90
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
60
votes
Scared of flying in an Airbus A220
Multiple airlines grounded their entire A220 fleet amid engine concerns
Paradoxically, this should make you feel safer, not less safe. The A220 has had zero accidents. Grounding it is not a sign that ...
- 18.2k
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:
- 37k
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 ...
- 84.5k
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 ...
- 17k
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
38
votes
Why don't Airbus planes have perfectly smooth front sections?
It is not about Boeing versus Airbus, but rather about old versus new.
Your representative image for Airbus is an A320, whose technological competitor by Boeing is the 777. Juxtaposing the two, we ...
- 3,496
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 ...
- 39.8k
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 ...
- 84.5k
35
votes
Accepted
Why did Airbus mix "colored light means ON" and "colored light means OFF" in the overhead panel?
The logic for illumination of buttons on the overhead panel is called the dark cockpit concept, previously also called the Forward-Facing Crew Cockpit.
It was originally developed by Airbus for the ...
- 58.3k
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 ...
- 56.5k
32
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 20.2k
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 ...
- 136k
28
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 ...
- 984
27
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 ...
- 30.1k
26
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, ...
- 237k
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 ...
- 84.5k
22
votes
Why don't Airbus planes have perfectly smooth front sections?
The pinched-nose airplane has its (flat) frontmost windshield panels almost touching and raked back, which forces the vertical crease.
The corresponding panels on the other airplane are farther apart, ...
- 12.8k
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 ...
- 62.9k
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 ...
- 58.3k
21
votes
Scared of flying in an Airbus A220
How will you be getting to the airport? Flying in an airliner with a relatively poor safety record is still orders of magnitude safer than traveling by car, for example. –
Frog
Driving in a car –
...
- 16.4k
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 ...
- 80.8k
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 ...
- 73.8k
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.
- 7,990
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 ...
- 36.2k
18
votes
Visually see flap settings from passenger window behind wing
Yes, you can definitely tell how much the flaps are deployed just by looking at the numbers on the flap itself, close to the root of the wing, which gives the angle in degrees (original picture):
I'...
- 15.8k
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 ...
- 58.3k
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 ...
- 581
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible