Questions tagged [equipment]
For questions about miscellaneous aviation equipment
93 questions
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How do they quickly replace the pylons after a hit during the Red Bull Air Races?
My 3 years old was watching the movie Planes (Dusty Crop hopper one) and when he saw one airplane hit a pylon and puncture it he asked: How will they fix it?
I told him it was air filled and they ...
- 6,021
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4
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How are pitch angle and pitch rate measured in an airplane?
What equipment or method is used to obtain measurements of the pitch angle (θ) and pitch rate (q) during flight?
Edit: I am asking about how the aircraft systems sense these quantities
9
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3
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What can trigger the ELT on GA aircraft?
Does the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) on smaller aircraft activate automatically in case of an accident? If so, what triggers it? Is it a certain amount of G's that triggers it or are there ...
- 2,152
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2
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What is the purpose of the glazed round area atop the Ju 87 Stuka G?
I haven't been able to find any pictures of this feature aside from models, nor any reference to what it is.
I'm going to make a complete guess and suggest it's a searchlight for night-fighting to ...
- 14.6k
15
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1
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Why is the Antonov 225 (almost) always chocked at the third wheel?
Recently I was looking over pictures where the An-225 is parked (because that's a normal thing for a normal person to spend their time doing). I noticed that the chocks are almost always placed around ...
- 236
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3
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What is this weapon spotted at an airshow in South Africa?
I was at an airshow in South Africa, and they had this trailer sitting about. No one knew what it is.
Those little red plates all say "warning, high voltage". Those buckets are open at the bottom, ...
- 171
10
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3
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What is that black pod on the left wing of a TBM?
What is the black pod on the left wing of a TBM?
(Source)
- 6,615
2
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1
answer
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Would it be a benefit to install winglets on a Hawker 400XP?
Would it be a benefit to install winglets on a Hawker 400XP? If so how much would the performance be increased?
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What is this ring-shaped device behind this DC-8's jet engine?
What is this ring-shaped device behind this Douglas DC-8's jet engine?
(YouTube)
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0
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What is the big hole at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer on the Boeing 717? [duplicate]
What is the big hole located on the forward vertical stabilizer's bottom used for?
(Image source)
- 977
30
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2
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What are the "spur" devices on this U2 pilot's boots?
From this video on YouTube:
What are those devices and what is their purpose?
- 2,228
5
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1
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What is the difference between a MEL, MMEL, KOEL and Equipment List?
When we are determining what equipment must be operational for an aircraft to be considered airworthy we are presented with different kinds of equipment that could be installed on the airplane.
What ...
- 13k
8
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1
answer
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What is a "Lifeline Extension Belt"?
I was recently flying on an United Airlines A320 and noticed a narrow section between the overhead storage bins with a placard labeled "Lifeline Extension Belt" on it. It was over the wing exit row. ...
- 1,765
3
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1
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Which airplanes are required to have a Flight Data Recorder in Europe?
I know that not all aircraft are required to have a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) in Europe (for instance, a small single-engine airplane doesn't need one), but many are, and depending on the age of the ...
- 59.2k
6
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2
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What, exactly is "on the MEL"?
The MEL, minimum equipment list, defines whether fault of some equipment on the aircraft prevents it from being dispatched for flight or not.
However, sometimes (e.g. in comments to this question) ...
- 56.5k
0
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1
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Where can I find a free/cheap small airplane wing?
I am looking for a small airplane wing (e.g. Cessna 172, but not necessarily) to run some experiments prior to seeking an STC for a modification I am working on. Do you know where I can find a free ...
- 119
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Is special equipment required to perform high-voltage line inspections?
I was watching a youtube video about high voltage cable inspections performed with helicopters. It can be seen how the helicopter has to reach the same electric potential as the wire, something that ...
- 32.7k
12
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1
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What is this hole on the tail of an MD-88?
There's a little hole on the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer of this plane:
What is that? What is its purpose?
Thanks
Source: Airliners.net
- 11.5k
10
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1
answer
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How do you know what equipment code to put on a flight plan?
Every time I have flown and filed flight plans the CFI or the person I have rented the plane from has told me what equipment code to put on the flight plan. I am curious how you would figure out on ...
- 3,869
4
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2
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If a shoulder harness becomes INOP in an aircraft certified before 1978, is it still required equipment?
So we fly a 1973 Piper Archer, with shoulder harnesses installed from the factory. The question is:
Would the shoulder harness becoming INOP (jamming & not coming loose) ground this airplane or ...
- 79
21
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1
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What is this orange container labeled "Flight kit wheel"?
What is this orange container for?
It reads
Flight kit wheel. Do not remove.
What's a "flight kit wheel"?
- 1,870
5
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2
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What is this equipment under the nose of this aircraft?
From the news of the Singapore Airline A330 nose gear collapse at Changi, I noticed some equipment under the nose part of the aircraft, which somewhat damaged the radome when the nose gear collapsed.
...
- 8,170
18
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1
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What is the belly pod on this Beech A200 Super King Air?
