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1500 questions
36
votes
8 answers
Why are First/Business Class seats at the front of aircraft where it is the least safe?
According to this image, taken from The Science of Survivability (Page 79) from NOAA, the statistically safest seats to sit in are at the rear of the plane (69% survival rate vs 49% at the front).
From a business perspective (and ignoring any…
dkwarr87
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14 answers
Why do passenger jets accept input that will cause the aircraft to perform dangerous maneuvers it was not designed for?
Examples:
A bank angle > 45 degrees is considered an “upset,” putting the plane in a position that can lead to a loss of control.
A pitch > 20 degrees can possibly be dangerous and cause the aircraft to stall (depends on many factors or…
user1151923
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1 answer
Why would a plane fly in circles for 6-7 hours and then land?
I've seen similar questions asked but when I look at the flight path this seems quite different:
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/f-gjfa
I'm trying to figure out why that kind of plane would fly in circles for 6-7 hours and then land.
CuriousGeorge
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35
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9 answers
What happens when a pilot has no Instrument Rating and visibility drops?
Note: I'm not a pilot, so I don't have much basic knowledge of how the pilot licence ratings work
If a pilot doesn't have an Instrument Rating, and the weather conditions drop below VMC; what do they do?
Presumably you can't instantly land, but nor…
Jon Story
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35
votes
8 answers
Why do some airlines operate fleets so diversified?
When you have a look at the fleets from big airlines like United, Delta, Lufthansa, BA, AF, etc. it seems that they have almost every model Boeing and Airbus released in their fleet. And my question is, why?
What I assume is that such a big variety…
jp_
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35
votes
1 answer
What is this 3-engine beast?
What is this 3-engine beast? It has an unusual 6-bladed propeller as well.
Tiger
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35
votes
3 answers
What are the effects of the Boeing 787's very flexible wings?
I recently came across this picture of the Boeing 787 series aircraft's incredible wingflex:
I suppose this is a consequence of using very light CFRP wings, but how does the wingflex itself improve the 787's flight performance? Do the…
shortstheory
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35
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4 answers
Why is the position of the pilots' head (eyes) so important?
From this question:
What are these Lights on Center Holm between Windows on the A320?
I learn that the pilots' eye position is important. Enough to justify an extra piece of equipment.
But why? Can't a pilot tell if they see enough, above/below/on…
Jeffrey
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35
votes
2 answers
Why do helicopters have windows near the pedals?
What is the purpose of the clear windows in some helicopters in the floor of the nose, right where the pilot's feet and pedals are?
For example, here's a Huey with windows clearly visible:
Airbus helicopter example:
Sam Pierce Lolla
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35
votes
4 answers
What does "28 volts DC" mean, really?
The common battery voltage on aircraft is commonly referred to as "28 volts". What does that really mean in terms of a lead-acid battery?
In many uses, such as cars ("12V"), trucks ("24V") forklifts and golf carts ("36V" or "48V"), locomotives…
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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35
votes
4 answers
Does the sterile cockpit rule mean flight attendants could not inform the pilots if a passenger is in the lavatory while on final?
Context:
I've seen this interesting question just the other day, asking what would pilots do after receiving this information while on final:
either go around or continue with the landing.
However many others mentioned the Sterile cockpit rule…
George Clooney In a Mooney
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35
votes
1 answer
What's that in front of the overhead panel?
There is that thing I have see a few pilot using it. it can be pulled outside and then inside. what's that and what's the use of it?
Mamad
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35
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1 answer
What are these criss-cross patterns close to Cambridge Airport (UK)?
To the immediate south of the runway at Cambridge airport, there are a large number of possibly-concrete things embedded in the grass.
I'm not sure whether they are have any aviation-related function, but they are mostly either parallel or…
Party Ark
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35
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5 answers
Why would a Cessna 182T not enter a stall?
When I took delivery of a new Cessna 182T last year, I did a test flight for certification purposes. During the test flight we had to perform a power off stall but that didn't go as planned as it was simply impossible to stall. What happened is…
Philippe Leybaert
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35
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5 answers
Why were the first airplanes "backwards"?
In the question Is the location of an aircraft spoiler really that vital? the accepted answer states "Surfaces behind the CoG act as stabilisers, keeping the nose pointing forward. An aeroplane has vertical and horizontal tail surfaces at the back…
CGCampbell
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