86
votes
How safe is the Boeing 737-800 in high winds?
Extremely safe.
Firstly, your pilots will have access to much more detailed and real-time weather information than you can get. They want to get home safely as much as you do, and will not fly if it ...
- 13.5k
75
votes
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Why evacuate wing at the front side after water landing?
When I worked as a flight attendant back in the 80's we were told that water landings frequently resulted in very damaged trailing edges to the wings. Flaps and spoilers will most likely have been ...
- 3,094
75
votes
What exactly happened in this bird strike incident?
Since it hit a bird, it was a bird strike. Nothing else matters for that classification.
The puff of flame suggests there probably was a momentary compressor stall. That is the compressor was unable ...
- 55.5k
70
votes
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How did NASA Langley end up with the first 737?
NASA has lots of cool aircraft. They get them sometimes when they get to the end of their life/retired, sometimes they are custom built trainers, and sometimes they are used to test research projects. ...
- 98.3k
64
votes
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Why force the nose of 737 Max down in the first place?
The main thing to avoid in aeroplane stability & control, is an aerodynamic nose up moment that is not commanded by the pilot. The uncommanded nose-up moment would not auto-stabilise, but rapidly ...
- 60.7k
62
votes
What kind of liquid can be seen 'leaking' from the upper surface of the wing of a Boeing 737-800?
The pictures show water condensation on the wing upper surface due to very cold fuel in main tank number 2.
The fuel is cold because the air temperature at cruise altitude is significantly colder ...
- 3,738
58
votes
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What is the technique or procedure to disable/disengage the MCAS on Boeing 737 Max 8 & 9 Aircraft?
MCAS doesn't have its own on/off switch
It is a fly-by-wire feature designed to account for a particular flight regime that would not (or was not expected to be) encountered very often in normal ...
- 4,162
53
votes
Are Boeing 737-800s grounded?
The 737-800 is not grounded (and never has been). The aircraft type has an excellent safety record. Since 1997 over 5000 have been produced.
The 737 MAX 8 is its successor. The aircraft is very ...
- 77.1k
47
votes
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What is the strange object on 737-800 exterior, on the aft right side?
It's the air inlet for the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).
Slide 18 here has an image labelled "APU Air Inlet door with Vortex Generator". The inset image on the slide looks almost exactly like your ...
- 1,389
44
votes
Does a Boeing 737-800 Have a Ram Air Turbine (RAT)?
No it does not, it does not need one, there is a mechanical connection to the flight controls that can be used if all else fails.
The B737 flight controls are hydraulically powered.
There are three ...
- 60.7k
41
votes
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What are these five indicators at the front of the 737 passenger cabin?
This is the forward Master Call Light Panel installed in the ceiling of the cabin. A second one is located aft. These panels exist on all large aircraft for the cabin crew members to be alerted ...
- 68.6k
39
votes
Why does the landing gear control have 3 positions (up/down/off) on Boeing 737-800?
With the gear handle in the UP position, the retraction side of the landing gear actuators remain pressurized. The gear will stay in the full up position, however they will not be hanging on the ...
- 1,050
39
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How safe is the Boeing 737-800 in high winds?
Short version: yes, the plane can take it
The 737 — or any other plane — will not take off unless the wind is within safe limits for the aircraft type.
Long version: your question almost answered ...
- 2,367
38
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What exactly did this mechanic sabotage on the American Airlines 737, and how dangerous was it?
It's a serious crime, but what that guy did, only affecting one system out of three, would be unlikely to cause a crash if the pilots were half way reasonably competent. The take-off would be ...
- 118k
35
votes
Can a Boeing 737-800 make a smooth landing on a 7000-foot runway?
You're probably being hard on them...
it was not windy or gusty as we debarked (disembarked)
The conditions you feel on the ground can be very different 50 feet in the air. Even from one end of the ...
- 35.8k
34
votes
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What are those arrow markings on the wing?
They are the overwing exit markings. You can see them in full in the following photo.
Boeing 737 Max overwing exits. By Oleg V. Belyakov - http://spotters.net.ua/file/?id=110706&size=large, CC BY-...
- 99.4k
32
votes
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Why does the landing gear control have 3 positions (up/down/off) on Boeing 737-800?
When UP or DOWN is selected, the hydraulics pressurize in the appropriate direction.
Once the gear is up and the mechanical locks are keeping the gear locked in place, OFF can be selected to ...
- 16.5k
31
votes
Why isn't the wing span of a certain airliner longer with the longer fuselage versions?
There are two main reasons:
It is easier to plug in a fuselage section than a (swept back) wing section. If you notice, one thing that has been kept constant across models is the fuselage cross ...
- 99.4k
31
votes
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Why didn’t Boeing ramp 737NG production back up in response to the 737 MAX groundings?
There are several reasons why.
First, it takes an awfully long time to make that kind of switch. While one can switch an assembly line for a product, that works rather differently for (say) ...
- 12.7k
31
votes
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How did this flydubai 737NG get Max winglets?
These are called Split Scimitar Winglets and they are offered as an upgrade for some existing Boeing 737 NG series aircraft:
Split Scimitar Winglets are offered by APB for the 737-800 and 737-900ER ...
- 51.6k
30
votes
Are Boeing 737 winglets adjustable from the cockpit?
Winglets are fixed to the ends of the aircraft. As can be seen below, the winglet has no movable parts and is fixed to the end of the wings.
http://www.sae.org/dlymagazineimages/2861_2313_ACT.jpg
...
- 99.4k
30
votes
Is it true that different variants of the same model aircraft don't require pilot retraining?
It appears to depend on how much changed. You do have to have some training between models. The selling point was that an airline with 737 pilots could fly the MAX variant with minimal retraining
"...
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30
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Why does Boeing use a trim wheel in the 737 and not their other products?
Trim pitch "wheels" as you describe date back to the time when turning that wheel actually pulled on steel cables that were connected to the hinge mechanism for the control surface itself. This ...
- 19.2k
30
votes
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Can a completely drained battery be recharged via ground power on an airliner like the B737?
My one experience with this was in a 737-300 that had the battery charger die, and the battery depleted while in flight. The Battery Bus was still powered by TR3, but the Hot Battery Bus died (...
- 45.3k
29
votes
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Is it possible to do a barrel roll in a large aircraft like a B737?
Yes, it has been done before in an even larger aircraft, the Boeing 367-80, very famously by "Tex" Johnston on August 7, 1955. This aircraft was the prototype for the Model 707.
When a barrel roll ...
- 3,113
29
votes
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What is the purpose of the small fins on top of the wing surface of Boeing aircraft?
They are called vortex generators, and their function is to create a small vortex which re-energizes the boundary layer. Here is a better picture which also shows that their leading edge is swept like ...
- 225k
29
votes
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What sort of debris has been found in 737 Max fuel tanks?
As a generic answer, not unusual. Besides personal objects like bucking bars, clecos, rags and such left in tanks, the biggest contamination source, from my experience working on a production line ...
- 118k
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