All Questions
26,140
questions
3
votes
0
answers
80
views
Which aerodiesels comply with MOSAIC?
MOSAIC will, presumably, expand the list of type certified aircraft operable by a pilot with a sport license.
Current Light Sport regulations result in a countable number of type-certified aircraft ...
- 4,324
9
votes
4
answers
5k
views
WW2 Bombers continuing on one of 2 or 4 engines, how would that work?
I think I recall stories of damaged bombers making it home with only one of the original 2 or 4 engines functioning. But I visualize the plane being severely unbalanced if a single engine was ...
- 471
3
votes
1
answer
212
views
Who is responsible to remove the landing gear pins in an airliner?
On a recent flight the airplane had to turn back, because the nose gear could not be retracted. Upon landing inspection it was found that the landing gear pin had not been removed.
Who is ultimately ...
- 133
2
votes
1
answer
137
views
Why is there no Betz law in reverse?
Betz's law says that only 16/27 of the power in a wind stream can be converted into electrical power by a wind turbine. However, it appears that 100% of the power supplied to a fan motor can be ...
- 31
3
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How can a plane spiral downwards uncontrolled instead of gliding straight ahead?
There have been cases (example) where a plane seems to spiral downwards. Shouldn't it glide?
I always thought you'd have a reasonable chance of landing a plane even without engines if you find some ...
- 155
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is there such a thing as icing in the propeller?
It is well known of the fatal effects that can have ice build up on the wings, causing loss of lift and the multiple fatalities that have occurred due to this trough the years.
I was thinking though, ...
- 5,022
1
vote
1
answer
55
views
FAR 91.411 and 91.413 pitot/static and transponder tests when overseas
I own an N-registered aircraft and am overseas with it. The aircraft requires compliance with FAR 91.411 and FAR 91.413. In looking at the FAA database for repair stations, I don't see a station ...
- 335
1
vote
0
answers
92
views
Connector type and pinout for this surplus flight cap headset?
I picked up a flight cap that is similar to this one. In my search, it seems to be frequently described as a soviet Mig flight cap. No idea when/where it was manufactured, but it looks like it could ...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
56
views
When to apply cold temperature correction?
I am having trouble understanding when to apply cold temperature correction, I have heard about the below 0 deg Celsius rule but I could not find any of this in official regulations such as 8168 or ...
- 236
0
votes
2
answers
75
views
Do TFRs create a de facto Class C airspace around untowered fields?
Inspired by this question:
If a TFR requires discrete squawk and two-way ATC (Class C requirements) whenever within the airspace, and an untowered field exists within the TFR's boundary, does that ...
- 4,324
2
votes
1
answer
95
views
What is the difference between "Crew weight" and "Occupant Limit"?
On page 11 of the Eurofox POH it states:
Max crew weight per seat......................................................83 kg (Note: occupant limit is 100kgs per seat)
What does this mean? What is ...
- 14.3k
1
vote
0
answers
105
views
Why aren't there rotorcraft with sailcloth rotors?
I was wondering why no one has built rotorcraft, e.g a gyrocopter with rotors made of sailcloth fabric instead of aluminium or composite, because I thought that such a rotor would have to spin at a ...
- 111
5
votes
1
answer
214
views
Has there ever been an accident caused by a laser pointer strike?
As seen in the FAA's Laser Incidents by Year data, the number of laser strike incidents has increased over the years.
I wonder if there has been a strike serious enough to have caused an accident* in ...
- 5,022
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why do two similar planes with the same engine have such different performance?
Why do two similar planes with the same engine have such different performance? For example, the Ikarus C42 and the Eurofox both use 912UL engines, but the Eurofox cruises 15 - 20 knots faster.
What ...
- 14.3k
9
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why do commercial airliners go around on hard touchdown?
I was watching this video where he mentioned that a plane went around on hard touchdown. This isn't the only instance I have seen where they do this.
So, why do they do so? Isn't it a loss of profits ...
0
votes
1
answer
127
views
in non precision approach, why use 2 NM before the final approach fix to start the landing configuration?
i know when vectoring aircraft to the final approach course,controllers are required to ensure the intercept is at least 2 NM outside the approach gate and there is a raim test at 2nm before faf but ...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
154
views
Is the centripetal acceleration when an aircraft turns related only to the load factor?
