Tagged Questions
An airliner is a large, commercial aircraft operated by an airline for transporting people and/or cargo.
0
votes
1answer
284 views
Why two passenger airplanes travel side by side?
Recently (2018-08-19 17:40 UTC) two planes flew above my city (Poznań, Poland). They were heading in the same direction, kept really close distance (side by side) - both flights to Riga:
https://www....
43
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5answers
14k views
+50
Why do airliners have to park so accurately?
I was watching some airport documentary and I noticed that the planes always had to park precisely. I honestly didn't think so much of it before, but in the documentary, an aircraft parked badly ...
65
votes
4answers
17k views
Has any passenger airliner ever offered forward-facing windows?
The empty, dolphin-like, forehead of the A380 seems like it would be an amazing place for the first and/or business class bar, especially if it had forward-facing windows.
I realize in the A380's ...
2
votes
1answer
393 views
Why did my flight descend for landing then suddenly climb steeply and turn sharply?
I was flying on a Vueling flight (VLG6251) from Rome, Italy to Orly, France on the 31st of December 2017. During landing, my plane went to a really low altitude as if it was about to land but there ...
4
votes
1answer
341 views
If everybody jumps in an airliner, would the pilots notice? [duplicate]
I often have this thought when stretching my legs on a long haul flight: jump up and down in the cabin and see whether the pilots complain. Alone, it is unlikely my weight would have any noticeable ...
0
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2answers
271 views
What would happen if pilots were locked out of the flight deck?
Imagine in a hypothetical situation that a commercial airliner was left on autopilot at some cruising altitude. Next imagine that all pilots left the flight deck and the door slammed shut behind them (...
6
votes
1answer
319 views
Can you escape an aircraft through the lavatory?
In his book "Catch me if you Can", Frank Abagnale claims he evaded arrest by removing a panel in the lavatory of a VC10, climbing through it and hence escaping out of the (taxiing) aircraft through a ...
31
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5answers
8k views
Why, until recently, were smooth nose sections not popular?
Why, until recently, were smooth nose sections not popular? By smooth I mean without a break between the nose and windshield. (The question focuses on airliners.)
Seeing the Starliner (left) and DC-7 ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
Are there any airliner crashes that can be definitively attributed to Mach tuck?
Mach tuck (the tendency of aircraft to develop an increasingly nose-down pitching moment at speeds above its critical mach number) caused a number of crashes of high-speed fighter aircraft before the ...
3
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2answers
87 views
How significant is the lift induced drag contribution to total drag of aircraft at cruise speed?
How significant is the lift induced drag contribution to total drag of aircraft at cruise speed? From what I've learned so far it seems to be around 10 to 15 percent of total drag. I suspect the ratio ...
0
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3answers
277 views
What are the drawbacks for manufacturing a large airliner capable of water landing?
Emergencies are rare but still occur. Apart from weight and extra fuel costs, What are the drawbacks for manufacturing a large airliner capable of water landing in case of an emergency?
Assuming the ...
1
vote
0answers
44 views
Single Engine operation on Twin Engine aircraft [duplicate]
I recently came across ETOPS and I wanted to know:
How does a twin-engined aircraft balance out the lack of thrust on one side in the event that one of the engines is non operational? Any ...
41
votes
3answers
11k views
Why is the lower deck of the Airbus A380 curved like a single deck airplane?
I recently traveled on the lower deck of an A380 and the section where the side walls of the fuselage and its roof top meet is curved just like any single deck airplane.
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
...
2
votes
1answer
148 views
Are radio channels used by airliners half-duplex channels?
Can a pilot transmit and receive information at the same time? Or can he either transmit or receive but not at the same time?
I thought communication channels were half-duplex because this reduced ...
14
votes
1answer
839 views
Can anyone tell what kind or even which airplane this is?
As stated in this post on the Dutch Police website (Google Translate English version) this morning (12th june 2018), they are looking for all available information concerning the image below. All help ...
2
votes
2answers
193 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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votes
2answers
2k views
What is the horizontal stabilizer failure procedure?
During the final flight of Alaska Airlines Flight 261:
The CVR transcript reveals the pilots' continuous attempts for the duration of the dive to regain control of the aircraft. At one point, ...
