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Questions tagged [equipment]

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What is the mode of operation of a Hobb's meter?

We have a Hobb's Quartz meter that is connected to a power supply test station that reads the amperage and watts. It only indicates a reading on the test unit as the unit ticks every few seconds. ...
Grace Holland's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
246 views

Can or are G-suits ever used for non military applications?

I assume pressure suits are always used by astrounauts or high altitude jet aircraft. The g-suit has a different purpose, design and function. Other than dog fights are there any practical uses for g-...
Sedumjoy's user avatar
  • 103
9 votes
1 answer
416 views

Did pilots use the radio in the Spanish Civil War?

Was radio communication used by fighter pilots during the Spanish Civil War? Fiat CR32, Messerschmitt Me 109 and Polikarpov I-16 were typical aircraft but I have no information about radio ...
angel diez's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

RAT Deployment and Stowage

In this question, it states that the ram air turbine (RAT) deploys automatically on Airbus aircraft when there is a dual engine failure. Is there a way to stow the RAT in case systems are recovered ...
RetiredATC's user avatar
  • 2,286
6 votes
1 answer
336 views

Why are emergency parachutes for pilots so heavy?

Parachute technology doesn't seem to have got much lighter in the past few decades. It seems that most emergency parachutes designed for pilots still weigh about 15 lb. And yet a Cirrus BRS designed ...
Zaz's user avatar
  • 1,599
6 votes
1 answer
875 views

What exactly is the winter baffle in parentheses, where is it used and what does it do?

What exactly is the winter baffle in parentheses, where is it used and what does it do? The image is taken from the preflight checklist of the DA40NG aircraft.
pilot162's user avatar
  • 2,271
1 vote
0 answers
68 views

What is the bar at the top of the tail of the Panavia Tornado IDS for? [duplicate]

What is the bar at the top of the tail of the Panavia Tornado IDS for? (Circled in red)
Karlos's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
1 answer
205 views

Why does the FAA allow a dual receiver check for IFR

FAR 91.171 allows a pilot to use independent VORs to do the VOR check as opposed to using a testing facility. The reg says as long as they are within 4 degrees of each other the pilot is good to go. ...
Name's user avatar
  • 944
17 votes
6 answers
7k views

Am I allowed to take a liferaft onto a commerical flight?

I am planning on taking my aviation certified life-raft (Revere Aero Compact liferaft): "Raft inflates automatically in less than 30 seconds with self-contained CO₂ inflation system" on a ...
Ted Staggs's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
4k views

Piper Cherokee - Flying with inoperative equipment

I've looked everywhere and I'm not able to find the relevant information regarding the following. What equipment can be inoperative and still allow me to fly a pa-28-181? I know the rules in the 91....
Jonathan's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
1k views

14 CFR § 91.213 - Inoperative instruments and equipment. <Cessna 172S NAV III>

I am working on a commercial right now, but still, this confuses me a lot. For example, during the preflight, I found that the airplane has inoperative equipment. And our operator has no MEL. Then I ...
Jake Lee's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

What are the different ways my alternator is failing?

I am a student pilot training to get my PPL. My CFI asked me the following: How can you know your alternator stopped working? My first response was annunciator lights. Then the instructor said, what ...
Jonathan's user avatar
  • 1,147
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the maximum range over open water with twin-engine to require dinghy in EASA?

What is the maximum range for a twin-engine aircraft to fly over open water before having the requirement for flotation devices (vests / dinghy) under EASA-rules?
Arthur Romeijn's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is an Air-Filed Flight Plan? Are aircraft capable of filing flight plan when in flight?

ICAO Doc 4444 mentions to input AFIL in the departure field of flight plan if it has been filed in the air. What is an Air-Filed flight plan? Can aircraft crew file a flight plan in-flight? If yes ...
Sisir Simha's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
41 views

What licenses should I get for the (flight) equipments that I want to make? [duplicate]

For making and selling all equipments of aircrafts what or which licenses should I get? and from where? Will I be able to sell them all around the world? Edit: This question is different than this one....
Roh's user avatar
  • 3,329
0 votes
1 answer
473 views

When filing an ICAO flight plan with LPV, is marking GNSS equipment necessary or redundant?

Should equipment 'B' (LPV) and Equipment 'G'(GNSS) both be filed simultaneously in an ICAO flight plan, or does equipment 'B' simply imply GNSS?
Ryan Mortensen's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
529 views

Is it normal that an ELT activates during a strong up draft in flight?

I was flying a PA 28 181 Archer on a nice clear day at cruise speed level flight 3000ft. Suddenly, from nowhere it was hit by an up draft that lasted I would say less than a second. I got pain in my ...
ROBERTO DAMBROSIO's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
209 views

Do you need to have a raft if you're in a seaplane?

One of the basic rules of flying over water is that you need some kind of raft if you're out of power-off glide range from land. Does that also apply to seaplanes or amphibious planes?
HiddenWindshield's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

What was in the noses of airliners before the weather radar?

At the time of the first Lockheed Constellations, airliners fitted with a weather radar were not common, and the navigator was not placed in the airplane nose. Thus, the nose seems to be mostly dead ...
Manu H's user avatar
  • 16.5k
3 votes
2 answers
898 views

What are the major aircraft systems (LRUs) using the ARINC429 Protocol?

I want to know the different aircraft systems (LRUs) using ARINC429 protocol. Why is it used instead of the ARINC 629 ? How is it different from the different ARINC protocols like 629 and AFDX(664)?
srihari's user avatar
  • 33
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

What are the requirements for aircraft marker cones?

What are the requirements on aircraft marker cones (a.k.a. safety cones) according to IATA IGOM-96, i.e. size & weight?
Ivan Obodovsky's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
470 views

Why does the Hinch Mountain VOR (as an example) have void areas below certain altitudes published in the U.S. Chart Supplement?

I was digging around the SE region Chart Supplement, and I was reading KSRB (Sparta, TN), and this "VOR unusable" listing is contained in it: The sectional chart shows that it is nearly on top of a ...
Ryan Mortensen's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
720 views

To use the equipment suffix "G", does the GPS have to be certified for IFR?

To use the equipment suffix "G", does the GPS have to be certified for IFR flight?
user38557's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
80 views

What are the reasons for not wearing polarized glasses during flying, if glass cockpit and polarized windshield aren't an issue? [duplicate]

So far the only reasons I can find are the newer planes come with polarized windshields that goes dark when you wear polarized glasses and the fact that glass cockpits become dark. But is there a ...
Delta Oscar Uniform's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
875 views

What are the FAA/CS requirements for rubber chocks?

What are the FAA/CS requirements for rubber chocks? Do they include material, manufacturing processes, etc.?
Ivan Obodovsky's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why is there a cutout in the pilot seat (looking as if it had separate "legs")? [duplicate]

Why is there a gap in the seat (between the legs)? What function does it have?
summerrain's user avatar
  • 3,656
1 vote
2 answers
641 views

What types of gear/supplies are "must-haves" for private pilots? [closed]

Is there certain gear that people consider "must-haves" for a private pilot? Specifically, a new pilot or student pilot.
Programmer's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
939 views

Does the 2020 ADS-B -Out requirement apply to aircraft with only a wind-driven generator (electrical system)?

Since my J3 Cub was was not originally certificated with an engine-driven electrical system it's clear the 2020 ADS-B-Out mandate (U.S.) does not apply (except where specifically noted in FAR part 91)....
user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
823 views

What is a 5 Tube System?

I've been going over the new Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) for Textron Aviation Model 500 Series Citations and on page 70 an Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) 5 or 3 Tube System is ...
PIXP's user avatar
  • 306
1 vote
1 answer
364 views

What is a Ground Power Dispatch Switch?

I've been going over the new Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) for Textron Aviation Model 500 Series Citations and on page 36 a Ground Power Dispatch Switch is mentioned but I can't find any ...
PIXP's user avatar
  • 306
2 votes
1 answer
1k 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 ...
MisterClueless's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

What should I look for when choosing a kneeboard? [closed]

There's a lot of variety in kneeboards. Some pilots fly with an improvised one: just a small clipboard with some scrap paper on, with a strap glued to the back. At the other extreme, fancy ones come ...
Dan Hulme's user avatar
  • 12.7k
1 vote
1 answer
264 views

Regulations regarding cleaning of water cooking equipment on planes?

