a Lycoming engine, the fuel pressure decreased. Why would that happen?


texts: Turbo-fan idle at high speeds, will air speed up fan speed?

texts:
If N1 idle is 30%, will flying idle at very high speeds force the fan to go higher than 30%? (for example idle while descending fast)

And if no, why not?


texts: How can you identify an Airbus and or Boeing from the inside based on features of the interior?

texts:
I already asked a very similar question, but the answer wasn't was I was expecting. Hence this time I am more specific.

How can you recognize a plane from the inside, when you are already sitting as passenger?

In particular, is there a way to understand if you are inside a Boeing or an Airbus based on interior features of the aircraft?

The question is specifically related to the differences in interior features between aircraft built by the two companies. I am not looking for answers such as "check on your ticket", "ask the flight attendant" or "read the evacuation pamphlet".


texts: Can anyone identify the Make and Model of this nosed-over plane?

texts: I've tried to identify this plane by the writing on the plate on the cowling but have been unable to match the logo, and when I've blown the size up the writing is unreadable. It looks something like SCOOTROM with a long tail on the upper part of the "S" and with two straight lines under it.  I think this light crash took place in Wisconsin, perhaps Madison or Stoughton but I don't have a year.


texts:
The Diamond Katana DA20-A1 Manual says that the best glide angle can be achieved with flaps in the t/o position at 72kn at maximum weight.

My naive understanding would be that a flaps up position would always provide a better glide angle, because of the lower drag. So why does the Katana apparently have a better glide with flaps t/o?


texts: What is this metal piece sticking up on the roof of a 182?

texts:
My CFI and I were stumped as to what the purpose of this metal piece is on the roof of a 182. I couldn't find anything from searching Cessna POHs/docs online... Any ideas?
Here is a close-up:


texts: "The pilot must know the center of gravity and gross weight to fly" -- True or false?

texts:
I've been trained to know the calculated gross weight and center of gravity for takeoff and landing for every flight for which I have acted as pilot in command.

I've had other instructors dispute that this is not a requirement and simply being familiar enough with the aircraft to reasonably be able to estimate that you're within C.G. tolerances considering the fuel and passengers is satisfactory.

Are there any regulations that explicitly define the requirements of pre-flight weight and balance familiarization for civil airplanes requiring an AFM containing takeoff and landing distance data?

If not, surely there is some catch-all so lawyers can sue us easier; what would that most likely be based on case law? 14 CFR 91.13, the "all available information concerning that flight" clause from 14 CFR 91.103, or something else?

Note that 14 CFR 91.103(b) requires familiarization with runway lengths of intended use and takeoff and landing distance data for any flight; myself and others would argue that being able to meet that condition would require, at a minimum, familiarization with certain weather metrics and knowing the airplane's loaded gross weight.

However, I am still not seeing an explicit requirement to know a specific C.G. figure.


texts: How to define the aileron's deflection angle (in the Laplace domain)?

texts:
Very simple question here. I know what Laplace transforms are, but except for solving ODE's I haven't really used them in a real project or thought about it in a very pragmatic way.

I am currently reading "Small Unmanned Aircraft : Theory and Practice" from    Randal W. Beard, Timothy W. McLain and am a bit lost on how exactly I should incorporate/use a specific equation.

My question is about this equation that relates the aileron deflection to the fixed wing UAV's roll angle:

where:

It seems like the aileron's deflection angle $\delta$ is a function of s, ie $\delta(s)$.

So my first question is: suppose you want to imply the aileron rotated 45degrees how does that translate to $\delta(s)$?

Secondly, I imagine I should let s vary from 0 to infinity, that will give me a graphical representation in the s domain, but that I think won't tell my how many degrees my roll angle is relative to some axis. Or am I missing something?

EDIT:

Another link to the book, with mirrors (libgen.io, libgen.pw, bookfi.net, bookzz.org) to its content depending on your location: http://libgen.io/book/index.php?md5=7314182B194BAB33173B521614B42663

I am trying to achieve latteral tracking and/or terminal control on a fixed wing UAV for autodidactical purposes.


texts:
Why does a plane fly like this?

https://www.flightradar24.com/LED5/dea0776


texts: Do modern aircraft still have PCMCIA for engine monitoring?


texts: What causes the distinct sounds of a jet engine?

texts:
I live a few miles from a major airport (BOS), under the path that a lot of airplanes use to depart. The planes are somewhat low over my house -- high enough that it's not deafening, but low enough that I can make out the livery. Judging from a couple planes I just looked at on flightaware.com, I'd guess somewhere in the 5,000 - 8,000 foot range.

