The essential systems found on most aircraft, including including power plants, fuel systems, electrical systems, and flight instruments.
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0answers
26 views
Aircraft EFIS Configurability [duplicate]
What should be the general logic to automatically switch between different pages of EFIS during failure of single or multiple displays?
2
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3answers
197 views
Why does load shedding still occur in jetliners (e.g., 787) when there is so much power available?
I had a few questions about how electrical generator works on an aircraft, the 787 to be specific although I know it is similar for all aircraft.
So the 787 engines have 2 VFSG each which are rated ...
0
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1answer
32 views
Lift and Drag Coefficients using load cell data
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 ...
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1answer
54 views
How do you indicate whether the supply of power to the gyroscopic instruments is adequate? [closed]
Is there an instrument to indicate this?
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0answers
49 views
What is the difference between an Instrument and Equipment?
In an aircraft, what things is an instrument and what things is an equipment? For example the ILS, is the Antennas located in the runway considered to be an instrument or an equipment? Or is there ...
1
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1answer
95 views
How do check valves regulate the air in a multi-engine airplane's vacuum system?
This is one of the examples of a pneumatic power system in a multi-engine airplane. In systems like this, if one dry air pump fails - let's say the right-hand one - then the check valve manifold ...
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1answer
34 views
What is the ambient temperature used in RTCA/DO 160?
I was going through RTCA/DO 160D for some work-related issue. I went through the whole document but nowhere does it define what the "ambient temperature" value is? In one place it defines +15 to +35 ...
6
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1answer
348 views
Are pressurized passenger aircraft usually completely airtight?
Various sources on the internet indicate that the passenger cabins on pressurised airplanes are not 100% airtight. I'm not talking about ventilation/pressure valves/cabin pressurisation system, but ...
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0answers
139 views
Will the new Boeing NMA be 'more electric' than the current B787?
I understand that the B787 is the 'most electric' aircraft to date, however there have been many issues with the plane, and I'm interested in knowing if the latest Boeing New Midsize Aircraft (NMA) - ...
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1answer
71 views
Why does an engine bleed system failure restrict operating elevation? [closed]
Why are airplanes not permitted to operate to/from airports at over 9,200 ft if Engine Bleed Air Supply System #2 is inoperative?
2
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2answers
200 views
Why is it necessary for pilots to have trim controls on fly-by-wire aircraft?
On Airbus family airliners why is it necessary for the pilots to have the facility to trim when there is no aerodynamic feedback through the flight controls?
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1answer
85 views
Is it possible to 'retrofit' electric flight control actuators to replace existing hydraulic actuators on aircraft?
Read a bit about the potential cost savings of replacing existing hydraulic aileron actuators on large commercial aircraft such as the A350/380 with electrohydraulic/electromechanical actuators.
...
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1answer
206 views
What is the overhead instrument panel (pictured) near the front galley area of an A320?
I have noticed this overhead instrument panel. It is convered by a transparent plastic lid with a small hole in the middle. Inside it has lot of switches. What is it supposed to do and who operates ...
3
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1answer
409 views
What is the fluid released from the tail of this clipped Turkish airliner?
A Turkish A321 airliner was hit by an Asiana A330 on 13 May 2018 at Istanbul Airport. It seems a large amount of fluid was released from the damaged section. What is the fluid? There is no APU up ...
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1answer
82 views
How to calculations deviation on a magnetic compass and effect of it?
I am told to do self study and mainly for the part of the formula reading and i did some research and don't understand a single thing that i read online http://opac.vimaru.edu.vn/edata/EBook/Magnetic%...
5
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2answers
290 views
What is the risk of leaving the MAN START PB 'ON' on the A320?
During a manual start on a A320, the ENG MAN START P/B opens the start valve which then runs the starter motor. During the MAN START process, at some point, the start valve closes automatically. What ...
1
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0answers
160 views
How does the Boeing 787's Cabin Air Compressor work？
How does it work in normal, overheat and over-pressure conditions? What is the function of the variable diffuser actuator?
