Upon takeoff, aircraft can make a number of noises that can disturb unknowing residents in the area around an airport. Engine noise can be sourced from the fan, compressor, or the air discharge from the core of the engine; however, the noise generated by the engine exhaust is the loudest. While not all the noise produced by aircraft can be mitigated, aerospace engineers have crafted a solution: noise suppressors. Noise suppressors are commonly an integral, airborne part of the aircraft engine installation or engine exhaust nozzle.
Industrial springs are common hardware components that are often overlooked, typically being mounted within an assembly of moving parts. Crucial to motion control and industrial equipment, industrial springs may be found in door closing systems, the mechanical seals of rotary unions, and much more. While there are numerous types of industrial springs that one may use, the most common variations that serve industrial applications include compression, extension, and torsion springs.
When observing commercial aircraft as they conduct operations, one may notice that there are a variety of small surfaces that are commonly implemented on the ends of wings. These surfaces at the end of wingtips are known as winglets or Sharklets depending on the manufacturer of the aircraft, and they serve to reduce drag for the means of achieving more optimal flight. To better understand the role that winglets and Sharklets serve, as well as their difference, we will provide a brief overview of each.
While not an equipment piece that serves for the ability of flight directly, landing gear is one of the most crucial aspects of an aircraft that enables safe operations. Coming in a variety of forms and designs, the common goal of landing gear is to provide a means for an aircraft to takeoff and land on various surfaces, as well as traverse on the ground. Taildragger and tricycle landing gear are two of the most common types of configurations, each of which feature different assemblies that may be beneficial to certain aircraft models and needs. To help you understand the differences between each landing gear type, we will provide a brief overview of the taildragger and tricycle landing gear of aircraft.
Aviation headsets are a common equipment piece for aircraft, permitting pilots and crew members to conduct radio and intra-cabin communication. Additionally, headsets are also crucial for hearing protection and maintaining clear communication as they block ambient noises and reduce sound levels for the comfort and ease of the user. As an essential element of many flight operations, it is important to properly maintain and clean aviation headsets so that they can continue to function properly for a long period of time.
Electrical circuits and devices are complex systems, and their intricate and numerous components can make troubleshooting somewhat difficult. While one could test the overall functionality of a component through more manual means, tools such as ammeters are much more beneficial for troubleshooting a circuit with their ability to gather various readings. Ammeters are capable of measuring the amount of current present within a circuit, and they garner current readings in the form of amperes. As there are various types of ammeters available as well as similar devices such as galvanometers, it is important to understand the role of such instruments and how they differ from others.
During a normal travel year, airliners may constantly be operating as they land and takeoff around the world to transport passengers. Due to the sheer number of operations taking place each day, aircraft require quick turnovers upon landing so that they can continue on to their next destination with rapid succession. Despite the process of landing to take off being very rapid, there are numerous crucial procedures that are carried out to ensure an aircraft is properly situated for another flight. In this blog, we will discuss the steps taken upon landing an aircraft to the moment that it lifts off once again, allowing you to best understand how the turnover process is conducted.
An underwater locator beacon (ULB), also known as an underwater locating device or underwater acoustic beacon, is a device affixed to aviation flight recorders such as the cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder, and aircraft fuselage. The device activates by being immersed in water, at which point it is designed to emit an ultrasonic pulse of 37.5 kHz every second for a minimum of 30 days. ULBs attached to the airframe are called low frequency ULBs and transmit the pulse at 8.8 kHz. These devices are not only designed to survive accidents, but to remain fully functioning after impact. Research from 2011 determined that ULBs had a 90% survival rate over nearly thirty above-sea air accidents.
Whether you are driving an automobile or piloting a passenger aircraft, being aware of your current speed while traveling is paramount to safety, navigation & route planning, and much more. For the measurement of aircraft speed, such vehicles rely on a flight instrument known as an airspeed indicator. As a part of the pitot-static system, the airspeed indicator is a required installation mandated by the FAA to ensure proper speeds while taking off, descending, landing, and cruising.
In the days of aviation before the release of the Global Positioning System (GPS), pilots had to rely on a number of systems and methods in order to navigate and reach their destination efficiently. While visual flight rule (VFR) pilots can utilize physical landmarks to discern and navigate their surroundings, such methods would prove fruitless when vision is obstructed during certain weather patterns or times of the day. As such, pilots had to rely on VOR ground stations to traverse from one point to the other with instrumentation.