Inspired by this question over at MiYodeya, does anyone know of specific practices or regulations regarding the use and cleaning of water urns on commercial planes? Specific questions would be are ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 113
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

What iPad for the cockpit? [closed]

I am planning to pass my PPL and I am trying to buy everything I can before starting the flight lessons to spread the expenses. Most of the private pilots I have met told me that an iPad is almost ...
gilles_yvetot's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

How do aisle lights show the direction to exits?

Lights in the aisle will guide you towards an exit. I've sat through a lot of safety briefings (for commercial scheduled passenger flights) and always found this sentence especially uninformative. ...
hmakholm left over Monica's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can I use radar service instead of DME or GPS for this ILS approach?

At the top of this approach chart for KDNN in the briefing section, it is stated that "Simultaneous operation of I-DNN and GQO DME required." If my aircraft is not RNAV/GPS or DME equipped can I fly ...
user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do pilots have separate volume knobs on the radio panel?

I have about two hours in a Cessna 172 so my instructor always managed the radio for me. I found it too loud at some times and too quiet at others. Can I tweak mine without bothering him? I forgot to ...
pythonhelpthrow's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
605 views

What are the defining characteristics of aviator glasses?

The title pretty much says it all. It's easy to find pages for resellers of aviator glasses or aviator sunglasses, but what are the defining characteristics of these as compared to ordinary glasses ...
user's user avatar
  • 6,984
28 votes
2 answers
8k views

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

While watching a YouTube video (2.5hrs), I noticed this device on the top of most Russian Su-27 combat pilot's helmet. A google search only shows it for a Su-27 and MiG-29, but apparently no other ...
jwzumwalt's user avatar
  • 11.5k
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does a stopper (chock) really prevent the plane from moving?

In Crime-Thriller movie American Made (2017), Barry put this stopper in front and in the back of the plane's front wheel. Do wheel chocks really prevent an airplane from moving?
Gerald Augenthaler's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
3k views

Was John F. Kennedy Jr.’s accident airplane equipped with an autopilot?

JFK Jr.’s crash was attributed to failure to maintain control due to spatial disorientation. Could this be explained by his Piper Saratoga N9253N having no autopilot?
Greg Bacon's user avatar
  • 5,710
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are there any safety mechanisms to prevent emergency slides deploying inside an aircraft?

Does this kind of situation happen, or is this a test situation? Are there mechanisms to prevent inward deployment of emergency slides?
Firee's user avatar
  • 9,141
3 votes
1 answer
136 views

How many landings per year are performed using the integrated standby instrument system?

Could you tell me how many landings are exclusively driven by Integrated Standby Instrument System or equivalent in the world per year ? Same question with "partially" using instead of "exclusively".
Yan's user avatar
  • 31
7 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why are W, S, N, E highlighted on a flight management computer?

Why are W, S, N, E highlighted on a flight management computer (FMC)? My assumption that they represent West, South, North, and East. Here is a Boeing FMC: And here is one from Airbus:
TayE's user avatar
  • 6,615
2 votes
0 answers
147 views

Is there any kind of removable ELT on board an airliner? [duplicate]

Is there any equipment similar to an ELT on board on airline airplanes as for GA aircraft? Something that can be removed from the wreck in the event of abandoning the site of the crash.
Andrea Ghilardi's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
131 views

What's the name of the runway equipment referred to in this video?

In this Air Crash investigation video clip (31:06), a beacon system that tells the pilots whether the aircraft is laterally aligned with the designated runway is mentioned. What's its official name?
lemonincider's user avatar
  • 7,585
5 votes
1 answer
634 views

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

Is there any piece of equipment, on board, to assist the crew to identify and avoid clear air turbulence (CAT)?
eduardoguilherme's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

What are the WAAS requirements for RNAV (GPS) approaches?

Is a WAAS GPS required to fly in RNP airspace (e.g., RNAV (GPS) approaches)? Or, can you be approved to fly RNAV (GPS) approaches with, say a military EGI (embedded GPS/INS)?
Avionics_Guy's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

How are the navaids that are on the airport ground powered?

How are navaids (such as the ILS localizer) that are on the airport ground powered? Are they connected to the airport's power? Do they have their own backup power?
Saito's user avatar
  • 51
16 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do flying boats carry anchors?

Inspired by the first comment here, and considering they are called "boats", do flying boats (or seaplanes) carry anchors?
Diego Sánchez's user avatar