5
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1answer
236 views
White light illuminating the engine coming on at intervals in flight; Curious what's the protocol?
I was recently flying Air China from Beijing to Bombay & happened to seat on the Window seat close to the wings.
I could see the engines and there was a light that could illuminate the engines. ...
9
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2answers
231 views
Does the flight crew in big airliners hear the cabin crew PAs?
In big airliners, does the flight crew hear the PAs the cabin crew is doing to the passengers, e.g. on their headsets? If not, how do they make sure they’re not talking simultaneously to the ...
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2answers
110 views
What minimum radio communication equipment is required in a homebuilt aircraft in India?
Let's say I am building a single seat aircraft for flying in one's own country(India). What should be minimum set (Not only from compliance prospective but to have core set of communication for ...
2
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1answer
111 views
Does the parking brake provide additional deceleration in an abnormal situation?
During a rejected takeoff at a speed > V1, you obviously try to stop with all available means since a runway overrun is a very undesirable result. In this case, could using the parking brake in ...
0
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0answers
49 views
Does the Flight Data Recorder store the data locally or send it to an offsite backup while in flight? [duplicate]
I was wondering, what a black box actually does ? Does it store the in flight data, in case an accident should occur or it's sending it to an offsite backup while in flight ? And if it stores the data,...
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1answer
112 views
Can I use parachute fabric to cover an aircraft fuselage and wings?
...
Are there disadvantages to using parachute fabric to cover an experimental aircraft? So far I observed the following:
I believe I put this fabric in an open place for a year
I found no cracks ...
8
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2answers
617 views
Why are parking brakes not used for parking jetliners?
From the question 'Do I Set the Parking Brake On the Ramp?' it is concluded that you do not set the parking brake when parking the aircraft.
The question concerns small aircraft which can be parked ...
4
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1answer
241 views
Why disable stall warning based only on low airspeed, rather than multiple criteria?
One of the factors that potentially contributed to the Air France 447 crash is that the stall warning was disabled when the airspeed fell below 60 knots.
I understand why this is -- you don't want to ...
3
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2answers
179 views
What solutions are there against deep stalls?
What solutions are there against deep stalls?
According to SKYbrary:
Aircraft with a T-tail design are often configured with a Stick Pusher system to help prevent the mainplane angle of attack ...
4
votes
1answer
117 views
Do any newer production aircraft use venturis as a backup vacuum source?
I began my flight training in a Cessna 120 with 2 venturis as the source of vacuum for my DG and TC. They worked well in flight.
Are there any aircraft with deployed/deployable venturis out there? ...
2
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1answer
192 views
What is the difference between an APU and an ATS?
Is there a big difference between what an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) and an Air Turbine Starter (ATS) system actually does?
My understanding is that an APU provides power for the electrical systems ...
2
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0answers
57 views
Are the details of flight control laws the same for every fly-by-wire Airbus aircraft or are they only the same within the specific family?
I was wondering if someone learns the details of every single flight control law for the A320 family, does that knowledge still apply to all the other Airbus aircrafts? If not, what are the ...
6
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1answer
227 views
(B737s) Why is the automatic activation range of the AUTO mode in flight limited to “between idle and 5%”?
This is the explanation on the Engine Start Switch in the 737 series FCOM. What might be the reason why the automatic activation range of the AUTO (or OFF) mode in flight limited to "between idle and ...
3
votes
1answer
583 views
What dictates the A320's 'emergency ram air inlet' operation?
Why does the emergency ram air inlet flap open when delta p is greater than or equal to 1 psi on the A320?
Below is the extract I was reading from the FCOM. Why has the figure of 1 psi been set for ...
3
votes
3answers
301 views
What design features or systems help to prevent a hard nose landing?
Pilots perform perfect manual landings almost all the time with the nose wheel touching down softly and elegantly. When landing an aircraft of any size really more so for the jumbos and super jumbos, ...
