Every year, more than four billion people opt for the skies to satisfy their travel needs, making air travel the go-to mode of transportation for the globe. Not only is it the safest form of long-distance travel, but it’s also the fastest. Over the years, advancements in aviation technology have led to planes becoming faster, […]
As the aviation industry is on the hunt for high-performance, lightweight materials, Ceramic-Matrix Composites (CMCs) are emerging as a frontrunner. Dive into this article to find out how CMCs are setting the stage for a new era in jet engine efficiency and design. What are Ceramic-Matrix Composites (CMCs)? CMCs consist of ceramic fibers integrated within […]
Many similarities can be found in any plane’s cockpit, including an array of switches, information screens, and more. However, depending on the manufacturer, you may notice the presence of a yoke or a side stick. While Airbus planes have side sticks, Boeing planes have yokes to steer the plane. But why is this the case? […]
The earth is always pulling us to its center with its gravity, a force to which all bodies on the planet are subjected. At the beginning of the space program of the United States, reduced gravity was an important matter in the general body behavior, making this study a key to space exploration and transportation, […]
Fuel Dumping is an emergency procedure used in certain situations to maintain and prepare the aircraft for a safe landing. In this article, we will discuss the procedure of fuel dumping and the consequences of this procedure. Let’s dig in!
SpaceX is now quite used to landing their rebuilt rockets with ease. The 23rd of July 2022, marked their 56th first stage landing of the Falcon 9 successfully. Gone are the days of building new boosters for each new mission and here are the days when it just takes days for SpaceX to refurbish and […]
Also known as emergency ballistic reserve parachute, a parachute system within the aircraft systems. And here comes the question: Do all the aircraft have a parachute in their systems? Well, the answer is no. Do not confuse it with a drogue parachute designed to decrease the speed of the object or aircraft in the landing stage. We […]
A word that gathers a lot of conditions that an aircraft must meet. An official definition does not exist. However, the aviation and aeronautical regulations states the minimum requirements for which the aircraft is deemed to be airworthy and this is also showed under a Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA). You may think of the minimum […]
United Airlines has announced a firm order of 15 “Overture” jets from Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic, with an option for 35 more, contingent upon the new airliner meeting United’s safety, operating and sustainability requirements. Specifications The new supersonic jet by Boom Supersonic, dubbed Overture, promises the following: Passenger capacity: 65 – 88 Length: 205 […]
Have you ever wondered about the possibility of suffering trauma or a pathology while flying? Almost everyone has experienced emotional sensations and behavior not very normal when flying by plane at some point whether on take-off or landing. You probably have felt or faced this. Imagine the sensations while flying in helicopters, racing aircraft or […]
As the name stands for a plane that converts, but exactly in what? First of all, the plane needs to take off vertically and landing as well, so it is VTOL (Vertical take-off and landing), specifically using a rotor, and in a normal regime fly like a fixed-wing aircraft. This is a definition from the […]
When talking about Mach, it is pretty common to relate it with supersonic aircraft, but not always. This number of airflow velocity helps to determine the limits of the aircraft performance in terms of maximum airspeed. The critical Mach number (Mcr) is the lowest Mach number of the plane in which the speed of sound […]
Rockets are arguably the greatest engineering feat accomplished by man. The capabilities of these machines are unmatched and nothing like any other machine. Such a machine is the Saturn V (5), the most powerful rocket ever flown. The Saturn V rocket is the most complicated piece of engineering ever created. It was used by NASA […]
It is undoubtedly the largest aircraft in the world, working as a multi-tasking platform for research and commercial activities in aerospace. This plane allows the customers to launch their aerial projects in the hypersonic field. The design of the stratolaunch comprises a dual-fuselage and high-wing configuration in such a way releasing the payload from the […]
Airspace Airspace is a portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. This is not to be confused with the term ”Aerospace”, which is the general term for Earth’s atmosphere and the outer space in its vicinity. ATS airspace is classified […]
The helicopter as an aircraft is not as simple as it seems, the unique flight features make the helicopter a feat of flight science. It is not just making it fly, it is making it controllable and safe. Well, this machine has a rotor system that was practically an engineering miracle. When rotating the blades, […]
It is considered as another way to produce lift, and if this is attached to the wing then it is called a leading-edge extension. But, why put an extension on the wing? What kind of benefits does it bring to the plane? The leading edge extension creates vortices in a controlled way. It improves the […]
