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1500 questions
31
votes
2 answers
What is the cause of unusually strong wake turbulence from the 757?
The Boeing 757 (at least in the US) is in a special class of its own with respect to air traffic control wake turbulence advisories and separation. This is apparently due to it producing stronger wake vortices than would be expected from an aircraft…
jrdioko
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31
votes
4 answers
Why does the B-2 have a smaller payload than other bombers of comparable size?
B-2 Spirit1
Payload
40,000 pounds (18,144 kilograms)
Wingspan
172 feet (52.12 meters)
Weight
160,000 pounds (72,575 kilograms)
Maximum takeoff weight
336,500 pounds (152,634 kilograms)
Range
approximately 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometers) …
Gill Bates
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31
votes
2 answers
What is the purpose of the glazed round area atop the Ju 87 Stuka G?
I haven't been able to find any pictures of this feature aside from models, nor any reference to what it is.
I'm going to make a complete guess and suggest it's a searchlight for night-fighting to illuminate the underside of bombers.
Italeri Ju 87…
Party Ark
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31
votes
3 answers
What's the reason for pilots wearing uniforms?
Just came across an interesting answer to a question on uniforms for PPL Human Performance and Limitations:
Pilots wear uniforms:
a) so they can be easily recognised
b) so that they can be perceived to be important
c) so that they can feel…
uroboros
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31
votes
3 answers
Is it possible to build a paper airplane that will enter a fully developed spin?
Some students learn best when they can see aerodynamic principles in action. I'd really like to be able to show a student how a spin occurs.
Is there a way to make a paper airplane that will enter a developed spin?
Steve V.
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31
votes
7 answers
Does runway 32/33R at Madrid actually have a kink in it?
In this satellite image of Madrid airport (MAD/LEMD)...
Source:Google maps satellite view
Alternate link from maps.google.nl still renders incorrectly for me, but appears fine for others...
...it appears that there is a very noticeable left kink in…
FreeMan
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31
votes
7 answers
Why does flying IFR require a rating?
It may seem like a silly question, but my analogy is, some countries issue automatic-transmission-only driving licenses. Automatic transmission in this case would be the powerful avionics now available for GA aircraft.
So I think it's a valid…
user14897
31
votes
2 answers
What are these large yellow circles painted across the runway?
There are not many yellow markings on a runway. This row of six is painted about 400m from the threshold at both ends:
Montgomery Airport (Alabama) - Source: Google Maps
What does it mean for a pilot? Why yellow?
mins
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31
votes
3 answers
How does IDENT work?
In order to help ATC identify an aircraft on their screen, they may ask the aircraft to "ident." The pilot presses a button on their transponder, and the controller can verify that the aircraft they are talking to is the one they are looking at on…
fooot
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31
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2 answers
Case Study: Did I need to declare an emergency?
I am a fairly newly minted private pilot licensee (PPL). I had just taken off from a small private, (but open to the public) airfield. We are under the shelf of Class B, but are G up to 700 and then E to the B above at 4000.
My instructor noticed…
Tom
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31
votes
2 answers
Do helicopters have an auto hover system?
I'm not a helicopter pilot. The way I understand it, helicopter pilots have to constantly make small adjustments to make a helicopter hover steadily at a certain point in space, just like fixed wing pilots flying in close formations.
Are there any…
kevin
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31
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3 answers
Does air traffic control identify a distress situation when an aircraft flies triangles in the sky?
There is an account in a TSB Canada investigation report after a loss of radio and transponder:
The emergency procedure to be followed by a pilot to alert radar
stations when in distress and unable to establish radio contact is to
fly a left-hand…
mins
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31
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between a barrel roll and an aileron roll?
I was going through social media and I came across this GIF image that showed a plane doing some sort of roll.
It was labeled "Barrel Roll" but in the comments to the post, someone said that it was an "Aileron Roll". What is the difference between…
SMS von der Tann
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31
votes
3 answers
What material is used to make the hot sections of jet engines?
What metal alloy is used for the hot section of a jet engine? Specifically the exhaust nozzle? I have found mention of a titanium alloy and nickel alloy but nothing with that much detail. What sort of metals does one have to use to create something…
crazy_tiger_corp
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31
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4 answers
Why do aircraft on FlightRadar24 jump around randomly sometimes?
I use FlightRadar24 on my iPad to track friends'/family's flights when they are traveling (not paranoia, just curious). I've noticed that, quite often, their plane will jump from one location to another, or jump backwards down the flight path, or…
Jae Carr
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