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33
votes
1 answer
What does this black triangle placard on board an A320 denote?
Just out of interest whilst travelling aboard a British Airways A320-232 G-MIDT on the 9.45 BA shuttle service (LGW-GLA) in seat 10F I noticed a placard above the window of seat 9F. Given this seat was two rows forward of an overwing exit I was…
J.FLLT
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33
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2 answers
Why did the Swiss International Air LX40 (a 777-300ER) emergency land at Iqaluit airport?
Swiss International Air LX40 (a brand new 777-300ER) was en route from Zurich to LA on 1 Feb 2017 when one of the GE90 engines shut itself down because of data from its self-monitoring algorithms.
The crew decided to emergency land at Iqaluit…
RoboKaren
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33
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3 answers
Why evacuate upwind?
Evacuation procedures after a forced landing recommend directing passengers upwind of the aircraft.
What is the reason why evacuating upwind is better than other directions?
assylias
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33
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2 answers
What is the use of this jet aircraft with tanks between biplane wings?
Looking at this soviet-like aircraft:
Source
It looks like a turbine engineer team met a biplane aerodynamicist team to create this strange aircraft! More over, it appears the two big pottery pieces are actually tanks.
What is the story and the use…
mins
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33
votes
4 answers
Why do jet engines smoke?
(YouTube video)
From the video linked above, I was wondering why the engines emit so much smoke? Has something gone wrong? Poor maintenance? Isn't it dangerous?
Fabrizio Mazzoni
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33
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2 answers
Why is there a white line on Russian fighter jets' instrument panel?
In several Russian fighter jets (e.g., MiG-29, Su-27) there is a white line on the stick that matches with another one on the instrument panel. Is there any reason for this?
Cockpit of a mig29
Cockpit of a Su27
A former flight instructor told me…
Elcyr
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33
votes
7 answers
Why do airliners pitch up during cruise?
In my experience as a passenger, when the plane stands at the airport and you enter it, the aisle is pretty much horizontal. (Obviously, I've never flown on a DC-3). After takeoff we pitch sharply upwards (duh!), but even after the captain comes on…
hmakholm left over Monica
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33
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1 answer
Are there full scale helicopters capable of sustaining inverted flight?
Background
I'm a model aviation enthusiast and really enjoy seeing how far people can push the limits of aerobatics. Model aircraft are able to push the limits well beyond full scale due to their small size. I understand that this is only possible…
JustWannaFly
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4 answers
How is wind direction reported (blowing from or blowing to)?
When the tower controller, the ATIS or a METAR says Wind 270, 15 knots does it mean the wind is blowing in the westward or in the eastward direction?
Is there a single convention used to express the wind direction?
mins
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33
votes
4 answers
What is this line found above the door on many aircraft?
Many aircraft have this line above the door as seen in the photos below. What is it, and what is its purpose?
Source
Source
user13197
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33
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1 answer
Why is there a hole in one of the layer of an airplane's windows?
On a commercial airliner, there is a hole in one of the layer of the passenger windows.
See here:
and here:
Or in more detail:
Can you explain the physical reasons for this design choice?
Guillaume
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8 answers
Can someone/something other than the pilot trigger the ejection seat?
Let's say there was a two-person jet (take the F-15 for example) that was involved in some sort of accident in the air that incapacitated the pilot (unconscious but still alive) and left the aircraft unflyable. Could the copilot eject his fellow…
codedude
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33
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2 answers
Why don't helicopters always takeoff from a hover out of ground-effect?
I've read enough crash reports to see that helicopters discovering too late in takeoff that they lack the power to fly out of ground-effect is a serious problem.
I am wondering why the following isn't standard takeoff practice: Establish positive…
feetwet
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33
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7 answers
Why do aircraft use hydraulics instead of pneumatics?
I was reading about how the F-35 is having trouble with the "fueldraulic" system. This made me wonder:
Why don't aircraft use pneumatic systems instead of hydraulic/fueldraulic systems?
There are several advantages of pneumatic (compressed air)…
tas
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6 answers
What risks come from passengers taking baggage during emergency evacuation?
In recent news, the pilot of an aircraft that caught fire was chastising passengers for taking their luggage.
What are the major concerns behind his criticism?
I like to put this in context:
All passengers and crew survived.
There were no…
New Alexandria
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