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1500 questions
28
votes
2 answers
Was this flight a fuel emergency?
Yesterday I flew from San Diego to Boston in a commercial 737 operated by Alaska Airlines. Before landing we spent almost an hour circling. When we finally landed, many passengers were surprised to learn that we were not in Boston; we were still 90…
Thomas
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Do Airbus pilots have to practice flying in alternate law?
I am sure when getting their type rating for Airbus FBW aircraft, pilots learn how to fly in alternate and direct law. After that, how much opportunity do they get to practice this skill?
On Air France 447 and Indonesia AirAsia flight 8501, the A/P…
TomMcW
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What is the rationale behind very short distance flights?
I was impressed to read here that some passenger airline routes are even below 60 km in length.
Even assuming that the passengers are already in the airport past the security check, probably a good bus could depart from the same gate and arrive to…
h22
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What is the typical temperature of an airliner's hull during flight?
Some high-speed military aircraft like the SR-71 had real heating problems, but airliners also travel almost at the speed of sound, use most of their fuel to make up for frictional losses, so I would presume that their hulls heat up. They are also…
yippy_yay
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Why don't Russian aircraft sell as much as their European/American counterparts?
Are there any reasons other than political why Russian jets don't sell?
For a case study, let's compare Sukhoi Superjet and Mitsubishi Regional Jet. Despite being delayed several times, Mitsubishi has secured more orders than Sukhoi. Similarly,…
anshabhi
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3 answers
Where does my pee go when I flush at 35,000 ft?
One thing I guess a lot of people wonder is: what happens you flush the toilet in an aeroplane?
Does it fall out the belly of the plane and disintegrate? :)
A kiwi woman complains that "aeroplanes are taking a s**t on her driveway", beneath the…
Danny Beckett
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28
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6 answers
What do pilots actually see through the windows?
As I have never flown inside a cockpit, but only played with simulators I find that the dashboard takes most of the field of view(or am I wrong?).
So what actually can pilots see given good weather conditions, especially during critical parts of a…
Phantomazi
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What happens when a helicopter loses an engine?
It seems like at this point it would be game over, since the spinning rotor is the only thing keeping it in the air. Is there any way to land a helicopter in this condition without crashing?
flyingfisch
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Is this a wing-tip device on the A-10 "Warthog"?
Source: Flickr courtesy of: U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs, photo by Master Sgt. William Greer
Notice at the side edges, the wing peels down and back around towards the fuselage. (The airplane is upside-down in this photo.)
Never noticed…
DrZ214
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28
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3 answers
What could cause an inadvertent squawking of 7700?
I get alerts whenever a plane squawks 7700, using a popular flight tracker application. It happens quite frequently that the aircraft, reported to squawk 7700, in actuality squawks 7550 or some other benign number.
What would cause this? Are the…
Jonas G. Drange
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6 answers
Is it possible for a modern commercial airliner to stop being tracked without substantial mechanical failure?
I was speaking to someone about the MH370 incident, and they suggested that a hijacker could turn off the device that sends the plane's current position, resulting in the appearance of a catastrophic midair failure.
I assume that such functionality…
andrewb
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5 answers
Why don't aeroplanes automatically put out engine fires?
When an engine fire is detected the fire handle lights up and the pilot pulls it to extinguish the fire.
Why doesn't it do that automatically?
Why does the pilot have to pull the handle?
Willy
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9 answers
Is there an aerofoil that gives reasonably good lift for both air flow directions: forward and backward?
Could an aerofoil be designed to give reasonably good lift for both flow directions?
I was motivated by this related question on Aviation SE: Can a plane fly backward if its propeller is in reverse?
It seems that in practice most wings are indeed…
curious_cat
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What is a whip stall?
I was reading 14 CFR 23.3, which discusses airplane categories. In normal and commuter categories, stalls (except whip stalls) are allowed. The regulation, however does not define "whip stalls." What is meant by this term?
newmanth
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4 answers
Do propeller planes give contrails like jets do?
Last weekend, while watching the second world war film "Fury" with a friend, there was a scene near the end with a large set of bombers flying overhead, leaving large contrails. That seemed wrong to me, as I'd thought that contrails were a jet…
Gagravarr
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