Questions tagged [feature-identification]
For questions about identifying a feature or design on an aircraft.
11
votes
1answer
1k views
What is this tube in a jet engine's air intake?
I have long been wondering what is the official name of this little air intake tube located in front of the fan blades and its intended functions. I did search it on google but it was in vain. I guess ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
What is this yellow tube blowing air? [duplicate]
What is this yellow tube (lower right quadrant of the picture) which is blowing air into the airplane while it's at the terminal? You can see the open hatch on the bottom of the jet through which it's ...
38
votes
1answer
7k views
Which aircraft had such a luxurious-looking navigator's station?
I'm reading the BBC's How Fiji changed the way we travel; The little Pacific island nation was the first to incorporate GPS into its aviation system – and in doing so forever changed the way we get ...
3
votes
2answers
242 views
What is that extended nacelle feature on the Honda HA-420 HondaJet?
Here is a picture of the Honda HA-420 HondaJet with strange extended engine housings. Why are they required? What are they for?
I am not asking about the red covers, but the white engine housing ...
12
votes
1answer
3k views
What is the small cylinder on the firewall to the left of the battery?
What is this and should the yellow wire be soldered to it?
Any ideas on preventing the wire from detaching again?
I checked the C150 parts manual but didn't see it. Is there somewhere else I should ...
3
votes
2answers
168 views
What is that protruding fuselage part? [duplicate]
Circled in red above, I suspect that's a high-lift device meant to improve handling at takeoffs and landings, but I don't know for sure really. What is its name and uses?
29
votes
3answers
7k views
What is this object in the cockpit of an ultralight?
This is a tool (probably) in on an ultralight airplane. Initially I guessed that it is a tilting meter (to level between right and left), but seems it is not as it just a vertical tube filled up with ...
17
votes
2answers
1k views
What is that CFM56 with a toothed exhaust on an A321?
I stumbled upon a wikimedia picture and I saw something that I have not seen before: a CFM56 with a toothed engine exhaust. Can someone explain to me what engine variant that is?
Source Author: ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
What are these engine gauges in the Comet 4 for?
What are these gauges on the Comet 4's engine-gauge panel (between the captain's and first officer's instruments, above the throttle levers), marked "POWER LOSS INDICATOR", for? (Sorry for the blurry ...
8
votes
1answer
323 views
What are these openings around the Comet's engine intakes?
What are all these openings surrounding the Comet 1's engine intakes...
(Original image by Tony Hisgett at flickr, via Wikimedia Commons; modified by me)
and what is this opening between the Comet 4'...
2
votes
1answer
342 views
What is the purpose of this item next to the cockpit window on the B737?
Hello does anybody know what the purpose of this odd looking shape is
4
votes
2answers
423 views
What is this unusual leading edge flap on a B737-200?
On this video of Air North's gravel runway-equipped B737-200, there's what appears to be a small leading-edge flap (Krueger flap?) inboard of the engine. Refer to the screen shot below. What is this?...
20
votes
1answer
6k views
What are these “pimples” on the jet engine for?
When looking into the General Electric CJ 805-23B jet engine, I have discovered that all forward section of the compressor is covered by a number of near identically looking "pimples". What are these ...
2
votes
1answer
216 views
What is this fairing on a Cessna 421?
What's the purpose of the fairing on fuselage, near leading edge of the wing?
0
votes
1answer
141 views
What are the hinged(?) structures in front of the F-4 Phantom's intakes? [duplicate]
What are the large flat structures on the sides of the F-4 Phantom directly in front of the engine air intakes? They are more or less square, and may be hinged vertically.
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What are these windows/portholes on the English Electric Canberra bomber?
This may be an obvious question, but I don't know, which is why I'm asking here. I've searched "Canberra canopy porthole" and "window", but didn't get any information. There is a porthole of sorts on ...
0
votes
2answers
313 views
What's on the upper deck in the picture (circled) of Cathay Pacific Cargo Boeing 747-8F? [duplicate]
Cathay Pacific Cargo Boeing 747-8F
Image Source
Is that a resting area for pilots or passengers seats?
3
votes
2answers
349 views
What position was this photo of a jet engine taken from?
From that aviation photographer, I saw that beauty:
Having in mind the jet engine I would see, let's say as a normal passenger, I am not really able to understand from where I am looking at that ...
7
votes
1answer
265 views
What are those sensors on the forward (Airbus) A321neo fuselage?
What are those sensors on the forward (Airbus) A321Neo fuselage? If it helps, this is wow air’s TF-DTR.
2
votes
3answers
435 views
What is this aeroplane - not a Blackbird?
What is the aeroplane in the first image?
I noticed this photo in a youtube clip, and at first glance thought it was a three-engine Blackbird SR-71, but it appears to be a single-seater.
The text ...
0
votes
1answer
195 views
What are these lumps on the top side of the wings of military aircraft? [closed]
There is an online video game called War Thunder that lets you fly various planes from roughly the 30s to the late 50s. It has some pretty detailed models, and I've noticed these lumps on the wings of ...
6
votes
1answer
458 views
What is this 'runway number' automatic readout system on a flight deck?
I was watching this flight-deck video (starts at 11:13) of a Turkish Airlines Boeing take off from Istanbul and just as they accelerate on the take off roll there seems to be an automatic voice in the ...
18
votes
2answers
2k views
What's the function of the plate behind the wheels of the Pilatus Porter?
Anyone knows what's the plate behind the wheel of the Pilatus Porter for?
5
votes
1answer
367 views
What is that hole on the front portion of the empennage of a CRJ-1000?
I've noticed that there is a hole on the front tip of the "dorsal fin" of the CRJ-1000. I've been thinking that it would be logical if that's the intake for its APU unit. But I'm not really sure.
...
4
votes
1answer
163 views
Is the shape of the Bell X-1 wing on Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity's artwork correct?
This answer to the Space SE question What do these patterns on Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity represent, and how are they applied? indicates that one of the aerospacecraft representations on the Unity is ...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
Why do the A220 cockpit seats have a cutout?
Why do cockpit seats on the A220 have a cutout on the bottom cushion? The answers to Aircraft pilot's seats: what is the notch for? explain that these cutouts allow for easier maneuverability of the ...
7
votes
1answer
375 views
What is this instrument that has “PACK” written on it and a temperature scale?
All I know right now is that it’s made in 1973. Another instrument I have is from a b727 and is dated 1982. This one I have no clue. Serial number- H 2590. The brand is Amphenol. That’s all the info I ...
25
votes
5answers
4k views
What is this F-18 Hornet “air intake” for?
I think I read once that they served to cool the on-board computer systems, but I'm not sure.
7
votes
2answers
273 views
What exactly does the MB-326's 'relight' button do?
The following picture shows the engine throttle of an Aermacchi MB-326, which is powered by the Rolls-Royce Viper turbojet:
(source - all photos © Drive&Fly Model Club)
I wonder what exactly the ...
2
votes
1answer
315 views
What does the XFR button on the Challenger 300's autopilot panel do?
I'm new to aircraft and currently I'm learning the autopilot system of the Bombardier Challenger 300. I saw the "xfr" button but don't understand what it is for. Can someone explain this to me?
6
votes
1answer
276 views
What is the three-light indicator on carrier-borne airplanes?
(YouTube)
The above three-light forward facing indicator can be seen on most (all?) nose landing gears of carrier-borne aircraft.
What is it called? I suspect it relays the angle-of-attack / E-...
28
votes
2answers
5k views
What are those hatches on the engines of a B-2 that are open during takeoff?
I just watched this drool-inducing video of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, And noticed that there are a couple of hatches near each engine, which were open:
I initially thought they were open for some ...
1
vote
1answer
376 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 ...
5
votes
3answers
421 views
What is this tab above the DC-10's #2 engine? [duplicate]
What is this big rectangular tab (?) thingy extending backwards just above the DC-10's #2 engine? What does it do?
(wikimedia.org, picture modified to point out the tab thingy)
8
votes
1answer
342 views
What additional functionality is provided by the F-14 nose pitot, absent in early models?
Early model F-14A had no nose pitot:
... but they seem to have quickly acquired them sometime in the late 1970s. The Iranian F-14s have them, and it's quite hard to find a picture of an F-14 without ...
44
votes
4answers
10k views
What is this hole at the front of the engine pylon on a Boeing 707?
Images of the Boeing 707 show a hole at the front of the engine pylon just above the engine.
Can someone please tell me what is the purpose?
Also why do images show the hole absent on the left outer ...
3
votes
1answer
154 views
What's the name for this part on a Cessna 172P?
I am trying to figure out what the name for this part is.
I believe that's the door seal, but all seals I am looking at, seem to be glued to the outside now.
10
votes
1answer
982 views
What are those things under the Concorde’s cockpit windows?
I’ve noticed there are little bits sticking out under Concorde’s cockpit windows and they’re too small to be canards. Are they some kind of vortex generator or something?
(Source)
8
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the function of this fixed protrusion on the tail?
(wikimedia.org)
Above you can see a small fixed (?) part on the Embraer 190, just above the KLM logo. It is on both sides of the tail. What is the function of this part?
6
votes
1answer
558 views
What is the hole located below the 2nd or 3rd window of Boeing 737? [duplicate]
I see there is a hole located below the 2nd or 3rd window. What is its purpose?
(Sources: flickr.com and planespotters.net)
0
votes
0answers
153 views
What is that wire on the picture? [duplicate]
I thought it was HF antenna the What is the purpose of that?
What kind of nav aid use HF frequency?
12
votes
1answer
2k views
What is this red dashed line between door and cockpit window?
I noticed this dashed line located between the door and cockpit window on this 737-300 while boarding this exact aircraft at Ibiza airport. It seems to have text beside it but I did not have time to ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
What is that missing instrument on a Beechcraft 1900C?
(Full image) Beechcraft 1900C.
I cannot find the name of the missing instrument even in the manuals.
9
votes
1answer
486 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?
18
votes
2answers
3k views
What is this cutout in the Spitfire cockpit glass?
This is a still from the film Dunkirk. I realise this is not a historical document, but I have also found a similar feature in photos of real Spitfires. What is the purpose of this?
27
votes
2answers
5k 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
What is this feature on a Sukhoi Su-27? [duplicate]
Most but not all Russian Su-27's (and variants like the Su-30, -32, -33) have a device that looks like a headlight in front of the cockpit. What is it?
19
votes
2answers
4k views
What are those arrow markings on the wing?
I recently flew on a Boeing 737-800 and found these arrow markings on the wing. What are they for?
7
votes
1answer
810 views
What is this air-scoop behind the cockpit of the Polikarpov I-153 and Stearman?
(Source)
There is a Ferrari-looking air-scoop behind the cockpit of the I-153 and most of the Stearman planes too.
What is that?
1
vote
0answers
108 views
What is this door below the lavatory? [duplicate]
What is this door below the lavatory of this airplane?
Other aircraft have similar doors near the rear lavatory?