I can often make out three fairly distinct sounds from the planes:

a mid-range roar, the sort that one would typically associate with a jet flying overhead
a sort of whistling
sometimes a buzz

The buzz isn't always there, but when it is, it's quite loud; significantly more noticeable than the other two.

What causes each of these sounds? I know there are different components of an engine (I'm guessing the main ones for this question would be the fan, compressors, combustion chamber, and turbines, and possibly the nozzle). I'm guessing each contributes to some, but not all, of the sounds.

If it matters, my house is around where the planes turn (they often take off heading more or less NW, and then turn west or SW where I can see them). I think the buzzing (when I can hear it) is loudest when the plane is at about a 45 degree angle to me (so I'm seeing its front-left as it's climbing), but I wouldn't swear to it.


texts: What are the differences between symmetrical and cambered airfoils?

texts:
I have seen images of cambered and symmetrical wings but apart from that what are the major differences between them?
I have also read that symmetric wings don't produce any lift at 0° AOA whereas cambered wings do.

Also, are the 2 statements given below true?

In a cambered airfoil, the aerodynamic center and center of pressure are not at the same place, so the lift created also generates a moment at the aerodynamic center.
In a symmetric airfoil, the aerodynamic center and the center of pressure are at the same place, so you do not have a pitching moment.


texts: What is the theory of the ram's horn yoke?

texts:
Embraer tend to use a Ram's Horn yoke in the Phenom and many of their RJ aircraft:

And Cessna uses a more standard yoke with vertical sides:

What is Embraer's reasoning for the Ram's Horn Yoke? Are there advantages?


texts: What are the advantages/disadvantages of placing an engine in the tail?

texts:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having an engine in the vertical stabilizer, a la the DC-10, Lockheed TriStar, and 727?

It seems that this has gone out of fashion among jetliners. Is there a reason for this?

It seems that the FAA's 60 Minute Rule was an impetus for the trijet configuration. But is that the only motivation? Is a tail engine less aerodynamically efficient?


texts: What do left handed F-16 pilots do about the right side stick?

texts: I was just watching a video about the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels doing their city fly overs and realized that the F-16 has a right hand side stick, which begs the question "what do left handed F-16 pilots do about it?" Adapt? Not get selected for that aircraft? These and other dumb questions for you


texts: How do I calculate the required heading for an aircraft carrier with an angled deck to sail into the wind?

texts:
The natural wind is from 360 degrees at 10 knots. The desired relative wind down the angled deck is 10 degrees left of the ship’s heading at 30 knots.

What heading and speed must the carrier go?


texts: Is there a central database for all airline reservation information?

texts: So we are flying on a reservation that flies from LAX to NRT with United then from NRT to BKK on Thai Airways via a United codeshare. This reservation was booked through United's website. When the reservation was confirmed, I noticed that the E-Ticket number was the same for all segments of the flight, across both United and Thai. Is there any central computer system used by airlines that keeps track of information such as these E-Ticket numbers to prevent discrepancies during ticketing? I ask this because I am very curious how exactly each airline's computer system "talks" to each other and if there is some sort of established protocol for doing so.


texts: Stalls: which flight control surface is effective last?

texts: In an aerodynamic stall, which flight control surface (limited to ailerons, elevators and rudder) remains effective for the longest period of time during the stalling condition? In other words, which of the three loses its effectiveness last?


texts: On a sectional, is there a way to determine if an airport is an Air Force/Naval base?

texts: On the east coast, we have a lot of Air Force/Naval bases that are listed on sectionals.  Is there a quick way to determine that an airport is one of these?


texts: Is it legal to fly without a radio in Germany?

texts:
Most people in the aviation world know that it's legal to fly a Super Cub without a radio in the US. Is it legal in other parts of the world, specifically Germany?

