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1500 questions
39
votes
7 answers
How can I avoid flight simulator software reinforcing bad habits?
While looking into getting into flying I've seen in several sources that using flight simulator software typically creates and reinforces bad habits. Most articles say that it reinforces "instrument" flying which is not practical.
Is there some…
Zissouu
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39
votes
2 answers
What are the advantages of towbarless pushback tugs?
After watching the video below I wondered the reason for towbarless tugs. Lifting the front wheel of a 575 ton aircraft seems like it requires an awful lot of expensive and complex hydraulics when the goal is just to move the aircraft around on the…
TomMcW
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39
votes
2 answers
Is there a NOTAM code for solar eclipse?
Sun eclipses have some noticeable effect (e.g. drop in air temperature). Inspired from Eclipse Flights (xkcd) I'm curious if eclipses are notified as NOTAM or as weather notice. How?
Never seen such notification (but there are also few sun…
Giacomo Catenazzi
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39
votes
3 answers
Is 3 crew cockpit safer than 2 crew?
Today, commercial aircraft cockpit is manned by 2 pilots, previously it was 3 to 5. Is safety compromised in any way?
Irshad Ahmed
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39
votes
4 answers
What is a "Flight Director"?
What is a Flight Director, and how does it differ from Autopilot?
Gabriel Brito
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39
votes
1 answer
What is the guy in green showing to the F/A-18E pilot before catapult launch?
In the following frames, you can see a guy in green showing a panel-like device with numbers on it to the pilot of the Super-Hornet that is about to launch from the carrier USS John C. Stennis.
What is this panel for?
What information is the…
jklingler
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39
votes
3 answers
What are these hooks on the A320's wing used for?
I was flying on an A320 (equipped with sharklets) the other day, and I found these hooks on the wing's surface:
Note that the single hooked attachment is outside the wing's "DO NOT WALK OUTSIDE THIS AREA" line. What are these hooks used for? Why is…
shortstheory
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39
votes
3 answers
Could the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft do a transatlantic flight with a Space Shuttle orbiter on its back?
Some of the STS backup landing sites were in Europe.
Of course, The STS would actually have to fly there only in case of extreme emergency, so the number one priority was just to save the lives of the crew members.
However, did NASA have a plan, or…
Antzi
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39
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5 answers
On the F15-E, can the WSO take over if the pilot is incapacitated?
The F15-E Strike Eagle features a two-man cockpit. The pilot in the front seat and the WSO (Weapons System Officer) in the back seat.
If the jet is cruising straight and level is mechanically sound but the pilot becomes completely incapacitated…
user1352057
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39
votes
3 answers
How do you catch a runaway blimp?
A few hours ago, a rather large (243 feet long) helium blimp owned by NORAD broke loose of its moorings in the Eastern United States and floated away. The news is currently reporting that it's being "escorted" by a pair of F-16's as it floats along…
Roddy of the Frozen Peas
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39
votes
3 answers
How do aircraft keep fuel from freezing while in flight?
On aircraft which fly above 30,000 feet, the temperature can often can get to temperatures below Jet-A's freezing point.
For example: at 36,000 feet the standard outside air temperature is -56.5°C (-69.7°F) and is well below Jet-A's freezing point…
Qantas 94 Heavy
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39
votes
4 answers
How do young pilots in the USA accumulate 1500-hours to become a first officer?
The FAA requires 1500 hours as a pilot:
The rule requires first officers — also known as co-pilots — to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, requiring 1,500 hours total time as a pilot.
I am just interested in how can you get 1500…
Andrius
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39
votes
5 answers
Why do large aircraft have their engines mostly on the wings, while smaller ones tend to have them in the tail or the tip?
Large passenger planes almost always have their engines hanging from the wings, Fighters usually have them in the rear, and small Cessnas have them on the nose.
What is the reason for these variations in design?
yippy_yay
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39
votes
8 answers
Why couldn't the A380 secure any orders for two straight years?
The double-decker aircraft has failed to win a single order from any new airline customer for two years now. Comparing its orders and sales with its biggest competitor, the B747 it had received 315 orders in its first 10 years, about 40 years back.…
anshabhi
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39
votes
4 answers
Why don't modern aircraft have landing gear that can swivel to compensate for crosswinds?
When landing, crosswinds can be very expensive. They cause go-arounds, diversions to other airfields and even crashes.
Currently pilots crab in the air to counteract crosswinds and, at the last moment, throw the aircraft around to face directly…
chasly - supports Monica
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