In this photo of N46L, a Beech A200 Super King Air owned by Dynamic Aviation, there is a large pod attached to the belly with what looks like two largish ports or windows on the underside. What is it,...
- 1,699
86
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11
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Do pilots really wear "pilot's watches"?
High-end mechanical wristwatches from Swiss and German manufacturers (e.g. Breitling, Rolex etc.) are often marketed as "pilot's watches", and have chronometer features to supposedly help pilots ...
- 739
4
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3
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What's holding equipment manufacturers from going into multicore, RTOS-based equipment?
What's holding equipment manufacturers from going into multicore, RTOS- based equipment?
Recently, Rockwell Collins certified its display systems based on RTOS:
Lynx Software Technologies, LynxOS-...
- 1,942
7
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1
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Are directional instruments like an HSI or AHRS immune to magnetic compass error?
Pilot educational curriculum includes learning about magnetic compass errors intrinsic to their construction.
A standard magnetic compass in an airplane erroneously shows turns when accelerating or ...
- 14.9k
12
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3
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Which wheel or wheels get the chocks?
As a quick follow-up question to my earlier one about the retail cost of chocks, which wheel(s) typically get the chocks on a GA tricycle-gear plane? Do you buy one roped pair for the nose wheel (make ...
- 23k
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Chocks - why the wide variances in price?
In a comment to a question about setting the parking brake, @rbp said to just get a set of wheel chocks and use those instead. I was piqued - it never occurred to me you'd need your own, I thought ...
- 23k
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2
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Is a civilian pilot allowed to fly under part 91 rules with Night Vision Goggles?
I asked a related question: How hard is it to fly with night vision goggles?
It appears from the answers so far that there are differing opinions, and I guess it might depend on the quality/age/...
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What does it mean for a door to be armed?
What does "arming a door" mean? Is the orange tape that's applied over a window related, perhaps as an indicator to people outside that the door is armed?
- 714
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Which gas is used to fill the evacuation slides of modern aircraft?
We have seen that after an emergency landing when the airplane needs to be evacuated promptly, evacuation slides get deployed immediately. I am not sure if normal air is being inflated in those slides ...
- 6,909
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Is there a way to prevent (not relieve) the hotspot caused by wearing a headset for long periods of time?
About a year ago, I bought myself a Bose A20. Within two weeks, I had returned it.
I will be the first to say that the noise reduction for the A20 was fantastic. The headset was amazingly light, ...
- 23.3k
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What is the MEL (minimum equipment list)?
What is a minimum equipment list for an aircraft? How are MEL and MMEL related? Who creates the list, and how do they decide what is on it?
- 73.8k
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Do ANR headsets affect pilots' perception of engine problems?
ANR (Active Noise Reduction) headsets reduce the sound level to a pilot's ears by creating an interference wave that cancels out some of the environmental noise in the cabin. Some say that this ...
- 6,195
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Are passive or active headsets preferable in an open cockpit?
My first headset used passive noise reduction (i.e. padding) and when I - very quickly - upgraded to an ANR headset, my instructor recommended keeping the passive one "in case you ever fly something ...
- 72k
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Why don't airlines provide smoke hoods?
In
Fire-involved Accidents and Incidents Reviewed
, Rudolf Kapustin stated in 1993 that
Nearly all aircraft accident fatalities that are not the result of
crash/impact injuries are the result of ...
- 2,466
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How does the Guardian counter-MANPADS system work?
I came across this picture of a FedEx McDonnell Douglas DC-10 equipped with an anti-missile defense system.
(wikimedia.org)
According to the picture description:
FedEx became the first U.S. ...
- 3,996
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Where Can I Find the Master Minimum Equipment List for the A320 Series (UK / EUR)?
I'm currently trying to locate the Master Minimum equipment list for an Airbus 321.
I have the FAA (US) version of this document, but I'd like a copy of the UK or EUR version if possible.
The Master ...
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2
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For supplemental oxygen, what is preferred between masks and cannulas?
There are two main types of supplemental oxygen devices in light aircraft:
Cannula:
Oxygen mask:
What are the major differences between these two devices? Is one more suitable for specific ...
- 10.5k
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1
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Why don't they have two black boxes? [duplicate]
Why is it that black boxes don't float?
From what I gather the answer is:
So they will not float away from a water crash site. The ping can be heard underwater with sonar. Finding the ping, finds ...
- 139
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1
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Which aircraft are required to have a black box?
When is an aircraft required to have a Cockpit Voice Recorder or a Flight Data Recorder?
- 59.2k
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Do pilots using an electronic flight bag need to carry paper charts?
If a pilot uses an electronic flight bag (say, an iPad with ForeFlight or WingX), are they required to carry paper charts as a backup?
Do different rules apply to operations under Parts 91, 121, and ...
- 23.4k
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What is required for transatlantic flight in a private plane?
What equipment is required to fly a small plane across the Atlantic via Canada, Greenland, and Iceland? Is any additional training required beyond an ordinary pilot certificate? Can it be done in VFR ...
- 5,785