My question is about aircraft load factor and how it relates to turning ability.
I've recently come across this chart for the F-16 that shows the turn rate in degrees per second and the load factor ...
- 23
0
votes
1
answer
93
views
Why does the airflow turn less when you extend further from the body?
In this answer, it says as follows:
Because "far enough" from the Concorde's nose, the path followed by the airflow is not affected by its presence and it's just a straight line. Close to ...
- 3,413
0
votes
1
answer
94
views
Takeoff Distance Table: Aircraft Performance
When computing the takeoff distance on a grassy runway with a 9-knot headwind, should I first do the calculations for the grassy runway (note no. 5) on my ground roll, then apply the wind corrections (...
- 91
0
votes
1
answer
48
views
How does the weak / strong shock solution work?
In this chart, you can see that there are 2 possible angles for a shock to be at when both the deflection angle and Mach number are the same.
Circled in red is the line of an object going Mach 2, and ...
- 3,413
9
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Why don't aircraft use D.C generators? [duplicate]
I need to research DC generators in aviation, but the only information I can find is about AC being converted to DC. This information is not exactly what I’m looking for.
The only information I could ...
0
votes
2
answers
80
views
Are flap track fairings (just the appendages themselves) necessary for wing aerodynamics?
Coming from this answer by Peter Kämpf leaving me a little perplexed about the necessity of flap track fairings. without flap tracks, would we still need them on the wing of any given sub/transonic ...
- 71
0
votes
1
answer
33
views
How will a normal shock forming on a wing create drag?
When you're going close to supersonic speeds, the air over the wing is actually getting accelerated to supersonic. When the pressure recovery area comes, this accelerated air turns into a shock ...
- 3,413
11
votes
4
answers
3k
views
What is the most fuel-efficient flight profile for a small plane?
If you take a short one hour flight in an A320, the flight will usually climb to around 25 - 30,000ft and then descend into its destination. The actual cruise at 30,000 will often only be a matter of ...
- 14.3k
0
votes
1
answer
80
views
Is it possible for a shockwave to reflect off of the ground, making the observer hear 2 shocks?
Is it possible for a shockwave from a supersonic aircraft to reflect off of the ground, forcing the observer to hear 2 shockwaves?
In this picture, the shockwave from this aircraft is shown to reach ...
- 3,413
4
votes
2
answers
288
views
ATC gives wrong instruction, and you follow it
Example I saw recently from a pilot I know:
He was inside a VIP TFR and had filed a flight plan, picked up a code , and was talking to atc. Inside the TFR he reached his destination and atc told him ...
- 41
0
votes
1
answer
103
views
What resistance is offered by an appendage on an aircraft flying at 30,000ft at 200 mph?
What formula can I use for calculating the resistance offered by an appendage above an aircraft wing? The appendage has a surface area of 10 square meters, positioned at an angle of 45 degrees. The ...
2
votes
2
answers
117
views
How to clean up CA1000 corrosion inhibitive compound?
I am working on one of the aircraft parts covered in CA1000 corrosion inhibiting compound that needs to be cleaned and reapplied. I looked at their website and it says it is "a one-part, epoxy ...
- 101
-1
votes
1
answer
259
views
Why don't jet fighters have fans?
Why don't jet fighters have fans in front? They only have a hole to suck air? I assume the compressor sucks the air. Is that enough?
See from picture below, this is an F-16 jet fighter. There is no ...
- 121
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Terrain rising, controller not giving climb clearance... what to do?
Over the weekend, I asked for a zone transit for some class D airspace surrounding two large airports.
This is because the Minimum Safe Altitude for the area is 3,200ft and the airspace started ...
- 14.3k
4
votes
1
answer
391
views
Are There Any Recomendation of Aircraft Design Books Written By Russian Author? [closed]
I've read many aircraft design books, such as the one written by Roskam (Vol 1-8), Raymer, and Torenbeek. I'm curious if there any aircraft design book written by any Russian author, which may they've ...
- 67
4
votes
1
answer
272
views
Is there any anti-ice system on Cessna Citation II?
I was flying a Cessna Citation II on FlightGear FS. There are some ice on the windshield when it climbs to about 15000 ft. Is there any anti-ice system (or de-ice system) on Cessna Citation II? (I do ...
- 163
2
votes
1
answer
231
views
Were flight crew allowed to carry firearms before 9/11?
After the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, many aspects of aviation safety and security were improved and/or enforced.
These security measures and enhancements include:
More ...
- 1,616
11
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Why do tip vortices seem to 'bend' inwards at the tip of a plane wing?
Why do tip vortices seem to 'bend' inwards at the tip of a plane wing?
Here if you look closely, the tip vortices seem to bend or travel inwards very slightly after the aircraft has passed. In this ...
- 3,413
-3
votes
1
answer
272
views
Had there ever been an accident caused by chatting in the cockpit?
Almost all large commercial jet airliners today have at least a captain and a first officer as the flight crew. Some cargo aircraft or old airliners also have a flight engineer. Additionally, most ...
- 1,616
0
votes
0
answers
49
views
XFoil aglorithm for generating a NACA 4-digits airfoil
I need to generate NACA 4-digits airfoil points in the exact same way that XFoil software does, I need the algorithm so that I can convert it to another programming language,other than fortran...
I ...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
101
views
Is it possible to find the actual dimensions of the Radial Drive Shaft and Bevel Gear of the CFM56-7B?
I am trying to draw to make a 3d model of the RDS in the CFM56-7B and I wasn't able to find the dimensions anywhere on the internet. And, what are the materials used to make them?
- 23
3
votes
4
answers
365
views
Trimming direction on climb out and descent to maintain an airspeed
What direction do I trim in order to catch an airspeed with the control stick while on the approach in the circuit pattern? When I normally trim out the control pressures while in the region of normal ...
- 43
7
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is there any airplane that doesn't use a headset but speakers?
I wonder if there is any aircraft that is quiet enough that allows talking/listening via speakers?
- 5,022
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Had there ever been a self-ejecting FDR/CDR?
Ever since the invention of Flight Data Recorders (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR), they played a crucial role in helping investigators determine the cause of accidents. Since they are so ...
- 1,616
20
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Could Swashplate be replaced with small electric motors?
In helicopters, the swashplate is used to control the pitch of the blades. Could a set of electric motors, each placed at the root of each blade, be used to control the pitch instead? Has this method ...
- 303
-7
votes
1
answer
186
views
At what altitude will an explosive depressurization cause structural failure?
Rapid depressurization at high altitude is generally a very, very bad thing, because the aircraft will quickly loose altitude and may suffer damage to vital areas. There are three forms of ...
- 1,616
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Do most aircraft have a ditch button in the case of emergency?
In the ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009, the pilots did not have time to press the "ditch" button present on the Airbus aircraft they were flying. In other circumstances where time ...
- 1,616
1
vote
1
answer
125
views
TSA clearance for pilot training
Hi everyone I have my tsa clearance for instrument in between my instrument I am starting my commercial training do I need to get a separate tsa clearance for that ?
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
166
views
What's the difference between the "approaching minimums" and "plus hundred" callout for Boeing aircraft?
Is it essentially the same thing? And if so, does it vary based on the model of Boeing aircraft or airline's choice?
- 23
1
vote
0
answers
48
views
2D vs 3D Pressure Drag
What is the difference between the parallel component of the drag that depends on alpha for a 2D airfoil and the parallel component of the drag that's on a finite wing?
I understand that for a wing ...
2
votes
1
answer
604
views
how could engineers find pressure loss location in jet engines?
What are the tools, software or devices that jet engineers use to know if there is loss of pressure in the air? Are they using only calculations to know how much air in vs out?
It's very interesting ...
- 121
14
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Airshow pilots not making radio calls - best course of action
I recently flew into an air show, where some very large, fast and expensive historical aircraft were being flown. It is important to note that although this was within an ATZ, it was uncontrolled ...
- 14.3k
0
votes
1
answer
187
views
What are the benefits of buried engines? [duplicate]
I recently came over the de Havilland Comet, and I found an interesting feature of the aircraft: it had four engines, and all of them seemed it be embedded inside the aircraft wings. I later research ...
- 1,616
3
votes
5
answers
567
views
Had there ever been civil aircrafts with more than four engines?
The Boeing 747 have four engines, the 737 two, and the 727 three. Most modern commercial jet airliners today have two engines. I know that some military aircrafts, (like the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress)...
- 1,616