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1500 questions
23
votes
4 answers
What is the difference between the airspace's classes (for non-pilots)?
When I'm reading about aviation, it's very common to see references to Class B or Class C airspace and airports.
What are the different classes and what are the differences between them?
Gabriel Brito
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23
votes
9 answers
Can you tell ATC you are a "student pilot" when you are not?
Many pilots who are not native English speakers have a hard time when they start flying in the U.S. because of the pace and sometimes elaborate instructions given to pilots by controllers.
The advice given by instructors is to tell the controller…
Philippe Leybaert
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23
votes
4 answers
What does a sport pilot have to do to get a private pilot certificate in the US?
What are the minimum requirements for obtaining a privates pilot certificate if a pilot already has a sport pilot certificate?
The requirements for a private pilot certificate don't changes because you already have a sport pilot license. However…
jColeson
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23
votes
1 answer
How do hot air balloons get started (without burning the fabric)?
I have seen photos of hot air balloons aloft with fearsome looking burners shooting flames into the interior of the balloon. That may be fine for a fully inflated balloon. But what about when the balloon is in a heap on the ground? How do you get it…
Tyler Durden
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23
votes
2 answers
How does TACAN work?
How does the Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) system work? How is it different from the VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) system? Please explain in the simplest possible way.
Adder
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23
votes
5 answers
Why is the Mooney's signature tail profile different from most planes?
In another question, someone said everyone but Mooney has the vertical stabilizer on backward. (As a Cessna driver, this looks backwards to me). Is there an aerodynamic reason or some reason other than marketing?
(Note the slants of the leading and…
Canuk
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23
votes
2 answers
Can we use MAYDAY or PAN PAN on ground?
Usually we read, on reports, aircraft reporting urgency or emergency during the flight, while airborne. But, is it correct to use these "words" on ground?
eduardoguilherme
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23
votes
2 answers
Do Landings in a Simulator Count Towards Landing Currency? (FAA in the USA)
If a pilot is trying to complete 3 day or night landings every 90 days in a multi-engine aircraft in order to be multi-engine current per FAA requirements, can those landings be done in a Simulator or a Flight Training Device?
Clifton Labrum
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23
votes
3 answers
Does electrical usage contribute to fuel consumption?
I know that while in-flight the electricity is produced by the engines.
What happens if every possible system requiring electricity is in the on state? This should require extra electricity.
Does this usage of electricity increase the fuel…
Phantomazi
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23
votes
4 answers
How long does it take to refuel a big jumbo jet?
How long does it take to refuel a big jumbo jet? What about a smaller A320?
Gianni Alessandro
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23
votes
2 answers
How do passengers board the planes on this airport?
I found a quite "rare" layout on Munich airport. It has jetbridges but I don't see any terminal. Look:
How do passengers make it to this point of the airport? By underground?
user13197
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23
votes
2 answers
How can a pitot tube freeze when it's heated?
Reading Why turn off pitot tube heating?, it appears that the pitot tube heat can be switched off to extent its lifetime and also in case of short-circuit.
(Thales pitot-static probe, source BEA)
On airliners the probes seem to be heated during the…
mins
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23
votes
4 answers
Has anyone considered putting a hydrofoil on a sea plane?
One of the main problems with water landings is that you need a bigger engine to counter the various drags caused by the pontoons. The specific case of "run[ing] across our own wake to be able to get up on the step on glassy water" brings some…
hildred
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23
votes
2 answers
Is skydiving in IMC (through clouds) legal and safe?
(1) What are the legal considerations for skydiving into clouds? I see many skydivers did fall into and out clouds in online videos. However, the clouds are mostly scattered or thin-layered. How about in widespread hard-IMC, say OVC 008?
(2) What…
CrepuscularV
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23
votes
1 answer
Do aircraft manufacturers produce their own black boxes?
Do the manufacturers who build airplanes use their own "black boxes" in the planes, or are there companies whose sole purpose is to develop black boxes?
For example, in 2010 in the Airblue Flight 202 incident, the black box had to be sent to France…
Sufiyan Ghori
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