I stumbled across this section in a copy of the German AIP VFR:

  GEN 1-12 Radio and Air Navigation Equipment of Aircraft (NfL II-11/05)

  ...

  Radio and air navigation equipment for VFR flights

  (1) For VFR flights, aeroplanes, rotorcraft, powered gliders, gliders,
  aerodynamically controlled ultralight aircraft, gyrocopters, airships,
  and free balloons shall be equipped with one VHF transceiver covering
  at least those frequencies in the range 118.000 to 136.975 MHz that
  are required for the planned flight; the transmitter output power and
  receiver sensitivity shall be at least such as to ensure clear
  radio-telephony communication with the ATC and AIS units, taking into
  account the operational characteristics of the aircraft and the route
  flown.

  ...

  (3) Para 1 does not apply to flights at aerodromes without an ATC unit
  which are conducted during the day and which do not leave the vicinity
  of the departure aerodrome (Art. 3a para 3 of the German Aviation
  Regulation [LuftVO]). Local regulations of the responsible authority
  of a Land (Art. 21a para 1 of the German Aviation Regulation [LuftVO])
  shall remain unaffected.

Does this mean cross country flight without a radio is illegal in Germany? Or is the part "shall be equipped with one VHF transceiver covering at least those frequencies ... that required for the planned flight" a loophole meaning you can go as long as you don't cross into any areas where radio is required? (thus effectively rendering 3.(3) above superfluous)

I understand that as long as you remain in class E and G airspace, I don't actually have to talk to anyone; would I still be legally required to carry a radio?

Ignore the other airspace classes for now, as C has mandatory radio communication and F has its own can-of-worms rules in Germany, and neither A or B are used at all (class F is about to be discontinued and replaced with class G and a Radio Mandatory Zone in accordance with EU regulation 923/2012 "SERA")


texts: Is there a regularized width of yellow taxiway ground bands?

texts:
What is the width of the yellow stripes that are painted on the ground of the taxiway?

Is it the same on the whole taxiway or does it vary from an area to another? Is it mentioned in the aerodrome design manual issued by the international organization of civil aviation?


texts: What is the difference between Line-Replaceable Unit (LRU) and Line Replaceable Modules (LRM)?

texts: i am studying Line-Replaceable Unit (LRU) and Line Replaceable Modules (LRM) but do not know the difference.


texts:
VFR-on-top is an IFR clearance in the US that a pilot can request to allow an IFR flight to use VFR altitudes provided that it can remain in VMC. Requesting and receiving a VFR-on-top clearance doesn't cancel the IFR flight plan.

When is this clearance useful? It allows the pilot a greater choice of cruising altitudes, but why would a pilot prefer to use VFR-on-top rather than request a different IFR altitude? VFR-on-top adds at least one task to the pilot's workload - maintaining VFR cloud clearance - without reducing the IFR workload.


texts: How did the 747SR fly from Qatar to London?

texts:
The following photo on the Boeing 747 Wikipedia article reads:

  Qatar Airways 747SR-81 landing at London Gatwick Airport in 1996.

How did the 747SR manage this flight [on a regular basis]? The only range information I can find for the SR (short range) is from ANA's fleet history, which puts it at 2,590 km. The -SR also had "a 20 percent reduction in fuel capacity."

(gcmap.com) Range of the 747SR plotted from Doha and Cairo.

Out of the ~520 seats, how many seats were empty to make the trip, or were there stops on the way? I thought maybe a Doha-Cairo-London route, but that falls short as well.

This airplane was also seen as far as Bangkok. These probably are not rare trips, i.e., the destinations are likely to have been regularly served.


texts: Is the user interface design of ATC equipment generic across countries?

texts:
Are the computer screens used by ATC generic across different countries? I.e., do ATCs around the world simply purchase the same software from a few companies, or do each of them develop their own system and end up with different user interfaces?

For an analogy of aircrafts, most of the controls and instruments are universal across pretty much all aircrafts, be it Cessna, Piper, Airbus, Boeing, CRJ etc. Any trained pilot would likely recognize the important controls (e.g. throttle, flap lever, attitude indicator) right away; certain colors and symbols are also expected.

Is this the same for the computer systems used by ATC? E.g. if a controller from the US goes to Australia, is he expected to understand and know how to operate the equipment right away?