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1500 questions
31
votes
7 answers
Can you fly an airplane at a 90° roll angle without losing altitude?
I've seen this answer to the question about flying upside-down, but tilted by 90°, there should be no surface creating lift (except maybe the vertical stabilizer).
yippy_yay
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31
votes
5 answers
Why are passenger seats not facing backward on an airplane?
In the event of a crash, facing backward sounds much safer:
Forces are applied on a much larger surface (your whole back is in contact with the seats, instead of just a seatbelt and maybe the opposite seat)
Most passenger are already in position…
Antzi
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31
votes
4 answers
Why do flight attendants continue to stand, when the seatbelt sign is on?
Especially during turbulence, I notice that passengers are warned to sit and fasten seatbelts, but flight attendants continue to serve only cold beverages (since the overflow, slosh, spill of hot beverages would be dangerous), stand, walk, and work.…
user128
30
votes
1 answer
What is this weird plane?
Can anyone identify the make and model of this aircraft? I'm just really curious.
Wes
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30
votes
3 answers
After declaring an emergency can a pilot legally resume normal navigation without landing?
If a pilot declares an emergency and then in the process of working with ATC is able to resolve the issue, would they then be able to resume normal navigation (as a non-emergency aircraft) and continue to their destination?
Scope:
USA(FAA) General…
Rowan Hawkins
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30
votes
7 answers
Do I have any authority over airspace above my land?
With all this talk about drones flying around and delivering parcels for the merchant websites, I'm wondering from a "landlubber's" perspective, how much say I have over the airspace of my private land.
Now I know this question is a bit broad and…
McGafter
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30
votes
5 answers
What makes it so hard to land on an aircraft carrier?
I have heard it is very difficult for a pilot to land on a carrier deck.
I have read this question but it didn't really give me a sense of the challenges that pilots face.
This question lent me the insight that metal decks, themselves, have…
New Alexandria
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30
votes
12 answers
Why does flight training usually start with (unsafe?) propeller planes and not with (safer?) jets?
I live in the UK and would like to learn flying jets, but most courses seem to start with propeller planes.
Not sure if this might be a misconception about the safety of different aircraft types, but I remember having read or heard somewhere that…
PropellerHater
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30
votes
4 answers
What is preferred in an emergency landing: a road or a cornfield?
When faced with the situation of a power off emergency landing, how do you best select your location to land?
At what point is a road too small or the crosswind too great to attempt a safe landing and instead select a corn field or such? Should the…
pheidlauf
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30
votes
2 answers
How is fuel dumped in aircraft?
I have heard incidents in which commercial aircraft are required to dump fuel in event of an emergency to avoid landing over maximum landing weight. What systems do aircraft have in place to dump fuel? How is a fuel dump initiated from the cockpit?
shortstheory
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30
votes
6 answers
Why do pilots do walkaround inspections for regularly scheduled commercial flights instead of aircraft mechanics?
If the airline has personnel to maintain the aircraft, wouldn't it be more cost effective to have them inspect the aircraft before flight rather than have the captain or first officer do it?
Is it because whoever will fly the aircraft will probably…
slantalpha
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30
votes
8 answers
Why do we still need ammeters?
I just received my private pilot's certificate 2 weeks ago, yay! Earlier today, a fellow at work who has 700ish hours walked in and asked my office-mate-electrical-engineer "why do we still need ammeters, cars did away with them years ago,…
Travis Griggs
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30
votes
2 answers
Why are the colors of the MiG-15's attitude indicator inverted?
Why are the colors of the MiG-15's attitude indicator inverted (blue on the ground side, brown on the sky side)?
Source: http://www.warbirdalley.com/mig17.htm
George Geo
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30
votes
3 answers
Is the F-16 cockpit pressurized?
Is the F-16's cockpit pressurized? If so, why does the pilot receive oxygen from the mask (please state the correct terminology for this)? Is it due to redundancy in case cabin pressurization fails?
AlphaCentauri
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30
votes
2 answers
Why didn't Philippine Airlines Flight 113 dump fuel prior to forced landing?
Philippine Airlines Flight 113 operated by a Boeing 777 bound for Manila suffered a compressor stall and engine fire.
I wonder why the pilot didn't dump fuel from the left-side prior to the landing to meet the maximum landing mass (MLM) required and…
Adham81
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