4
votes
2answers
176 views
Why is there still a preference for turboprop airliners over the new regional jets? [duplicate]
In the 1950s and in the early 1960s, jets were mostly available as fighter/military or big, long haul aircraft. Regional aviation was based primarily on piston aircraft that could operate in smaller ...
7
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3answers
483 views
Were my airplane's wheels under-inflated?
I recently took a flight on a (Lufthansa) Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. As I was about to embark, my eyes caught this image:
And the aircraft wasn't even loaded with the passengers yet. If I saw this ...
3
votes
1answer
230 views
Could Mach 1.4 be a better design point for SST?
There's been a number of recent proposals for design work on low-supersonic bizjets that would cruise at Mach 1.1-1.6, the common theme being avoiding a sonic boom.
I'm wondering if this range of ...
7
votes
2answers
268 views
Has there ever been an uncommanded lowering of landing gear?
Has there ever been an uncommanded lowering of the landing gear on a large commercial jet? I could not find any instance of it in a preliminary google search. Could a simple short-circuit cause such a ...
2
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3answers
406 views
Why aren't Russian jet airliners popular even in Russia?
Russia has the proven capability to build large jet airliners.
Ilyushin Il-96
Tupolev Tu-204
But, if we take a look at the major airlines in Russia, they don't appear to have Russian ...
3
votes
1answer
237 views
What happens to Ryanair aircraft after they leave the airline?
According to the fleet renovation and the short age of all their aircraft (6.5 years), what happens to Ryanair's aircraft after their time in the company? Are there other companies willing to accept ...
12
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3answers
3k views
Why didn't early jetliners use turbofans?
For subsonic operation, high-bypass turbofans seem to have essentially only advantages for efficiency, noise and takeoff thrust, at least until they reach the size where ground clearance or LP/fan ...
3
votes
4answers
795 views
Why would the Speedbrake be required for such a long time on approach? [duplicate]
As far as I was aware, the Speedbrake is designed to slow the aircraft down. On landing, I do understand why they are required. Once the aircraft has hit the tarmac, they are deployed to 1) slow the ...
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0answers
47 views
Where can I find power and heat specifications for EFIS and IFE systems?
I am working on an MSc. thesis project about the electrification of aircraft.
Since the rule of thumb is to design the generators for the worst case scenario, I would like to include as much ...
25
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3answers
4k views
When does an airliner switch from using the tiller to the rudder?
When does an airliner switch from using the tiller to steer to the rudder on takeoff? Same for landing- when does the pilot switch from using the rudder to the tiller? What is this process? Once a ...
-1
votes
3answers
236 views
Why should pilots keep the engines running so they are hot or warm immediately after landing?
Understandably, airliner pilots - particularly those operating in extremely cold climates and airports - should preheat the engine at idle for 3 minutes or more so they do not apply full thrust and ...
4
votes
1answer
89 views
How much does weight really affect the operation cost?
Hi given an information from a reliable new source article (https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/business/worldbusiness/11iht-air.1.13628276.html), it was mentioned that "Every 25 pounds we remove, we ...
5
votes
2answers
243 views
Where can I find a cross sectional area plot for the A320 or other modern airliners?
I'm studying to become a pilot and stumbled upon the Raptor Aircraft a while ago.
In one of our subjects we briefly discussed the concept of the area rule but did not get into much detail since our ...
5
votes
2answers
360 views
Why isn't there a single start button for all systems on aircraft?
Why is it that airliners and aircraft do not have a single start button for all systems?
On TV etc., I noticed that pilots pressing buttons above and below forward and sideways, mostly above though, ...
27
votes
1answer
5k views
How common are missile defense systems on civil airplanes?
I've just stumbled upon Why don't El Al 747's stay at the gates at JFK? in the hot topics.
I kind of get why El Al decided to put missile defense systems in their planes but I was wondering: ...
5
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2answers
206 views
What should be the minimum time spent in cruise (for e.g. a B737)?
Having a short sector to fly, it would not be convenient to climb all the way up to the best cruise altitude, since the time in climb would burn more fuel than that necessary for a flight at lower ...
8
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2answers
577 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 ...
