Questions tagged [nose]

For questions about the nose of aircraft.

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22 votes
1 answer
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Why doesn't this 767 nose paint line up with the rest of the paint?

Looking at this Boeing 767 you'll notice that the nose paint is not lined up with the rest of the paint. But the same model with the same paint scheme on the second image is fine. What is the reason ...
Boeing787's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
650 views

Why is the cross-sectional shape of some airliners' nose not perfectly a circle?

I found that the cross-sectional shape of some jet airliners' nose is not perfectly a circle. For example the Boeing 737 aircraft: (source: aeroprints.com via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) Look at ...
Frank's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why do Russian Su-30SM fighters have white nose radomes?

I am intrigued by the white nose radomes on Russia's Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters. Why white? Source These white nose radomes are especially noticeable in naval Su-30SM fighters, as the latter are ...
Rodrigo de Azevedo's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
7k 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 ...
F16Falcon's user avatar
  • 395
3 votes
1 answer
493 views

Why does the Tu-134UBL have a sharp/pointed nose cone?

Russian/Soviet aircraft design has always intrigued me, and even more so when coming across this photo of the Tupolev Tu-134UBL with its pointy nosecone. Having looked up the performance ...
FZ123's user avatar
  • 75
4 votes
1 answer
258 views

Other than the 747, are there any other current, recent or planned airliners with a nose door option?

Boeing has recently announced that the 747 program is coming to an end. One of the key features of the freight 747s was the nose door, which facilitated faster loading of freight and allowed the ...
Peter Green's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
562 views

Why does the A320 still have this old fashioned nose?

Another answer stated that Airbus was less focused on just brand image, and more on aerodynamics, explaining the more rounded nose of it's 320 vs the 737's. But it still has flat cockpit panes which ...
Abdullah's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
684 views

Blunt noses subsonic drag - why a complete ellipse?

At subsonic speeds, blunt noses - both fuselage and airfoil - are good for two reasons: the need to maintain attached flow at varying angles of attack. it has less surface area for the volume, ...
Abdullah's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
2k views

What are these hooks and tassels on the nose?

What are the hooks and tassels hanging down from the nose of this aircraft?
Steve Butler's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
247 views

Why don't the noses have the same de-icing metal surface like that of the wing's leading edge, engines, tail, etc.?

For reference, let's take the A320. The nose is painted like the rest of the body. Image Source
Firee's user avatar
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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
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38 votes
7 answers
21k views

Why does the SR-71 Blackbird sometimes have dents in the nose?

On many pictures (maybe on most of the pictures) part of nose looks hammered or slightly smashed, or bent. Please note these 2 symmetric dents just behind nose spike: source source On other ...
nonamer's user avatar
  • 381
3 votes
2 answers
901 views

Why is the nose cone of the Su-34 white?

The title says it all. It can be clearly seen, for example, in this image: (image source: Wikimedia) The rest of the jet seems to have a camouflage.
juzzlin's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
487 views

What is the reason for the strips on the nose of the Embraer E175 [duplicate]

Recently I boarded a KLM flight with an Embraer E175, when I noticed the strips on the nose (see image, marked with the black circle). Own image This Embraer E190 also has it: Image source ...
ROIMaison's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
783 views

What were the Concorde's emergency procedures for an uncommanded droop-nose extension in flight?

The Concorde had a droop nose, which swung down during taxi, takeoff, and (especially) landing, so that the pilots could see where they were going without the long nose getting in the way. During ...
Vikki's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
516 views

Aerospike nose cones for supersonic jets?

Not to be confused with aerospike nozzles. This is about the big pin-like rod in front of ICBM nose cones. This answer (from Space) about aerospike nose cones notes that one of the potential ...
Eth's user avatar
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33 votes
5 answers
9k 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 ...
user avatar
32 votes
3 answers
8k views

How serious is an impact like the 10/2017 Delta Airlines suspected bird strike?

