Questions tagged [plane-construction]
Questions about the process or methods used for constructing aircraft.
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Do some states allow a substitute for runway base course material, in lieu of the FAA P-209?
I would like to know if, for a runway, some State can allow a substitute for the base course in lieu of the FAA crushed aggregate base course (P-209) defined in FAA AC 150/5370-10.
E.g. Can Nevada ...
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Airliner sharp wing tip vs elleptical [duplicate]
Now that most airliner manufacturers are using composite materials for wings, making compound curves is much easier to produce, why aren't we seeing elliptical wings, outer panels or wing tips?
...
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Why aren't aircraft built with carbon fiber tubes?
Though carbon fiber is more expensive than aluminum as a base material, one of its biggest costs is creating the final composite parts made of carbon fiber (molding, layering, resin, curing, baking, ...
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How is a turboprop engine mounted to the wing?
For a given turboprop plane such as the ATR-72, there doesn't seem to be a pylon as on turbofan driven planes. This question: How are engines mounted onto wings? has answers that detail how a pylon is ...
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Does the weight of a pilot exponentially affect the necessary weight of man-powered aircraft?
The MIT Daedalus, a man-powered craft, weighed about 31kg. This will be significantly lighter than its pilot during its record setting trip, though I can't confirm his exact weight. Still, this raises ...
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Will the electric motor work well in ultralight aircraft?
I'm trying to replace the 20hp gasoline engine in my ultralight aircraft (trike) to 10kw BLDC motor, asking to know if the 10kw BLDC motor will work
Motor+battery weight, is less than the actual ...
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How are the wings of the Rutan Quickie constructed?
I’ve read that the Rutan Quickie uses wings which are hot-wired out of foam and covered with fiberglass, but I’ve struggled to find further details. What type of foam are the wings cut from, and are ...
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Is Peter Sripol’s Mk4 ultralight design safe and/or practical? [closed]
I recently rewatched Peter Sripol’s Mk4 ultralight video
Obviously, the aircraft flew, but I have several questions as a result.
First and foremost, is a vinyl-covered ...
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Is Rutan's method of foam core construction obsolete?
Is Rutan's method of foam core construction obsolete, or is it used on other fibreglass designs as well?
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Was wood used in the construction of the TU-144?
This image the Yegoryevsk crash of the TU-144 CCCP-77111 appears to show a part of the wreck made of wood:
(picture source)
The inside looks like wood slats with rafters. Wood is sometimes used in ...
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On video equipment used to help assemble the X-59
On 2020 Dec 14, NASA reported on Lockheed Martin's construction of the X-59.
NASA’s supersonic X-59 assembly team marks wing milestone.
The report's photos include an unexplained apparatus, ...
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Do modern aircraft still use load bearing ribs in wing construction?
Modern aircraft are generally of monocoque construction. Does this apply only to the fuselage, or are modern wings made without load bearing ribs as well? Are they just for shaping of the metal skin?
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Can I use Stihl fs250 engine for ultralight aircraft? [duplicate]
RPM 9000
Hp 2.2
Engine weight 6kg
Plane weight 40kg
Body weight. 70
Propellers(2blades) length 30 inches
Wings length 120 inches
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Why do we use composite aluminium or titanium stacks in airplanes? [closed]
Why do we use composite aluminium or titanium stacks in airplanes? What are their machining conditions?
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Did Boeing really use ferrets to run wires through aircraft during construction?
I've seen many articles on the internet (here, here & here) claiming that Boeing used a team of ferrets to run cables through hard to reach areas when building aeroplanes, but I've never seen any ...
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Why don't short-haul regional jets go for composites?
We have seen Airbus and Boeing going all the way for composites on their A350 and 787, but when it comes to smaller planes like the Embraer E-jets or the Bombardier C-series, they choose to use ...
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Question about Eurofighter structure
I was researching for the Eurofighter and I came up with a picture of its structure. I have three questions about its parts. I can't understand the role and the usage of them. Can anyone help me?
