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1500 questions
30
votes
2 answers
What does ATC mean when they refer to "company"?
Listening to LiveATC there are references by various ATC entities (towers, approach, etc) to "company". To what does this refer?
CGCampbell
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30
votes
2 answers
Were there any instances of aerial combat between helicopters?
Were there any cases in history where two attack-helicopters like AH-64 and MI-24(for example) were involved in an air fight between each other?
wiaim
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30
votes
4 answers
How does wind affect the airspeed that I should fly for maximum range in an airplane?
I have heard that wind affects the actual airspeed that I should fly for maximum range in an aircraft.
I understand that wind will not affect the airspeed that I should fly if I am looking for maximum endurance, but what about maximum range?
How…
Lnafziger
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30
votes
3 answers
Would the Gee Bee be allowed to fly today, with so little forward visibility?
When looking at the Gee Bee:
Source
I wonder what the pilot is actually able to see, when rolling on the runway, when flying level, or trying to locate a possible emergency landing place. It seems this aircraft puts the pilot and the people on the…
mins
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30
votes
10 answers
What is ground effect?
We've all heard the "acts like a cushion of air" explanation tossed casually around by CFIs.
There's also plenty of books and reference materials that give a detailed, accurate, and complete explanation of ground effect, and which are…
Steve V.
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30
votes
5 answers
Why was the production of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird halted?
Why was production of Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird halted, given that it was an advanced supersonic jet that was ahead of its time?
titan
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30
votes
3 answers
When are black boxes used?
Obviously, black boxes gather lots of media attention after tragic accidents where planes crash or explode mid-flight, since they could be crucial understanding the crash.
However, these are rather uncommon events.
Surely the black box could be used…
Antzi
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30
votes
2 answers
What makes a smokeless jet engine?
I was recently reading about the MiG-29 and its many upgrades, one of which (MiG-29M) was to smokeless engines.
What makes a smokeless jet engine? Is it just the fuel, or something about the way the engine works itself?
I've observed smokey engines…
DrZ214
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30
votes
6 answers
Why are FDR's called "black boxes" when they are actually orange?
Why do they call flight data recorders a "black box" if it's orange in color?
Just curious about this since I've seen several images of black boxes but they all come in orange colors, and not black. I can understand orange being used to help…
yuritsuki
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30
votes
1 answer
What is the proper air strip closure procedure with the FAA?
I own a grass airstrip that was registered for me by a good friend. I want to sell my land and the guy that registered it is dying and can't help me. What do I need to do to have this airstrip closed?
Deer country
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30
votes
6 answers
How do airliners cross the ocean without GPS?
How do airliners cross the ocean without GPS?
Do they use dead-reckoning or are there navigation aids floating out there?
flyingfisch
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30
votes
4 answers
In a turbofan what holds the spinning axis?
When the turbofan is spinning inside the housing, what holds the axis? All I know is that the axis holds the fan blades.
XTImpossible
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30
votes
3 answers
Why shouldn't you inflate your life vest until you're outside the airplane?
On commercial flights, in part of the pre-flight safety demonstration, you're told in the event of a crash, not to inflate your life vest until you're outside the airplane — why is this?
Danny Beckett
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30
votes
6 answers
Why isn't the wing span of a certain airliner longer with the longer fuselage versions?
The Boeing 737 next generation models (700,800,900ER) all have the same wingspan at 117ft 5 in. Why doesn't the wingspan increase with bigger and longer models? With the 737-900 wouldn't you need a longer wingspan than the 737-700 because of the…
Ethan
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30
votes
5 answers
How "over-engineered" were old planes and how "over-engineered" are they now that we have more advanced testing and research options?
I've seen several times on shows on television, and even talking to older pilots, where they will tell me that old planes were "over-engineered" to add some margin for errors on the designed engineering calculations. Of course, no specifics are…
Canuk
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