91
votes
Accepted
Why does JetBlue have aircraft registered in Germany?
I am the pilot who delivered this aircraft on Friday.
The German registration remains on the aircraft up until the time we (JetBlue) purchase the aircraft. Prior to transfer of title, we perform a ...
- 676
51
votes
Accepted
What's that in front of the overhead panel?
That's where the analogue/backup compass is stowed. The compartment can be opened downward if you ever need to use the compass, as seen in this image:
- 36.2k
50
votes
Accepted
What is this Lufthansa passenger jet plane, based on these three photos?
TLDR: The picture shows an Airbus A340-300, either registration D-AIGH or D-AIGI, parked at gate B49 at Frankfurt airport.
From the general shape of the nose of the aircraft, and the fact that the ...
- 82.8k
49
votes
Why does JetBlue have aircraft registered in Germany?
That is a very very new aircraft. The notes on the jetphotos.com posting (photo taken 2/21/2021, uploaded 2/27/2021) say:
the first A321neo for jetBlue with the Mint suites on board for North ...
- 13.4k
45
votes
Is it possible to upgrade a Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A380's engines for greater speed?
I just wanted to comment on this question since some of my code is on the A380's GE engine.
Those engines are optimized for fuel efficiency at their cruising altitude and speed. The tradeoff that ...
- 531
35
votes
Is it possible to upgrade a Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A380's engines for greater speed?
If the engines are upgraded to "better" ones, the manufacturer would make it result in increased carrying capacity or increased range (or both), but not increased speed.
The limitation is the ...
- 39.7k
35
votes
How many flight hours do the first retiring A380s have?
The A380 that was being scrapped was the 3rd aircraft on the production line. After being used for a short time in the test fleet of Airbus, it became the first line number that was delivered to a ...
- 82.8k
33
votes
Why are aircraft parts built in different places and assembled in one?
You can only hire so many people at one place, and also only find so much land there, so when the whole process no longer fits, there is no other option than start building components at other places ...
- 56.2k
32
votes
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How much training does an A320 pilot need to fly an A321?
From Flight Training International:
Airbus A320 Type Rating
The Airbus A320 family of jet airliners consists of five aircraft: the A318, A319, A320, A321 jet airliners and ACJ ...
- 19.4k
31
votes
Accepted
How many flight hours do the first retiring A380s have?
No they are nowhere near being worn out. These aircraft are normally designed for anywhere from 40-60,000 cycle lifespans, and more on shorter haul a/c (depending on how long each cycle is), perhaps ...
- 126k
29
votes
How can an Airbus Beluga fly only with two engines and use short runways?
This airplane is based on the Airbus A300-600. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 155 tonne as published in the wikipedia. In addition, the the manufacturer has published the Aircraft ...
- 994
26
votes
Why are Airbus captain control sticks placed on the left when most people are right-handed?
The Airbus is actually configured the same as the vast majority of other General Aviation and Civil Aviation aircraft.
The key factor is that the throttle is almost always the middle - meaning that ...
- 9,278
26
votes
How have engineers managed to increase commercial airliner wing aspect ratios over time?
As to what makes higher aspect ratios feasible, no magic here:
Aerospace materials have improved over time, in quality and strength.
Carbon gets a lot of hype, part deserved and part not. It's just ...
25
votes
Why does the wing root of the A330 have a pronounced twist?
Short answer:
To create a funnel for all the air streaming towards the fuselage.
Slightly longer answer:
Air approaching a swept wing will be accelerated towards the area with the lowest pressure and, ...
- 230k
23
votes
Why do Belugas keep executing a go-around?
I wasn't on the flight deck, nor do I have inside information, so this answer is an educated guess.
I assume this is flight-training for new Beluga crews and/or license re-validation which is included ...
- 82.8k
21
votes
Accepted
How does envelope protection work in Airbus vs. Boeing aircraft?
There are two sorts of "autopilots", and it is important to make a distinction between the two. One is for the behaviour of the aircraft around its Centre of Gravity (CoG), the other one is for ...
- 61.3k
21
votes
Accepted
Do pilots use the pedals in flight on planes with a sidestick (Airbus)?
The rudder pedals are not usually used in flight, even with the autopilot off.
The rudder on the Airbus A320 can be controlled via a mechanical connection to the rudder pedals in the flight deck, but ...
- 54.3k
20
votes
Accepted
Is a Control Law Degradation in Airbus Planes displayed on the ECAM?
Since you are trying to understand how the crew is aware of law reconfiguration, it's important to look at this event in its context, why it does happen and what are the consequences for the control ...
- 70.9k
20
votes
Why are aircraft parts built in different places and assembled in one?
There are many considerations in where parts are manufactured or assembled, and not all are directly related to economics.
Both Boeing and Airbus have assembly lines located around the world, so it ...
- 71.8k
19
votes
What are the numbers in boxes on an A320 ND when terrain is shown?
14600 ft and 7300 ft.
A320 FCOM DSC-31-45 :
Minimum and maximum elevations encountered ahead of the aircraft, within the selected ND range.
- 7,935
18
votes
Accepted
What does "speed checked" mean?
Because there is a maximum deployment speed for things like flaps, gear extension (and sometimes retraction). Exceeding these speeds and using those devices can cause damage to control surfaces or ...
- 36k
17
votes
Why are Airbus captain control sticks placed on the left when most people are right-handed?
First, even if the aircraft is controlled using a yoke, the pilot is still controlling using his left hand (left hand on column, right hand on throttles/PCL). This is not much different and almost all ...
- 100k
16
votes
What is an airliner's "green dot speed", and how does it vary with weight, and why?
Green Dot (GD) speed is a term used by Airbus. It is named after the symbol on the speed tape. It refers to the speed that results in the best climb gradient in case of an engine failure, but it is ...
- 54.3k
15
votes
Accepted
Why do Boeing aircraft have serrated engine nacelles, but Airbus does not?
It doesn't appear to be a patent thing. The main work on the chevron (shaped nozzles) was done by NASA. Every design decision in an aircraft is a compromise and this was no different. The addition of ...
- 100k
15
votes
Accepted
What is the 3 click sound when the autopilot is disconnected on Airbus aircraft?
There are two separate aural warnings that you might be referring to: one is indeed called 'Triple Click' and consists of three brief clicks, but is emitted when the landing capability becomes ...
- 579
15
votes
Why isn´t TOGA thrust always 100% N1 or N2?
TOGA thrust is not always 100% N1 (or N2), because TOGA thrust is actually not about delivering the absolute maximum thrust that can be provided. Rather, it's about delivering a guaranteed large ...
- 4,463
15
votes
Accepted
Why is 5 seconds the time to respond to a TCAS RA?
If the pilot reacts at impact it is too late to avoid collision
If the pilot reacts one second before impact it is too late to make any significant altitude change and to avoid collision.
If the pilot ...
- 82.8k
14
votes
Accepted
Do Airbus pilots have to practice flying in alternate law?
It appears in both situations that the PF had trouble stabilizing the aircraft roll attitude.
Note that roll control is secondary when recovering from a stall.
Restoring normal pitch and roll, he ...
- 26.3k
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