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Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored?
Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored? One would not be wrong given part of their operations is being on the receiving end of enemy ammunition shooting at them.
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What was the first aircraft designed with a plug-system fuselage, and why?
Nearly all modern transport aircraft are designed with a plug-system fuselage, allowing longer and shorter variants to be built by adding or removing plugs.
In addition, the plug system simplifies ...
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How can one calculate the maximum instantaneous bank angle a plane can do in a certain time? [duplicate]
I know that there is a limitation to do an instantaneous banking angle a plane can do. These limitations are due to the airplane (infrastructure - aerodynamics) and limitation on the pilot (due to his ...
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Is it OK to use foam for the ribs of an ultralight's wing?
I have seen several YouTube videos of ultralights and even HPAs (Human Powered Aircraft) that use foam as the ribs of their wings. Are ribs not supposed to be made of rigid, strong, woody and light ...
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How many wing attachment nuts are there on a DC-3/C-47?
How many wing attachment nuts are there on a DC-3/C-47? I once participated in putting one together and is now writing about it, but cannot remember how many nuts there are, only that it took forever ...
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Which are the main aluminium alloys used in airliner construction?
The proportion of composites used in airliner construction has increased in the last decades, with the B787 and the A350 being the first ones with composites making up the majority of wing and ...
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What physical tests are involved with verifying a wing spar is suitably constructed for a homebuilt aircraft, such as the piper cub kit from wicks?
During construction how is a spar tested to ensure it can adequately cope with bending and twisting forces of the completed structure, or is this performed after complete?
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What is aeroelastic deformation?
Some answers on this site, such as this one, refer to something called aeroelastic deformation.
What is it and how does it affect aircraft construction? Are there any famous lessons learned on this ...
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Why does the wing root of the A330 have a pronounced twist?
just wondering what the purpose of the pronounced twist on the Airbus A330 wing root is, I've noticed this on the 380 as well.
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Why is the empennage of some aircraft not placed on the centerline?
Check the MD80's empennage below.
Can easily tell it's not built on exactly centerline by naked eyes.
Is that because aluminum joint or consider aerodynamics?
I don't think it is manufacturing ...
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How are aircraft shipped to their customers? [duplicate]
This is sort of the inverse of this question.
I was looking at the Boeing facility in Renton, WA in Google maps, and I realized, the airport is across the (Cedar) river from what I assume to be the ...
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Why are fast passenger airplanes no longer produced? [duplicate]
Concorde was a fast aircraft, but no comparable aircraft is designed today by manufacturers.
What are the main reasons for manufacturers to prefer larger planes carrying more passengers rather than ...
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How are engine pylon designed?
Currently I'm working on my master's thesis on the topological optimization method of aircraft structures. I'm gonna to explore this method of design on the example of the pylon. Make something like ...
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How is a wing joined to the fuselage?
I've seen this video from Airbus:
This is a capture from that video:
What is the process for attaching the wings to the fuselage?
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Why do fabric skin constructions not show up much in larger single engine piston aircraft?
I noticed that many ultra-lights use fabric skin but are not seen much in GA aircraft, especially compared to carbon fiber? Many skin makers advertise that it can handle that sort of weight. Is this ...
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How realistic is the plane scene in Captain America: The First Avenger?
In Captain America: The First Avenger, there's a scene in which Captain America gets into the villain's plane by holding onto the landing gear as it's taking off and waiting for it to be retracted. ...
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How is a horizontal stabilizer attached to the fuselage and works as a trimmable Horizontal Tail as well?
I am trying to figure out how does the horizontal stab attached itself to the plane and moves up and down? Is the HS attached by the rear spar and to the fuselage?
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How were fighter jets built in the 1950's?
As far as I know, jets did not see mass production across the world until the 1950's. So I'm interested in how they were built in that time. How many different types of factories were needed? How did ...
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What are these green "bags" on the SSJ100?
I've seen some green "bags" on the SSJ100 when they were building it. What is the purpose of these?
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