25
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2answers
6k views
Is it illegal to partially block the aisle on a passenger airliner?
After reading all the commotion about the dog that died after its carrier was placed in the overhead bin I wondered- is it against any FAA regulations to allow a flight to take off with a partially ...
1
vote
1answer
146 views
What is the purpose of long endurance test flights?
Well known is the last long endurance test flight by a Boeing B787-8, which drew its shape in the air for 18 hours while on a long endurance test flight: https://www.wired.com/story/boeing-787-8-...
3
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0answers
122 views
Why don't airliners use crescent wings? [duplicate]
The crescent wing design seen on the Victor bomber seems to have a great number of advantages...
the critical mach remains more constant along the span, so the formation of shock waves is more even ...
0
votes
1answer
184 views
How A330-200 or 243 would be much safer under the ETOPS terms? [duplicate]
I am flying this week to France in an Airbus A330-200. I have a phobia of flying I have several questions here on the aviation forum. The plane is A330-200 is the one we're going with and I am reading ...
-3
votes
2answers
227 views
Does a 40 years clean crashes sheet of airliner makes people fear to fly with them because there is bigger pressure on the company? [closed]
I am planning for my 2nd flight.
The first flight was in November 2017 from Beirut to Istanbul which took 1h45min. I asked this question on this site, explaining my Phobia to professionals on the ...
0
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0answers
50 views
What system is used to drive the control surfaces of airliners? [duplicate]
What system is used to drive the control surfaces, rudders, flaps and slats of the Boeing 747-800 and Airbus A380 and other modern airline aircraft? Is it a hydraulic or pneumatic system? Which is ...
4
votes
2answers
566 views
What is meant by a “cold soak" of an APU?
What is the exact meaning of "cold soak" of an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)? Is it to do with long flights at high altitude and the fuel getting cold? Will it affect the ignition of the APU? Can anyone ...
31
votes
4answers
7k views
How hazardous is it if an engine cowl falls off?
There was recently an incident where the engine cowl of the starboard engine of a United Airline's Boeing 777 fell off during flight:
'Scariest Flight of My Life.' United Airlines Made an Emergency ...
1
vote
2answers
287 views
What happens at the wings when the yoke is pulled backwards?
What happens at the wings and vertical stabilizers when the yoke is pulled backwards or forward on typical airliners like the Boeing 747-800. Is it any different for smaller similarly shaped aircraft ...
1
vote
0answers
86 views
What is this device mounted on the fuselage of Lufthansa planes? [duplicate]
I noted the device shown in the photo mounted on top of the fuselage near the tail. The photo shows a smaller airbus (I think) but it is also present on several A380ies, and a Boeing 747. In fact, ...
7
votes
2answers
406 views
Why is Emirates not considering buying or leasing used A380s?
Airlines such as Korean Air are retiring their A380s. They are struggling to find buyers/lessors. In such a scenario, Emirates could easily obtain used A380s at cheap prices.
Is Emirates not leasing ...
3
votes
1answer
125 views
Are new airliners less safe than older the two first years after they are marketed?
Looking at the 2014 Allianz Global Aviation Safety Study for airliners:
The last generation of aircraft (1974 and forward, including A320 and B737) have a very low rate of accidents: less than 2 ...
1
vote
3answers
314 views
How many Inertial Reference Systems are on a commercial aircraft?
Nowadays all new airplanes have GPS on board so the use of IRS may lose importance, still they must be fitted. How many of them are usually on a commercial aircraft? Does the regulation impose the ...
33
votes
4answers
6k views
What's the appropriate course of action if an airliner bounces 5-10 feet on touchdown?
I regularly fly in a PC flight simulator, and I'm currently trying to refine landings in medium-to-large airliners in various weather conditions.
A problem I've faced in some conditions while flying ...
2
votes
2answers
513 views
How will the Boom SST not require an afterburner?
The company Boom is developing a supersonic airliner (SST).
In one of their blog-entries1 they state they would not need to use after-burners because they use modern turbo-fan engines.
Does this ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
What type of batteries are used in airline planes? [closed]
In Embraer 145 and Boeing 777
I mean material, recharge cycle, nominal current and voltages. From the comments I don't understand the difference if the plane is turboprop or turbofan.