Many of us have seen tanker trucks around when the aircraft is on the ground and think about the type of supply they are loading on the plane. Fueling servicing is only one part of Aircraft ground handling when the plane is at the terminal gate of the airport. The fuel servicing may be performed […]
From its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Avelo plans to start service on April 28 to underserved or secondary airports in the West using leased Boeing 737-800s. Tickets are now on sale at aveloair.com. Purpose & Aim Avelo has a simple purpose — to inspire travel. “People are ready to reconnect with family and […]
An unusual prototype with circular wing in parasol configuration, built in 1934 became a successful STOL airplane, making the way to circular wing aircraft such as the Flying Pancake the AvroCar among others. Using a fuselage from an Alliance Argo biplane and powered by a 90 hp Lambert engine. The media at that moment wrote […]
Everyone has ever heard about the Murphy’s Law or probably is familiar to people who has mentioned it. And everyone knows that this law is neither positive nor optimistic. In fact, the law says something that at first glance gives you some pessimism. The Murphy´s Law states “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. […]
Many of us know about the gliding capacity of airplanes, the fixed-wing aircraft can glide without the engine power until landing safely with appropriate conditions and well aerodynamic airplane performance. However, how do the helicopters overcome the lack of engine power in mid-flight? That is somewhat disturbing to know that there is an engine failure. […]
At night, you might notice many lights on the tarmac of an airport. All of them have a specific function to help guide traffic on ground and/or in the air. The PAPI lights are one of these lights. What are PAPI lights? No, PAPI is not only a term in parenting; it is also a […]
The wings are the most relevant parts of an airplane. They maintain the flight by the reaction forces against the air. Now, talking about the wing as a structural part of a plane, this is taken to the limit. Civil structures are tested, the aerospace structures are subject to dynamic and static forces, sometimes, until […]
Have you ever wondered about the beginning of one of the most important aeronautical research institution? NACA, stands for: “National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics”, it’s an agency founded on March 3, 1915 in the United States to prioritize aeronautics during World War I. As we may know Wilbur and Orville Wright have studied aviation in […]
The Airbus A320 family has undoubtedly a wide range of members, visible at any airport. Some of us can see an Airbus and easily identify it whether it’s an A320, A321 or A318. They have their differences, in the structure, size, and of course, the performance. But what if you see an A320, the variant […]
As known, ATA stands for “Air Transport Association”, an American organization. But when talking about it now, ATA 100 refers to a methodology of reference for numbering the aircraft documentation. Allowing the ease of understanding the procedures and topics of a specific item or part of the aircraft. Within the aviation field, this numbering system […]
It seems like an airplane to observe, that is the name and the meaning. But all the aircraft seem to work under the same? Recognizance, spy or aerial surveying aircraft for mapping, they work in different scenarios and have different instruments to carry out the required task. An observatory as known is a location to […]
Navy Strategy, the need of a supersonic interceptor plane in time when Jet engines were not as advanced as now. The need of an aircraft that could take off from the sea or a floating deck. There were many options and ideas that came up, planes powered with propellers were still being used in aircraft […]
Right now, satellites surround our planet, nearly 6,000, circle the earth, with huge constellations and different features. Even some of unknown functions. However, these objects have improved the quality and technology in home as we may notice. We would not be surprised that Newton devised the idea because of the universal gravity force, and his […]
The United kingdom´s strategic nuclear strike force, officially known as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force was formed by the Royal Air Force, during the 1950s and 1960s. They used the three aircraft that represented the V`s. The Vickers Valiant, Avro Vulcan and Handley Page Victor, one aircraft with a striking shape. These aircraft […]
A flying saucer made for the U.S. military, devised in the Cold War (period 1958-1959) by Canadian Scientists, was a completely top secret project. Avro Canada, a Canadian aircraft manufacturing company, designed and built two prototypes of this aircraft, under the funding of the U.S. military that believed on an “alien” looking plane. At those […]
Colonel Merryl Tengesdal, born in the Bronx, New York, in 1971 was the first and only African American woman to fly the United States Air Force’s U-2 spy plane, the unique and famous aircraft used to spy and reconnaissance flown in the Cold War over the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. Merryl overcame and […]
A weirdly shaped, not very aesthetic plane that looks like a saucer that can never fly. This is the Vought V-173, an American prototype with a circular airfoil with large-diameter propellers on the wingtips.