3
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1answer
260 views
Why doesn't the A320 pack flow indicate HI as it should?
When on ground with APU bleed on and both engines off I have noticed a number of times that the pack flow isn't at the HIGH setting why?
As per the FCOM it states that when APU bleed is on the PACK ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
What happens if an aircraft's hydraulic system starts leaking during a flight?
What will happen if hydraulic fluid starts leaking during a flight? What will happen to the overall performance of the flight, and how will the pilot compensate for the loss of the system?
2
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1answer
183 views
2
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1answer
850 views
What is the difference between variable and transient bleed valves?
What is the difference between variable bleed valves (VBVs) and transient bleed valves (TBVs)? What is their range of operations? Can they be used at all airspeeds?
9
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2answers
1k views
Why does the Boeing 787 use Cabin Air Compressors (CACs)?
What are the advantages of this new air conditioning system compared with the traditional engine bleed systems? More engine output power, or easier adaption to future aircraft design?
11
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3answers
3k views
Why is it called “STBY RUD” on a Boeing 737?
(Source: b737.org.uk)
Anyone knows why "STBY RUD" is named "STBY RUD" when the selection of the switch position activates the standby hydraulic system as well as the standby rudder system (by opening ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views
When does a 'flaps/slats misconfiguration' warning sound during takeoff roll?
If a flight crew begins their takeoff roll and don't have slats and flaps configured properly, when does the system know when to sound the alarm? If it actually sounds during the roll itself, that ...
4
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3answers
628 views
How are the services kept running on a plane without an APU? [duplicate]
I have seen several aircraft that do not have an operative APU, so how are lights, air, and other systems kept running?
9
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1answer
372 views
What is this fuselage-side aerial used for?
(instagram.com)
I have seen this picture, and this feature on the port fuselage called my attention. Does anybody know the purpose of this?
45
votes
9answers
9k views
Is this opinion on personal computer flight simulators too strict or is it actually true?
A couple of days ago I had a discussion with a commercial pilot and his opinion on personal computer flight simulators were a bit surprising to me.
He said that flight simulators, even with ...
5
votes
2answers
353 views
Why do some aircraft have to have the landing gear pinned prior to towing?
The Phenom 300 require all three gear to be pinned before towing. I assume there are other aircraft with the same restrictions.
The nose gear is understandable, due to the link being pinned out of ...
6
votes
1answer
900 views
What is this button (pressed during approach) on the Airbus A320?
I was watching a YouTube video of a cobalt air a320 landing and I seen as he was about 2000 ft AGL he pressed a button on his right hand side just beside the Navigation display. The button illuminated ...
19
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1answer
2k views
Is Doppler navigation still in use for civilian aircraft?
Is it possible to find an airliner nowadays with Doppler radar used for navigation purposes?
3
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2answers
602 views
How does hydraulic actuator servo valve feedback work?
The book Aircraft Systems uses the following diagram for a mechanically controlled hydraulic linear actuator (for moving a control surface e.g. an aileron):
The following explanation is given about ...
2
votes
1answer
174 views
What is the purpose of anti-skid surge accumulator in a 777-300?
What is the purpose of the anti-skid surge accumulator in a Boeing 777-300?
What would happen if it were not present and why is it only meant for the left landing gear wheel assembly?
5
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2answers
783 views
What is the transient bleed valve in a gas turbine engine?
What is a transient bleed valve and what's its purpose ? Also, can you explain the purpose of bleed valves in general?
14
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1answer
634 views
What is the purpose of the fin at the Boeing 787 APU exhaust?
The fin is located under the Boeing 787 APU exhaust as shown in the picture below. Does anybody know the application of this thing or it is used for 'guiding' the APU exhaust? Thanks.
42
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1answer
9k views
How does an Airbus aircraft connect to the Internet?
I would like to understand better where (physically in the aircraft) and how the Internet connection is received on an Airbus aircraft, in particular in an Airbus A380, and then how this system is ...
