Questions tagged [airliner]

An airliner is a large, commercial aircraft operated by an airline for transporting people and/or cargo.

There's no formal, precise definition of an "airliner" but it's usually understood to mean any large aircraft used by a scheduled airline to carry s and/or .

An airliner is identified mainly by size: few people would call a Cessna Caravan an airliner, even though it's used in scheduled airline services in various parts of the world. (A couple of things many people would call a Caravan would be an air taxi or commuter plane, things that these small aircraft are quite good at.) Airliners may have any type of engine: smaller, shorter-range airliners generally use -powered (or, occasionally, -powered) s, while large, fast, long-range airliners almost always use s (nowadays, this means a , although the first jetliners used engines instead), and are called jetliners as a result.

Use this tag for general questions about aircraft used for commercial airline operations, but if the question is about a specific make or model of aircraft, then it's better to use a more specific tag; e.g., or .

See Wikipedia for more information.

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How common are missile defense systems on civil airplanes?

I've just stumbled upon Why don't El Al 747's stay at the gates at JFK? in the hot topics. I kind of get why El Al decided to put missile defense systems in their planes but I was wondering: How common is this? Are there other airlines who do this?
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Have there been any solo flights on airliners?

As per subject has anyone flown an airliner (737, A319 etc etc or bigger) solo? (meaning only 1 pilot alone with no passengers?) Tried to google search but did not find any reference. Question applies to any of modern airliners era with and without…
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What is the chime that can be heard roughly 30 seconds after takeoff?

This may be confirmation bias on my part, this might be impatient passengers pressing the call button, and it might be me imagining things, but it's one of those I've wondered about. I'll try to describe as best I can. Of all the times I've flown…
Jamiec
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Why does the A340 have 4 engines instead of 2?

I have noticed for a while the A340 has four engines and the Boeing 777 only has two engines and they are about the same size. So why can't an A340 have two engines instead of four? A340 . B777 On a jumbo jet like the B747-8 four engines are a…
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Are there any guidelines or regulations for seat legroom on airlines?

I am over 6' 2" and endured an extremely unpleasant 9-hour flight last year. Shorter folk were just fine. Are there any guidelines or regulations for seat legroom on airlines?
Dave45
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How many of the airliners that ever existed have been lost in flight?

Another way of asking this is: Of all the airliners that have taken off and returned to the earth, what proportion have actually landed? Or another way: If you were born as an airliner, what is the probability that you would die at work? I'm…
Daniele Procida
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Would a large airliner such as a 747 or an A380 survive an inversion?

Could any large airliner or GA aircraft survive a horizontal roll? Or would a large aircraft break up from structural damage?
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Which airliners have carried the most passengers?

I'm fairly sure that the Boeing 737 series will be in first place, with the Airbus A320 family coming second and perhaps the 727 third. However, perhaps there are some estimates of actual figures that would provide more information. See also Which…
Daniele Procida
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If everybody jumps in an airliner, would the pilots notice?

I often have this thought when stretching my legs on a long haul flight: jump up and down in the cabin and see whether the pilots complain. Alone, it is unlikely my weight would have any noticeable impact on the plane's attitude, and I'd likely…
kevin
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Why pets are allowed only on select flights?

If the baggage compartment is always pressurized, why pets can be brought only to select flights and not all flights?
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What is the typical voltage and frequency of the electrical generator in an airliner?

How many volts does the typical airliner CSD (Constant Speed Drive) produce? I've read the CSD's output is typically 3-phase 115 VAC @ 400 Hz. Is that correct? I've also read the typical airliner generator puts out "in-phase 28 VAC". Is that…
Dan
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What is the highest number of airliners shown flying together in a single photo?

I was re-visiting this question about a timelapse photo of multiple airliners and started wondering about the maximum number of jetliners that could be photographed together while flying. I have found cases of Airbus aircraft flying in formation…
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Are larger aircraft inherently better-suited to long-distance flights?

Restricting this to larger passenger aircraft, and apart from the greater range made possible by larger fuel tanks, are larger aircraft better-suited to long-distance flights simply in virtue of their size?
Daniele Procida
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Why can't there be more than 4 anti-shock bodies on each wing?

Most airliners have 3 or 4 shock bodies to reduce wave drag. But why can't there be more anti-shock bodies per wing?
Ethan
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What is this device mounted on the fuselage of Lufthansa planes?

I noted the device shown in the photo mounted on top of the fuselage near the tail. The photo shows a smaller airbus (I think) but it is also present on several A380ies, and a Boeing 747. In fact, most, but not all Lufthansa planes (observed at…
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