Questions tagged [feature-identification]
For questions about identifying a feature or design on an aircraft or airport.
255
questions
15
votes
1answer
2k views
What is that airport equipment that looks like an SMR but rotates like a windmill?
— YouTube
The one rotating horizontally looks like a standard Surface Movement Radar (SMR). But the one next it, rotating vertically (like a windmill or wind turbine), what is that? Wouldn't that be ...
2
votes
1answer
216 views
What is the metal sheet in front of the engine called on a Cessna 182 or similar?
I need to know the name of that metal sheet covering the front of the engine in small Cessnas (specifically the Cessna 182), just behind the propeller. I mean the one where the cowl plugs are put into:...
3
votes
1answer
912 views
What does the sound and flashing button indicate during this landing?
What does the sound in this YouTube video indicate? It is accompanied by a flashing button.
Does that sound indicate the touchdown of both the main and nose landing gear? The pilot also pressed the ...
11
votes
1answer
876 views
Which popular turboprop engine feathers its propeller blades with each shutdown?
Chapter 12 of the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, discussing multiengine flying, goes into quite a bit of detail in the propeller section about how most feathering-propeller-equipped engines on ...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the vertical rod on this Swissair DC-3 drawing?
What is this large protruding rod in the frontal dorsal section of this drawing of a Swissair DC-3:
The small rod extending from the nose I am assuming holds the pitot tube and serves as a mount for ...
-1
votes
0answers
148 views
What is the ridge on the bottom of the wing on the Opener Blackfly? Is it a wing with a permanent kink? [closed]
What is the roughly 2" high ridge on the bottom of the trailing edge of wing on the Opener Blackfly?
It looks like a full span flap, but I thought Blackfly's don't have any flaps?
It is not on ...
8
votes
1answer
350 views
What's up with the long exhaust stack I saw on a Cessna Caravan?
Our local airport is regularly visited by Cessna caravans flying cargo. This week I saw one parked outside the FBO building that had its exhaust stack bent down to lead under the cowling, where it was ...
18
votes
1answer
3k views
Why are there missiles under the wings of this Dassault Falcon?
While browsing Flightradar this afternoon, I managed to land on this aircraft, but then I noticed that that's a Falcon 20D with a sort of missile pod under the wings; is that a training aircraft for ...
15
votes
2answers
2k views
What does the "MAX EMR PWR" lever do in a Quest Kodiak?
On a photo of the Quadrant of a Kodiak Quest 100 there was an additional red lever to the left of the throttle (black handle) labeled with "MAX EMR PWR". Can anyone explain what what this ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What are those devices sitting on top of instrument panel in this Baron?
On this Baron YT video:
what are the two devices sitting on top of the instruments panel, on both sides of the compass?
I though at first it is some kind of HUD (Head-...
15
votes
1answer
3k views
What are those half-vanes in the engine inlet of a 707-328?
I just saw this:
Source
They look like IGVs but I'm not sure. What could those be? Do you know the engine?
12
votes
1answer
2k views
What are those ball-shaped things on some helicopter blades?
I saw these things swinging in a video of a rotor from the blade point of view. I don't know what are they for but I am quite curious. And why some helicopters have it and some don't?
Source: alamy
...
2
votes
1answer
216 views
What are these holes at the rear of 747s?
What are these two holes at the rear of most 747s? I've found plenty of answers for the holes on the front of the wing box, but no answers about these back holes.
14
votes
1answer
4k views
What are those gray spots on the wing?
I recently flew on an Airbus A321 and noticed these gray spots on the wing, circled in red. What are those?
0
votes
1answer
163 views
What are these components in a DHS/CBP Predator drone?
In the following diagram showing the "DHS/CBP UAS Platform Configuration", what are these components and what are they used for?
PPDM
SPMA
RCM
RVT encoder
13
votes
1answer
1k views
What is that little black thing tied to the vertical stabilizer? [duplicate]
I have seen this on all Boeing test planes, does this provide information on the planes performance?
2
votes
2answers
329 views
What type of antenna is this?
I’m just getting more into airplanes and trying to do a project on antennas. This airplane example is a Piper PA-28-181 Archer II. I’ve labeled all the antennas, and I’ve noticed there’s a lot!
I’m ...
22
votes
1answer
3k views
What is the indicated device under the tail of this B-29?
Was lucky enough to have the B-29 "Doc" flying over the house this weekend.
What's the mechanism under the tail indicated by the red arrow? Tail-strike preventer?
I did some searching and ...
6
votes
2answers
341 views
What are these things on the horizontal stabilizer on a Diamond DA40?
What are these things encircled on the horizontal stabilizer on the Diamond DA40? And why are they used from an aerodynamic point of view?
Source: grupooneair.com
9
votes
1answer
1k views
What are the black boots on this Extra 300's prop?
I normally think of black boots on a prop as being for de-icing. However, the Extra 300 is not suitable for known-icing conditions, or even IMC flight. (It's AFM says "Only VFR flights at day are ...
0
votes
0answers
61 views
Identification of control column spade
I have a control column head similar to that used on the Spitfire and Hurricane but with two levers for cables coming up from the stick. I would like to find out what aircraft used this type.
Markings ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
What is that round antenna(?) on the bottom of a Piper Comanche?
Does anyone recognize this round object under the belly of a PA-24?
7
votes
1answer
247 views
What is that wing device that looks like a mini-spoiler on the CJ3?
The Cessna Citation CJ3 (model 525B) has that device circled below, what is it?
Source: airplane-pictures.net
I initially saw it as a mid-chord fixed spoiler-like device. As @programagor commented, ...
2
votes
1answer
198 views
What's this stick-like thing on the glass of C-130J? [duplicate]
Just was watching this video:
C-130J Shadow Formation Landing
You can see this stick-like thing on the glass of the aircraft.
What's it? a sensor?
14
votes
1answer
2k views
What is that instrument with two knobs and what looks like range rings?
I just flew a Piper Warrior today and I got confused with the instrument shown below, it's the one above the CDI and to the right of the altimeter.
9
votes
1answer
479 views
What are these four tubes for in the intake for an Extra 300?
The fuel-injected engine has six cylinders, so it's not a "per-cylinder" thing nor is it related to a carburetor.
P.S. That screen is the entirety of the air filter. Apparently it's meant ...
16
votes
1answer
3k views
What is this cylinder covered in threaded studs and what is it for?
I can't figure out what this is. It looks like each post is threaded, but why is a mystery to me. My guesses include a grounding post, a bolt/nut testing stand that's not actually in an aircraft, or ...
2
votes
1answer
337 views
Does F-35 flight stick have a trackball?
There is a trackball-looking thing on the side of F-35's side stick.
What is this? Is this actually a trackball?
There is also another round looking "button", although a bit different from ...
21
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the shiny stripe around the aft wing–body fairing on an A380?
Source: planespotters.net: 1, 2
Regardless of the airline, that part is always unpainted, and in the right conditions, it looks shiny. From below the plane, it wraps around the wing–body fairing.
Is ...
3
votes
1answer
197 views
What is this stripe on the windshield of the Embraer E-Jet?
I noticed that there is a stripe along the upper edge of both forward windshields in the Embraer E-Jets:
(cropped from Wikimedia)
I tried to find a better picture, but couldn't find anything closer. ...
10
votes
1answer
4k views
What are the random, differently-coloured rectangular patches on the top of this Boeing 737's fuselage?
The top section of this green-painted Boeing 737's fuselage was slightly faded and I noticed a few dark-green, rectangular patches on its top. They look like patch kits on a bicycle tyre's inner tube. ...
11
votes
1answer
3k views
What is that yellow square to the right of the main entry door of this Lufthansa A350?
My question is: is it just part of the paint job, or does this yellow square serve a purpose? I haven't seen this square on any other airlines.
17
votes
2answers
4k views
What are these bars on an F-16's nose?