Recently, there was an incident where a Delta Airlines charter flight carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team was struck by an "unidentified object". Delta's official statement claims that ...
jmcph4's user avatar
  • 455
16 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is this nose cowl mounted display?

(YouTube) A crop duster's nose mounted display. It looks like a poor man's HUD to keep the display and the outside view at roughly the same focus distance, but what is its function?
user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
6k views

Is the nose cone of the MiG-21 adjustable in-flight?

In some of the photos I saw of the MiG-21, the nose cone was extended and in others it was shortened. So, is the nose cone of the MiG-21 adjustable in-flight to allow for increased/decreased air flow? ...
Rick Bunn's user avatar
  • 101
14 votes
4 answers
4k views

Does it make sense to do an emergency landing without nose gear in order to reduce stopping distance?

Would a pilot decide to land without the nose gear down to increase friction if for example all the engines have suffered a flame-out and there is only a very short runway available ?
Brilsmurfffje's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
546 views

What is the object on the nose of this HondaJet in this marketing video?

In the third Hondajet marketing video there is a sword-like object visible on the nose of the aircraft. What is this used for?
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6 votes
1 answer
7k views

What is the angle of attack of horizontal stabilizer?

It 'appears' that in most flights the horizontal stabilizer is set for positive angle of attack. So does this produce an 'up force' (lifting force) on tail thus making the aircraft nose-heavy? Or ...
user2927392's user avatar
  • 2,349
6 votes
1 answer
452 views

Why are passenger and cargo airplane noses manufactured separately from fuselages and then put together?

I was wondering why the fuselage of a passenger airplane is not built along with the nose? It might be difficult to build fuselage and wings together as one unit, but nose is a small part. Then why is ...
nk379's user avatar
  • 321
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is a mushing glide?

Source: Wolfgang Langewiesche - Stick and Rudder; An Explanation of the Art of Flying Why is it called a mushing glide? In this glide, does the aircraft point its nose less (or more?) steeply? How ...
user2927392's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
2k views

What does this statement about steep descent mean?

Source: Wolfgang Langewiesche - Stick and Rudder; An Explanation of the Art of Flying In the first chapter the author mentions, in a glide, if you want to descend more steeply, you want to want to ...
user2927392's user avatar
  • 2,349
20 votes
2 answers
7k views

What is this hole in the nose of the A330?

In this question, there is an image of a ladder leading to some hole in the bottom of the nose of an A330. What is that hole for? Source
SMS von der Tann's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
298 views

What are the aerodynamic differences between the nose designs of the CSeries and the Boeing 737? [duplicate]

The Bombardier CSeries and the Boeing 737 are two aircraft in the same class. Their nose shapes are very different from each other though as can be seen in these two images. What are the major ...
SMS von der Tann's user avatar
21 votes
2 answers
11k views

What are these lines on the nose of a Boeing 737?

What are these lines on the radome? You can also see them here: What are they and what is their function? Source: AviaFilms
user13197's user avatar
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50 votes
12 answers
38k views

Why is the nose of the Mig-21 shaped so differently compared to other fighter aircraft?

If you look at this picture below, you will notice that the nose portion of the Mig-21 has a unique conical shape which is completely different from the nose of the F-16. (Source) (Source) So what ...
CSinha's user avatar
  • 1,321
4 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why does the bottom part of an aircraft nose curve upwards?

As you can see in this picture the bottom of the fuselage curves upwards to form the nose.
Ethan's user avatar
  • 9,289
22 votes
2 answers
12k views

Why do Boeing and Airbus have distinctively different nose designs?

Boeing aircraft generally have a pointy nose, which seems to me to imply better aerodynamic qualities, less drag etc. Airbus aircraft on the other hand have rather bulbous noses. Is this difference ...
Firee's user avatar
  • 9,131
51 votes
3 answers
25k views

Why did most airliners have black noses in the 60's and 70's?

Here are a couple of examples:
yippy_yay's user avatar
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