An aircraft model that with its capabilities and performance, could surprise us, The P-750 XSTOL. A not so widely known aircraft, such as cessna´s or piper´s. However, this plane has many things to offer because of its multi-disciplinary roles, applications and variants whether it is freighter, passengers, Spraying, Fire Fighting, and skydive operations.
260 years of unsolved and unknown regime of high speed dynamics of gases were broken with the significant flight of the Bell X-1 research vehicle installed under the B-29 bomber of World War II vintage, on October 14, 1947 in the Mojave Desert in California.
The story of the two US Navy pilots, Lt. Cody and Ensign Adams, who disappeared into thin air. After 78 years, what happened to these men remains a mystery. There were various theories and suggestions about how the scene was played in the blimp, but nonetheless, remained theories and suggestions since nothing was confirmed. Thus, […]
Flights within the earth are possible taking into account our atmosphere composed of air. But when talking about flying through outer space or even an almost non-existent atmosphere or one that is composed of other gases like the planets in our solar system, propulsion methods and flight dynamics of the vehicles will be significantly affected.
A normal day like today, 14 december, 1986, the Voyager aircraft departed from Edwards Air Force Base in the Southern California using approximately 4.3 km of runway and a huge amount of fuel to fulfill the world record endurance without re-fueling and go around the world. Setting a world record that remains today it is […]
The sky is more complicated than you’ve ever thought. To a normal person, when they look up, all they see is the clear blue sky. But pilots, on the other hand, manage a complex ‘invisible infrastructure’ that allows them to operate safely in the sky. What are they?
We all wonder how a plane could fly if an engine fails, but it is more worrying if it is in the middle of miles and miles of ocean before finding a place to land safely. These same concerns were expressed by aircraft manufacturers and operators when they wanted their aircraft to cross the oceans […]
It only takes 1 and half minute in air or even less, and definitely you spend more time buying the ticket or fasten your seat belt. This is the flight between two close islands in Scotland’s Highlands and islands, exactly the Orkney Islands of Westray and Papa Westray.
Many of us have seen smoke, gases or fumes in the sky and it is pretty common to see large trail intersections like clouds. While flying, each aircraft can experience condensation in different ways, but each is produced by conditions ranging from altitude to temperature.
As we all usually know that fighter pilots work in a cramped cockpit and modern fighters do not have more person space. The developers of modern fighter jets such as the F-16 and the F-35 made the cockpit extremely small and the average height of design is around 5’10 to 6’2 and 210 pounds .
We already know what VFR stands for, visual flight rules, but what is Special VFR? First, let’s recap, visual flight rules (VFR) is a set of rules under which a pilot operates an aircraft in generally fair weather where the pilot can clearly see where the plane is going. Generally, the basic VFR minimums are, […]
By the beginning of November this year the first prototype of the MC-21-310 was completed and equipped with Russian engines PD-14. The introduction to the first flight will come true soon, relying on the multiple tests carried out, and the aircraft is in the final line of the assembly waiting for the flight tests that […]
A duct tape strip, nothing aesthetic or of the quality image on a plane. Some people have noticed these tapes on their flights, causing astonishment, and at first glance, it seems that the tape is joining paper parts, not giving confidence. People wondered if this is a good practice, especially if we talk about something […]
After the first manned flight of the Wright brothers, it did not take more than 20 years to consider space flight, with the concepts and dreams of two men interested in reaching outer space. Herman Oberth, one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics, and Wernher von Braun, his student, later known for helping Germany’s Rocket […]
When flying you’ve got two rules and it’s up to you to choose depending on your training and rating. You have VFR and IFR. What’s difference? Why is this relevant? What are your restrictions?
Some airliners turn into military aircraft as well. This is the An-12 “Cub”, a military aircraft that had a version of a passenger airplane in the Soviet Union. Constructed simultaneously with the An-10 “the airliner” but with structural differences to allow military operations, one of them is a defensive tail gun. This airplane was Designed […]
English
You must be logged in to post a comment.