I've always wondered what the purpose of these "bars" on the nose of the F-16 (and some other military aircraft) are. Are they sensors (if so, what kind)? Are they lightning strips? I can't ...
8
votes
1answer
322 views
What is this strange thing under Tu-95 which looks like a horse-fly's eye?
I was seeing this photo and saw an strange thing under the bomber. Too much looks like a compound eye. What could be it?
4
votes
1answer
204 views
What's the name of this part of combustion chamber and what is it for?
There are two "excrescences" Near the end of diffuser of some combustion chambers. e.g. CFM56 and F101
What's the name of this part of combustion chamber and what is it for?
2
votes
0answers
92 views
What's this outlet of IAE V2500 for? [duplicate]
Anybody knows what is this outlet for and why it is designed in such way?
Edit: On MD-90 didn't see such thingy
8
votes
1answer
674 views
What's this part on the wing of BAE Systems Avro 146-RJ100?
It was always a question that what's this part on the wing of BAE Systems Avro 146-RJ100:
Is it kinda aerodynamic component?
1
vote
2answers
181 views
Is this new intake of Airbus and Boeing aircraft's NACA inlet?
Anybody knows the name of this intake? look at the bellow images:
Why don't Airbus and Boeing use the conventional NACA inlet? Why did they invent this kind of intake? I can see some parts of these ...
10
votes
1answer
401 views
What are these painted lines on the fan blades of the Rolls-Royce Pearl 15?
I'm not sure that they are painted but it looks like they are. What are they for?
More images:
1
vote
0answers
49 views
What are these two circular areas on the fuslage of Fokker 100? [duplicate]
There are two circular areas on the fuslage of Fokker 100 which are shown in the bellow image. What are those? Why are the above these two areas written "do not paint"?
2
votes
1answer
319 views
Does anyone recognise this jet engine?
sorry for the terrible quality, it's what I've got. I've not been able to find anything looking like it using google image search. It looks too detailed for a random bit of clip art.
Possibly around ...
0
votes
0answers
61 views
Why do some aircraft series have an extra window? [duplicate]
Take a look at these two Boeing 717s, in some cases they have an extra window. why?
Another instance. Boeing 737:
4
votes
1answer
243 views
What is this intake bottom the wing of C-5 and why is it placed there?
There are two intakes bottom the wings of C-5. What are those and why are they placed there?
12
votes
1answer
1k views
What is this hole above the intake of engines of Mil helicopters?
Almost all the helicopters designed and manufactured by Mil have a hole above the intake. e.g.
What is it for? APU? Other helicopters made by this company:
6
votes
2answers
534 views
What are these crevices below the wing of B-52 bomber?
What are these crevices below the wing of B-52 bomber?
24
votes
3answers
4k views
What is this part which is mounted on the wing of Embraer ERJ-145?
Take a look at the yellow parts which are mounted on the wing of an Embraer ERJ-145. What is it?
Two closer images:
From bottom:
10
votes
1answer
2k views
What is this part of an aircraft (looks like a long thick pole sticking out of the back)?
On the website of Kenn Borek Air (an airline specializing in Arctic / Antarctic operations), on this page at the bottom, you can see the following picture:
It looks like a long thick pole sticking ...
18
votes
2answers
3k views
What is this turbine engine panel that opens on landing?
Tonight I flew from Munich to Dortmund on an A319 and I happened to sit just above the wings and turbine on the right side. Upon landing, the turbine opened a window or panel which exposed some grid ...
17
votes
2answers
6k views
Are these two objects in cockpit of Antonov - AN 225 Mriya fans for air? What is their purpose?
In the above image, we can see two black objects that look like ceiling fans. This is just a reference image, but I am pretty sure that I have also seen small table fans mounted in cockpits of large ...
23
votes
1answer
4k views
What is this strut in biplane rigging, attached only to wires, not bearing any load?
A few biplanes like the Stearman have a strut parallel to the fuselage, halfway along the rigging's landing wires and flying wires, not fastened to the airframe, not bearing any obvious load. One on ...
