97
votes
Accepted
How was I able to just plug in my headphones and listen to ATC and pilot chatter?
This is a feature offered on some United Airlines aircraft and flights. It's an interesting way to hear what's going on in the cockpit. You can find lots of information by searching for United channel ...
- 9,182
66
votes
MH370 blackbox - is it still possible to retrieve data from it?
There are precedents: the flight recorders of AF447 spent two years at the bottom of the ocean, and revealed all that had happened after being retrieved. So they had survived being immersed in salty ...
- 62.3k
65
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Philippine Airlines Flight 113 dump fuel prior to forced landing?
If you had an engine fire, even though it may be "out", you want your airplane on the ground as soon as you possibly can. You don't know what structural damage is lurking as a result of the fire. ...
- 134k
55
votes
Why didn't Philippine Airlines Flight 113 dump fuel prior to forced landing?
On twin-engined aircraft the standard procedure for engine failure is to land as soon as possible. Since it is possible to land overweight—and aircraft are designed so that it is—delay to dump fuel is ...
- 56.4k
52
votes
Accepted
Why is the 777 fuel burn rate graph U shaped and skewed to the left?
What does the graph show?
The graph plots the average fuel required per distance as a function of the total flight distance. It does not show fuel flow rate as a function of time during the flight.
...
- 57.6k
45
votes
Where can I find Boeing 777 safety records?
The Boeing 777 has an excellent reputation when it comes to safety.
Just under 1500 have been built which have accumulated more than five million flights and 20 million flight hours.
Only 6 aircraft ...
- 83.8k
39
votes
How was I able to just plug in my headphones and listen to ATC and pilot chatter?
ATC and aircraft communications (at least in the US) are not restricted for receiving. Anyone can purchase (or make) an "Air band" receiver (or scanner radio) tunable through (roughly) 118-140 MHz and ...
- 301
31
votes
Accepted
What is the "Brake to Exit" feature on the Boeing 777X?
It is a system that Airbus already uses in the A380
and some A350's. They call it BTV (Brake to Vacate).
It allows the pilot to select a certain runway exit in advance (e.g. while approaching).
...
- 3,186
28
votes
Accepted
Why does the Boeing 787 have fewer cockpit windows?
It is because of the carbon fibre. This is the same reason that the 787 has bigger passenger windows. Here you can find a link explaining the polarized windows on the 787. Because of its higher ...
- 883
28
votes
Can an airliner with no brakes be slowed down after landing by steering it into the grass?
Depends on what the alternative is. Hopefully you're going fairly slow when you get to that point. In any case, if the choice is between grass and a drop off into a ravine, go for the grass. If the ...
- 134k
26
votes
Accepted
Why has the 777x been designed with folding wingtips?
The Boeing 777X website states that this is to enable a more efficient wing (read: wider span) while maintaining the airport gate and taxi footprint of the classic 777 (which ensures airlines can use ...
- 4,817
26
votes
Why has the 777x been designed with folding wingtips?
Many modern aircraft have been designed with winglets, and older ones have been retrofitted with them. They allow a wing to produce more lift with less drag. However, the benefit is even greater if ...
- 73.5k
25
votes
Why does the Boeing 777X have a flight deck similar to the 787 and not to the previous 777?
The reality is that the 777X is not all that different from the 777 when considering cockpit procedures or 'user interface'. What is different is the hardware platform(s) that are used.
I worked ...
- 20.1k
22
votes
Accepted
Why does the B777 have no winglets? Are there any drawbacks to having winglets?
As in anything in aviation design, the use of wingtips has both advantages and disadvantages. In the end, the decision to use (or not) a winglet is based on the cost-benefit analysis of the winglet to ...
- 100k
22
votes
Accepted
Why will the 777X be tested for crosswind handling with wingtips raised?
If you read the details in the Federal Register, you can see that this refers to crosswind handling on the ground, not in the air:
The folding wingtips and their operating mechanism must be designed
...
- 71.9k
21
votes
Accepted
How to fold or expand the wingtips on Boeing 777?
This is only possible in the 777X, not any other 777 variants like the 777-200 or 777-300.
Also questions related to issues in flight simulators are off-topic here.
In the 777X, there is a switch in ...
- 2,662
20
votes
MH370 blackbox - is it still possible to retrieve data from it?
If not, why would you still be looking for the missing aircraft and especially the blackbox, if there was nothing to find out about the reason that caused the 777 to disappear?
In fact we are ...
- 1,807
18
votes
Why does the Boeing 787 have fewer cockpit windows?
The rules on visibility from the cockpit have been updated.
There are rules and regulations imposed on the view from the cockpit, for very good reasons - collision avoidance for instance. During ...
- 62.3k
18
votes
How to fold or expand the wingtips on Boeing 777?
The switch is located on the overhead panel next to the passenger signs:
(image source: LinkedIn: The Boeing 777X Folding WingTip (FWT) operation.)
Note however, that only the Boeing 777X series has ...
- 57.6k
17
votes
Why are longer wings with foldable wingtips used on the B777X instead of lighter ones with original size?
This explanation is given here :
The wing of the 777X is based upon the design of the 787’s wing. It
has less of the sweep of the 787 but 10% more surface area (increased
from 4,702 to 5,562 sq. ft.)....
- 1,656
16
votes
Why is Landing Altitude displayed in amber on B777?
The Boeing 777 is a very automated aircraft. The takeoff altitude, landing altitude, and cabin pressurization altitude are all automatically set when you enter the departure airport and destination ...
- 37.9k
15
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between Boeing 777 aircraft engines and Apollo rocket engines?
There are two main differences.
A rocket engine does not need an external source of oxygen for combustion and has only one opening - the exhaust. It gets oxygen from its own fuel supply, typically ...
- 31.3k
14
votes
Accepted
Why select the transponder to TA only in the case of engine failure?
The TA mode is selected when there is an issue, basically telling the 'other' aircraft that you cannot maneuver if a RA situation occurs. The other aircraft has to do all the maneuvering (as they can ...
- 100k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible