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Is the Falling Leaf maneuver used for UAV recovery? The Falling Leaf maneuver is a way to lose altitude by descending like a tree leaf. Is this maneuver used in the recovery of UAVs? Source . <Q> The maneuver as described is not a particularly efficient way of losing altitude: You're alternately stalling & recoveri...	I use falling leaf with my suas when I want to loose altitude quickly, and don't want to risk entering vortex ring state.
Why don't airliners use in-air refueling systems? Right now if an airliner wants to fly a really long distance (eg., a Boeing 787 flying from Seattle to Tokyo), it has to load itself down with lots and lots of fuel, which in turn weighs thousands and thousands of pounds. This, of course, makes the flight of the aircra...	The airframe modifications would be complicated and require certification.
How did aviation industry come to know about the drastic difference in air pressure in high altitude? After watching many documentaries about air plane crashes, it seems that aviation industry learned many of its lessons from disasters. For example, from the 2 mid-air explosion of de Havilland DH 106 Comet in 1950s t...	The range of air pressure from sea level to the maximum ceiling of modern aircraft was known even before the airplane was invented.
Is it harder to learn to fly rotary wing after learning on fixed? I have a private license for single engine land and I want to transition to helicopters. I have been told by some that learning helicopters is more of a challenge after learning fixed wing. However I have yet to see any good sources or explanation for th...	The controls of a helicopter are also very sensitive, it is a very different (and more challenging) type of flying.
Why do reciprocating aircraft engines have more than one spark plug? Most reciprocating aircraft engines have two spark plugs per cylinder. What are the reasons for this? <Q> Bold Method has a great post today about why aircraft engines have more than one spark plug per cylinder . <S> There are a few basic reasons. ...	Having two spark plugs means the flame ignites from two points leading to more power per power stroke. The redundancy of the ignition system adds to the reliability.
Why is luggage required to be loaded in containers? Luggage is loaded into containers, in Wide Body airliners (as mentioned here ). Why is this required to be done? Why don't they simply keep the luggage in the luggage compartment? Why is loading the luggage piece-by-piece time consuming, and at the end, in second pho...	When content leaks, goes bad, or even explodes , the container may serve to limit the damage to other luggage within the aircraft, along with the aircraft itself.
Do Cargo flights carry anyone other than the crew? This question talks a bit about the crews that are involved in a commercial cargo flight, but I'm wondering if Cargo flights every carry other sorts of people on their flights? Say, a photographer to take pictures of operations for advertising or something. Or maybe...	So yes sometimes they do carry people on planes with cargo. It's mostly deadheading pilots but anybody that has an "operational need" for the company can jumpseat.
What data did the earliest HUDs display (for fighter jets)? Ideally I'm looking for a screenshot with a bullet list of data. I started my search at the obvious encyclopedic site and was surprised to learn that the earliest HUDs (on fighter jets) go all the way back to the 40's. So what data did they display? Presuma...	Though it didn't display the altitude, speed, heading, or attitude in a way that modern fighter pilots may take for granted, it had some ability to track targets with radar and to display predicted target positions for gun or missile use. What was displayed was basically a single dot of light which was projected on the...
What keeps Russian airliners from being as fuel efficient as their Western counterparts? Peter Kampf points out in his answer on IDing Tupolevs that the Russian transport aircraft designs tend to be quite aerodynamically refined, in some ways better than their Western counterparts on that front. What kept them from ...	Factories are expensive, so they tended to use the same military engines on civil aircraft that optimally needed a different engine design. Russian engineers made sure the aircraft would still be operable after being maintained by a substandard maintenance crew.
How do combat jets know when to launch flares to counter IR missiles? From my related question , it seems fighter jets do not usually track missiles by radar. Instead, they have a system that warns of radar lock. So what about infrared missiles (heat-seeking missiles)? Flares are a countermeasure to these, so how doe...	The Missile Approach Warning Systems are passive detectors, usually detecting either the infrared or ultraviolet rays emitted by the incoming missiles.
Why are airport firetrucks painted yellow green? In my city, most of, if not all of the fire-trucks that serve city emergencies are red , just like this one: But every time that I see an airport emergency that requires the fire-fighters, I see this kind of truck: Is there a reason why the airport trucks are yellow...	Because yellow/green has been shown to be more visible than red, especially in low light conditions. The Swiss, where fire fighting is a local issue as well, have mostly switched to yellow fire engines for visibility reasons.
How do you hold at a non-towered airport? Let's say, hypothetically, that you enter the pattern for a small, non-towered airport (my local one, 3DW , may be a good example.) But as you get into the pattern you find out that the runway is occupied by another craft and, for whatever reason the runway will probably be o...	If an airplane is in the airport traffic pattern and the runway won't be available by the time by the time it would reach it, the airplane can extend the traffic pattern to give the runway time to be available for landing.
How can I know where wind is coming from by looking at water? For ground reference maneuvers, I know there are many ways that I can know wind direction: smoke, circling, weather reports from nearby airport and so on. However, how can I determine the wind direction by looking at water? I've tried to look for detailed ex...	The easiest way to tell the direction of the wind when you're near the water is to look for something on the shore that indicated wind direction (beaches often have flags on them)
Why does the Cessna 172S Skyhawk use only two blade fixed pitched prop? Surely it would get more thrust from a three blade variable pitch propeller. From what I've read it's all about the area swept and also should be far enough apart to not cause too much interference. Besides having a constant speed prop would allow ...	Also, when you're not climbing, a two-bladed prop is actually going to be more efficient, not less as it's creating less drag. I can't improve on @egid's answer on efficiency or cost, but another point on constant speed units is related to 172s predominantly being trainers: fixed pitch props are easier to fly.
Can bird strikes be dealt with by throttling down engines to idle? From a related question , I got to thinking about bird strikes again and the fact that they are sucked into the engine at great velocity. If a pilot had 5 to 10 seconds of warning time, would throttling down the engines to idle be a good idea? Would i...	Once you take into account the false alarms, which would vastly outnumber the actual bird strikes, trying to power down the engines would probably be far more dangerous than just hitting the bird.
Why are twin engine airliners more fuel efficient than three or four engine airliners? It is said that given roughly similar aerodynamic and engine technology that twin engine airliners are more fuel efficient than 3 or 4 engine airliners. Why is this? The twin engine airliners tend to have more excess power so I'm t...	In general, newer aircraft are more fuel effecient compared to older ones.
Why do spoilers seem to be slightly activated during take off? In this video (minutes from 10:46 to 11:00), the spoilers seem to be slightly deployed during take off. What's the purpose of this? I've already seen this in other videos too. I've also read the answers to the question When can spoilers be used on airli...	Usually, the spoilers are used for roll control in concert with the ailerons, and are used during descent in order to slow down.
Why do farmers register their fields as airports? (this seems to be primarily a US phenomenon) So in the vicinity of my parents' place (in a rural area in Indiana), there are several registered airports within several miles' radius. I remember when I was a kid, there were a few farmers in the area who liked to fly ul...	These are probably for crop dusting or because the owner also happens to be a private pilot and wants to keep their plane at home rather than paying the local FBO for hangar or tie-down rental. With wind turbines going up all over the place, it might provide some level of protection in terms of protection of an approac...
Can training for an Instrument Rating be applied towards a commercial pilot certificate? Per 14 CFR 61.129 , a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate for airplanes (both single and multiengine) must log at least ten hours of instrument training. Assuming a pilot obtains their instrument rating prior to...	You absolutely can and just about to everyone applying for a commercial certificate
Can helicopters land in a poor visibility scenario? The Instrument Landing System and some others systems can provide to incoming aircraft guidance to the runway in poor visibility scenarios. With that in mind, I have these questions: Can helicopters fly in IMC? Is there any system that can help the pilot land, j...	An IFR helicopter can use any of the navigation and landing aids available to any other aircraft.
What was the purpose of the "tail prop" on the Ilyushin Il-62 and why was it necessary? I read somewhere that the Ilyushin Il-62 had a "tail prop". What was this device and why was it needed on this aircraft? <Q> Are you asking about the rear support wheel? <S> It is for supporting the aircraft and avoiding tilt on th...	It's a tail stand -- it prevents the airplane from tipping up and back onto its tailfeathers in a most embarrassing fashion, even if you have to load it back to front or unload it front to back (image from Aerospaceweb's question on landing gear ):
Is there a difference between "aerobatic" and "acrobatic" flight? I hear and read both the terms "aerobatic" and "acrobatic" used to describe the more extreme maneuvers such as spins, rolls, loops and more. My questions is about the terms themselves. It seems that they are interchangeable, but is one actually more corr...	So, acrobatics is just the generic word, whilst aerobatics is the more specific word describing a very specific form of acrobatics:
Why are magnetized materials dangerous goods? I was reading about Dangerous Goods , and came across the fact that magnetized materials are classified as Dangerous Goods (item 12 in the linked page). We all see magnets every day, and they seem harmless. Why are magnets dangerous to airplanes and require more careful h...	The magnets are not extremely dangerous, getting small bones broken or metal fragments in the eye is the worse case scenario on my risk assessment, but they are not toys and there is a risk to those untrained in handling them.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of have the wing positioned further aft on an airplane? I've noticed that there is some variation in the location of the wing on airliners: The Boeing 737 has its wing mounted near the midpoint of the fuselage: while other aircraft like the CRJ or the Airbus concept plane sho...	Since most planes have a large wing that contributes most of the lift and a small horizontal stabilizer that only contributes a little bit, the main wing needs to be close to the centre of gravity.
Could airliners' wings be thinner if no fuel were stored in them? I ask this question because wings are pretty thin overall, but I am curious if you could make them more thin. <Q> No. <S> The wing thickness is primarily dictated by structural demands. <S> It has to provide an aerodynamic fairing for the wing spar. <S...	Thicker wings also help with creating higher maximum lift coefficients, up to a point.
Can excessive G-force break or dislocate bones during pilot maneuvers? Was wondering if the pilot would faint, could g-force be enough to maybe break the neck bone with the head and weight of a helmet being pulled downwards. Another relay to this is the effects on the inside of the body, more specifically, the brain. L...	No, the moment consciousness is lost, the body will go limp and the hands will release the controls and the aircraft will naturally seek 1g flight. For what it's worth, skeletal injuries due to G forces are so rare that they aren't even briefed during training.
Could older airplanes be retrofitted with engines with chevrons? The 787 uses a variety of sound reducing mechanism including engines with characteristic chevrons: (Source wikimedia commons) Would it be possible for older airplanes to also have this type of quieter engine retrofitted? I'm assuming the engines would h...	The chevrons do not implicate a particular type of wing or airframe.
How long would a cruising aircraft take to crash if everyone spontaneously vanished? I recently saw a movie in which what appeared to be a Lockheed C-130 Hercules was suddenly without occupants. They did not move or exit the craft, they simply vanished. I assume that the craft remained pressurised, and no modifications...	If left unattended a plane will fly until it runs out of gas quite literally, the more gas in the tanks the longer you have.
Why are many military fighter aircraft designed to fly supersonic? It is my understanding that these aircraft rarely fly at supersonic speeds anyway—the ordnance they carry, the increased fuel burn (even with supercruise), and the increased chance of detection make supersonic flight either hard to maintain or seem unne...	Also faster fighters will generally climb faster while covering greater distance which is important for interception from ground scramble. The faster they are, the larger area they can defend.
Why do some 2 seat fighters have side by side seating, while others have the pilots inline with each other? In some multi seat fighters, like the F-111 Aardvark the pilots sit next to each other, like so: While in other multi seat fighters (most of them it seems) the pilots sit with one in front of the other, like ...	The main reason for having tandem seating in fighter aircrafts is that it offers better performance compared to the side by side version.
When was the first rudder on an aircraft used? I have seen pictures of World War I-era airplanes that have rudders much smaller than today. When did the first rudder come out? <Q> Planes as early as the wright glider (1902) had a rudder, it appears from pictures that the 1900 and 1901 variants did not have rudders bu...	In the lighter than air category, the Giffard Dirigible (1852) had a sail like rudder in the aft of the ship.
Why are the Boeing 747-8 engines on the wings spread apart? I ask this because the Boeing 747-236 had the engines close together while the 747's have them spread apart. Does it have anything to do with the amount of thrust of the aircraft? Look at how spread apart the engines are: Now look at how close together th...	Spacing between the 747s engines is important due to the need to maintain sufficiently clean airflow into the inlet.
Why does condensation form on the wing especially during take-off and landing? To start off, yes this question was asked before , yet I don't find the answers satisfying and here is why: It appears to me that this phenomenon only appears during the approach phase of a flight and during low speed turns, or rather wh...	Yes, higher angles of attack mean higher lift, that is generated by higher differential pressure between upside and underside of the wing.
Can fuel be stored in the anti-shock bodies? lets say an airplane needs to get to a certain route but doesnt have the fuel to do and it needs to store in the anti-shock bodies. Is it possible? <Q> Tip tanks of the period when aircraft flew already supersonic and jet engines were still very thirsty are a good example. <...	Yes, and there have been cases of this.
How close are we to replacing pilots with computers? Recently someone on another thread recommended the following video: Andrew Godwin - What can programmers learn from pilots? - PyCon 2015 where the speaker, at about ~3:14, talking about pilots mentions: not to the point where we can replace them with computers, b...	The flight engineer role has been replaced largely by computerized engine systems.
Why does the bottom part of an aircraft nose curve upwards? As you can see in this picture the bottom of the fuselage curves upwards to form the nose. <Q> If you move the tip down, the slope above it will either be steeper, leading to higher drag, or longer, leading to greater length and thus weight; or you don't exten...	Having the tip of the nose in the centre gives best combination of aerodynamic performance, weight and internal volume.
Why doesn't the landing gear get raised on the first flight of a new airplane? This image shows the A350 first takeoff high in the air and the landing gear is still down. Why didn't they retract it? <Q> Test flying is thoroughly planned, and of the many things to test during development, the landing gear is just a mino...	The first flight is always gear-down because if there's any problem, the test pilot/crew needs to be able to get the plane back down on the ground without having to deal with any additional issues (like not being able to get the gear back down).
Why don't airliners have rudders on the winglets? There are a couple airplanes out there that use the winglet as the rudder, but why doesn't the winglet have a rudder on it to increase the turn of the aircraft? <Q> The purpose of the rudder is to control the heading of the aircraft. <S> It turns the aircraft by creatin...	If the rudder would be on the winglets, the side force of the rudder would act at a short distance behind the centre of gravity, reducing the effectiveness very much. Vertical tails create less adverse rolling moment for a given yawing moment.
Which aircraft manufacturers still include Vertical Situation Displays (VSD) feature in their cockpits? I'm curious about the aircraft manufacturer names who still interested in including the VSD on lower part of Nav Display (I read about Boeing 737 only). Are there any other guys on this filed still? I know this would...	There are similar vertical profile displays available on Boeing 787, Airbus A380 and Airbus A350 aircraft.
Why does the A340 have 4 engines instead of 2? I have noticed for a while the A340 has four engines and the Boeing 777 only has two engines and they are about the same size. So why can't an A340 have two engines instead of four? A340 . B777 On a jumbo jet like the B747-8 four engines are a requirement. <Q> The A34...	At the time the A330/A340 series was designed, having more than two engines was an operational benefit because a two-engined plane needs to stay within a certain range of diversion airfields, which made the A330 unsuitable for some routes.
For the same airspeed does the attitude of an airplane change with varying wind directions? Should one maintain a constant attitude if he wants to hold a constant speed or does the attitude vary depending upon the wind direction? <Q> If by attitude you mean pitch attitude or angle of attack (which is how I automaticall...	If the wind direction changes, the aircraft will maintain a constant airspeed, by increasing or decreasing power.
What airplanes can I fly with an EASA PPL license? Weird as it might seem, I'm not 100% sure what airplanes I can flywith an EASA PPL(A) license. During the training the instructors wouldtell me that I can fly airplanes up to 2000 kg MTOW and 5 passengersor so, but I think they are wrong and this applies only to the (o...	You can fly any airplane with PPL even B737 if you own one.
How do young pilots in the USA accumulate 1500-hours to become a first officer? The FAA requires 1500 hours as a pilot : The rule requires first officers — also known as co-pilots — to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, requiring 1,500 hours total time as a pilot. I am just interested in how can yo...	Instructing is the most common route, however you can also fly as a commercial pilot in part 135 operations, which would be anything 30 seats or under charter, or 9 seats or less as a scheduled flight, and <= 7500 lbs payload.
Why are combi airliners no longer being built? Why are combi airliners no longer being built? Is the reason structural, economic or regulatory? <Q> While combi configurations are rare, they do have a place -- for instance, when operating narrowbodies into remote locations which have a demand for cargo that exceeds w...	Simply put, combi aircrafts belong to another age of air transportation, while in the present (and near future), it makes more economic sense to operate specialized passenger and freight aircraft. They are more difficult to use effectively - you need a special purpose for them.
Why was the Bristol Brabazon scrapped? According to Wikipedia , 6 million pounds were spent developing the Bristol Brabazon, and the only prototype was scrapped for 10,000 pounds, that is a 0.17% loss recoup. There was a lot more value in keeping that plane intact than scrapping it, maybe for future projects, or specia...	Keeping the airplane will surely cause some kind of cost and the maintaining party has to cover them somehow.
Are NACA airfoils used in modern aircraft design? I know that NACA is famous for its ducts: Gratuitous Ferrari F-40 from Wikipedia . Mmmm... pretty... It is also well known for its airfoils, and many planes in the early years of aviation used NACA designed airfoils for their wings (for example the Piper Cherokee ...	NACA airfoils are used still used in aircraft, though most of the airfoils used are modified in some way.
Why do we call moving an aircraft on the ground "taxi"? We all know what "taxi" means to general public -- a car which carries you from A to B in exchange for your paying a fare. "Taxi" also means to drive an aircraft on the ground . Why do we call it that? What's the reason & history behind the term? <Q> This onlin...	The word may allude to driving around like a taxicab, as others surmise, or it may relate to the fact that flight instructors gave rides to new students in the "taxi" airplane.
Why is Denver International Airport runway 16R/34L rarely used? From watching planes land at DIA on Flightradar24, none seem to ever land on 16R (longest runway in the US at a length of 16,000 ft), but instead land on a runway 4,000 ft shorter such as runway 16L (12,000ft). So why do even large planes like the 747 not ...	Twelve thousand feet is a really long runway; during clear & dry conditions the extra four thousand feet of 16R isn't any added value.
When does a flight require a copilot? I was wondering if there are regulations for when a flight requires both a pilot and copilot. I always assumed a copilot is required once civilian passengers are aboard, but when I recently was a passenger in South-African and South-American sight seeing flights, the pilot was alwa...	A flight requires pilot & copilot when the aircraft being flown requires it.
What are the limitations of the aerodynamics modelling used in flight simulators? I've asked around, and it seems all flight training programs use a combination of flight simulators and aircraft flights to train pilots. This works well for most pilots who fly airliners which don't spend much time in turbulent air or cl...	Buffet, ground effect, external turbulence, and wake turbulence can all be simulated with reasonable accuracy according to the requirements and complexity of the sim, which is dictated by the aircraft role.
If engine rotation was in reverse would it result in some kind of thrust reverser? I mean if you rotated the propeller the other way would it result in reverse thrust. I wonder this because the propeller has to rotate in a certain direction to produce thrust, but would putting it in reverse cause a force to help stop t...	Just as the airfoils do not produce useful lift if flown backwards, the propellers don't produce thrust if spun in opposite direction.
Why are airliner cockpits not shielded from lasers? With the recent increase in laser incidents reported by pilots, why don't airliner manufacturers shield airliner cockpit glass from lasers? The Abrams tank is shielded, protecting the crew from lasers. Why could a similar process not be employed in airliners? <Q> One...	Money aside there is a bit of a practical reason as well.
How is thrust generated by a propeller? I get confused sometimes because I hear different theories of how propellers generate thrust. One is that the propeller pushes air back to provide thrust. Another is the blades generate lift creating a high pressure behind the blade pushing the aircraft forward. Is it just o...	Both the methods you are describing are the same :
Are ETOPS rated planes denoted by a placard or other indicator? A recent AA flight to Hawaii was not ETOPS rated . ( alternate article ) Apparently the failures that led to this mistake occurred on multiple levels, including the schedulers who scheduled this equipment, and the dispatcher who may have prepped the fl...	I believe that an indication is given in the cockpit also on some type of aircraft info placard
Did Boeing build airliners other than the 7x7 series? What I mean by the 7x7 series is the 707, 717, 727, etc. I took this picture at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. What type of aircraft is this? Was it an airliner? I know that no 7x7 series aircraft was that small, so were there other airliners ma...	All the Boeing civil jet aircraft (which are the only ones under production/operation) are named in the 7x7 series. The Boeing 377 "Stratocruiser" was a post-World War II design based on the B-29 bomber, with a double-deck (double-bubble) fuselage and four piston engines. It is a Sud SE-210
Is the "Bay Tour" flight path documented, or is it a more informal route? Are there similar flight paths for other cities? During my Private Pilot's Licence days out in San Francisco, we often flew a "Bay Tour": a sightseeing flight northbound from San Jose through SFO's Class B , over the city and Golden Gate Bridge, ...	It appears to be an unofficial but widely-understood local custom , similar to the not-always-charted VFR reporting points commonly in use at many local airports.
Why is Concorde no longer in service? The crash of the concorde resulted in many deaths, but the crash was never caused by the concorde but by a plane that took off before it. Also airliners like the Boeing 737,747,and 777 have had accidents resulting in all deaths of the passengers and crew and was caused by the airpl...	After 9/11 attacks exacerbated the global downturn in aviation due to recession, there was an enormous drop in first class air travel, on which Concorde was dependent on.
What is a canard? While browsing this Stack Exchange, I regularly come across mentions of canards . I am not familiar with this term, and Google only gives information about ducks when I search for "canard". So, what is a canard? <Q> In aeronautics, a canard is a small wing that is located in front of the main wing of...	A canard can mean both, the horizontal control surface placed at the forward end of an airplane and the whole airplane of this configuration itself.
Does cargo heat failure require a diversion? What about if there are live animals in cargo? There was a story in the news recently that an Air Canada 787-8, enroute from Tel Aviv (TLV) to Toronto (YYZ), diverted to Frankfurt (FRA) when the pilots discovered a problem with the cargo heat. There was a live dog in the ...	Other cargo being carried at the same time will also need to be taken into account.
What equipment is used by Boeing to convert the F-16 into an unmanned aircraft (QF-16)? How exactly does this equipment convert the F-16 into an unmanned aircraft? Is it possible to use this equipment on any other fighter (like the F/A-18 Hornet for example) in order to convert it into an unmanned aircraft? <Q> THE US...	It looks like Boeing and Lockheed Martin are in a position to provide a drop-in solution whereby you swap out a couple of LRUs (Line-Replaceable Units) and bang!
What is the meaning of “American 755, turn right, heading 320"? I am studying a text entitled Unmanned Aircraft Systems . How can we simplify the instruction in quotes so that it is more understandable and can be understood by a nontechnical. Please note I am not seeking to know all technical jargon of routing aircraf...	The basic answer is that the controller is instructing American 755 to turn right in order to point the airplane a direction which is 320 degrees clockwise from due north (basically northwest) For the specifics of what a "heading" is, see this excellent answer (with pictures!) .
How does a coaxial rotor helicopter achieve yaw? Without a tail rotor, how does a coaxial rotor helicopter achieve yaw control? Does a coax have to bank in order to turn? The link goes to wikipedia's article, and down a ways it says: Rotational maneuvering, yaw control, is accomplished by increasing the collective...	When you increase the collective pitch of a rotor blade, it produces torque thus inducing a yaw in the opposite direction of the aircraft.
Can radar detect a small flying device with MEMS microengines? I have seen some MEMS micro engines and some micro turbines and I would guess they can be attached to some payload to fly. Is it possible for commercial/military radars to detect those micro flying devices? <Q> Obviously the MEMS engine itself is not going ...	Common aviation radars will filter out small, slow-moving objects , so even a metallic or carbon-composite airframe several centimeters across will not be detected.
Are commercial aircraft required to have the model number painted on them? On a lot of aircraft, the model number / aircraft name is clearly marked somewhere on the fuselage, e.g. "Airbus A320". Is there any rule or mandate, that all aircraft must bear the model number at some designated place on its body, to help othe...	If there were any regulatory requirement to have the model number painted on the plane for recognition purposes, it would have to be obviously visible or there'd be no point.
Why are most weapons in AC-130 on the left-hand side? Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transporter. The plane is manufactured by Lockheed and converted by Boeing. Why are most of the guns in AC-130 installed on the left-hand side (but not right)? Picture ...	Often weapons are mounted in door apertures so that additional holes do not have to be introduced into the fuselage. Traditionally, the doors most used on an aircraft (including civilian ones) are on the left (captain's) side.
How do drones overcome latency? The US Military's use of drones has become commonplace, and widely known at this point. Although these vehicles are operated from nearby bases during these attacks, it seems like the latency (time of transmission) would be problematic as far as flying goes. Are these vehicles typically f...	Some UAVs (like the Global Hawk) can perform the entire mission (from takeoff to landing) autonomously, negating the need for a pilot. The Predator is reported to have a 'latency' of around two seconds, which causes problems during takeoff/landing. Humans operating the flight are trained to be quick and anticipate rath...
How to maintain straight and level flight after a climb? I'm new to flying and I have this question. Suppose I'm ascending to 2000 ft. at 67 kts and 2450 RPM. When I reach 2000 ft. maybe the plane wants to keep going up, even after I lower the RPM TO 2200, for example. How do I make the plane flight straight and leve...	Try to hold altitude, and work for desired speed with small throttle and pitch changes.
What information might go in the remarks section of an IFR flight plan? When filing an IFR flight plan, what information might go in the "Remarks" section? <Q> The list of possible items in an ICAO flightplan ITEM 18 field is available over at the Skybrary , but here are a few examples that are commonly used: (c) <S...	The remarks field, also called ITEM 18 field on ICAO flightplans can take a lot of information that you as the pilot deem necessary for controllers or authorities to know about your IFR flight.
Do any aircraft carry spare parts for making repairs? I was curious to know, are there (or were there) any aircraft that regularly carry spare parts to be used for replacement or repairing the aircraft itself? If so, what are those spare parts? I'm not talking about built-in redundant systems like a second radio, but ...	South African Airways flights to 'less developed' locations in Africa often carry a mechanic and some spares on board. I've heard what you're describing called a "Fly Away Kit" or FAK.
Why are safety demonstrations done while taxiing? In airliners, safety demonstrations are performed when the aircraft is leaving the gate. I understand it cannot be done latter as an aircraft incident including an evacuation may occur at take off roll. But I think it could be done earlier (e.g. in waiting area before b...	While the above are certainly good reasons how this came to be, today the answer is very simple and is the same for almost all commercial aviation questions starting with "why": because there is an FAA regulation and changing an FAA regulation needs monumental effort and thus needs an extremely compelling reason first....
Would a headwind result in a faster propeller rpm? A few weeks ago I did an experiment with a model aircraft that has a motorized propeller. I turned on the propeller and it turned at a constant speed. Then I turned on a desk fan and put it in front of the propeller (see the picture below) and I saw an increase in prop...	If the airspeed increases abruptly, the RPM will increase slightly as the load decreases (air doesn't have to be accelerated as much), which is countered by the prop governor (if you have one) and the fact that the airplane will slow down to match the new headwind since you're not feeding it any more power to maintain ...
What size/engine/payload aircraft would be needed for carrying two passengers and a motorcycle? I'm not even in the realm of knowledge of aircraft so don't chew me out on lack of terminology please. My objective is to fly myself and a 300-pound motorcycle to destinations to ride from there. I weigh 185 lbs, the moto...	A more reasonable alternative would be piston-engined, and here the Cessna 206 or 207 (which @Terry already suggested) would be a candidate.
What happened to the blades in this picture? Here is the picture Source:(brians-travels.com) This looks like a photoshopped picture, but I believe it isn't. Is this some kind of strange occurrence that occurs only with the human eye? The blade on the top looks bent downwards. I can't figure out what happened in t...	It's an artifact of how a digital camera downloads captures the image from the sensor called rolling shutter .
Why do jet engines take a long time to throttle down? Apparently jet engines can take several seconds, up to ten or fifteen seconds, to go from full power to idle. Why is this? Can't a simple fuel valve shut off fuel flow? Or reduce it to whatever flow rate corresponds to idle? Either of these, if done with a valve, s...	Basically it is that the more weight the moving object has (the turbine in this case) the more time it takes to slow down because of the energy stored in a moving object.
Are there any aerospace examples of applying a boat tail? A way to reduce the pressure drag of bluff bodies is to apply a tapering of the tail (so called boat tailing) I know some (extreme) examples of this method of drag reduction applied to cars: Source And I know that this a feature of the Very low drag bullet ...	Almost all plane designs are made in wind tunnels and have a tapering empennage.
What causes tail-down force? What phenomenon causes aerodynamic tail-down force? Why will there be more downforce on the tail when an aircraft picks up speed? What happens if the aircraft goes too slow - does this means less downforce on the tail? Do the center of lift and center of gravity play any part in determining...	As speed increases, the wing produces more lift, thus more tail-down -force is required to maintain attitude.
Why is the fuselage on an airliner circular-shaped? Consider the fuselage of an A300 . I have noticed this not only with airliners, but also for private jets and turboprops: why is the fuselage circular-shaped? Why don't aircraft have square-shaped fuselage? Does it have to do with too much drag? <Q> If you pressurize...	Spherical airliners would have too many disadvantages but cylindrical ones have a good balance between strength, weight, drag and space-efficiency. The main reason is that for a circular cross section, the pressure loads are resisted by tension, rather than by bending loads in non-circular sections.
How to correct for crosswind in VOR holding pattern without wind information? I've heard many articles about crosswind correction in VOR holding pattern. They mainly tell the outbound leg=correction times three things for slow speed aircraft. I notice all of them require wind information in holding pattern. What if som...	One the airplane maintains a stable track on the inbound leg, note the crab angle and make use of that, applying the same angle inbound to the fix and an the same angle in the opposite direction on the outbound leg.
How Centre of Gravity (CG) is adjusted? I've gone through the following questions on Stack Exchange and other few questions too: Why is managing CG (centre of gravity) important? How are the limits of the center of gravity chart established? I still do have 2 questions in mind: How do they adjust the fuel quantity...	To answer your detailed questions: On airlines, a "Magic" number was used to approximate all weight for passengers and baggage.
Why don't stealth aircraft designs use podded engines? Normally, it seems all the stealth designs dont use podded engines like others. Is this just to avoid the radar cross-section? <Q> Yes. <S> From the PoV of stealth aircraft, the podded engine has significant disadvantages: <S> For example, the B2 Spirit engines ...	The engine pod has a high Radar Cross Section; In fact, stealth aircraft bury the engine inside their fuselages to minimize radar cross section.
Airbus is to fly-by-wire as Boeing is to...? If the control system in an Airbus is fly-by-wire, then what is the control system in Boeings? How does it work? What are its general differences from the fly-by-wire? <Q> Boeing uses a more direct approach to control (but both systems have warnings). <S> In short it boils d...	Using a pure definition of fly-by-wire , both Boeing and Airbus airliners can be considered fly-by-wire .
What are the advantages of a variable-incidence wing as used in the F-8? What are the advantages of a variable-incidence wing as used in F-8? Do weight and other issues outweigh the advantages and that's why it's not found in many (any?) other aircraft? <Q> The main reason for having variable incidence wing in the F-8...	This design feature provided more lift during low speed flight, reducing the approach speed of the F-8 during carrier landings, while providing good aerodynamic characteristics for high speed flight.
How do redundancies work in aircraft systems? I've read about many aircraft systems having redundancies. For example, both Boeing's 787, and Airbus's A380 have a triple-redundant FCS. In this case, it makes sense to act upon the majority's decision. If all three components disagree, how is it decided which one wins? Is...	Triple-redundant systems have four independent members, so if one fails, a two-to-one vote of the remaining three is still possible.
Why do airlines have geographical names in them? Why do airlines name themselves for example "Cathay Pacific" or "Virgin Atlantic". Aren't they indirectly limiting themselves to always fly over "Pacific" or "Atlantic"? It would be weird if Virgin Atlantic flies over Pacific and vice versa. <Q> In a lot of cases it's be...	There is no rule stating you have to call the airline by the places it actually flies over.
Can a fighter jet be hit by guns? Can a fighter jet travelling at fast speed be brought down by a weapon like an M134 Minigun or any machine gun? <Q> They're called SPAAG's -- Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns. <S> Older systems tended to fire 23 mm shells. <S> Newer systems tend to fire 30 mm shells augmented by sho...	Records suggest that jet fighters are not brought down by hand-aimed bullet-firing weapons.
What is the requirement of a higher glidepath/approach angle and is this a flight safety issue? To reduce noise in the London urban area, Heathrow airport has announced plans to trial a steeper approach for aircraft landing - changing from 3 to 3.2 degrees. If this is successful, they will further steepen the landing a...	Some airports (like London City) have very steep landing approaches for clearing obstructions and may require special certifications and aircraft modifications.
Why do the Lycoming HIO-360 A1A and IO-360 engines produce different power? I have just acquired an aerobatic aircraft fitted with a Lycoming HIO-360 A1A. Reading the specs on the engine I see it has the higher (8.7:1) compression of the 200hp IO-360 engines, which seem mainly to make that power at 2 700 rpm, but this ...	Some helicopter engines are designed with thinner cylinder walls for lighter weight.
Are airliner flight plans/routes preset? KLM has 3 flights daily from BLQ to AMS. How do all of the crews handle the flight plans? Do the make a plan for every flight every day or do they have a database in which preset and stored flight plans are available and are ready to be extracted? <Q> Airlines have an own depar...	Since single airways can have different availability or just direction for different days or even times of the day, there will be a preset pool of routes for recurring flights, which can then be adapted for anything out of the ordinary, like NOTAMS, weather forecasts, operational requirements like airspace closure, etc...
When is a fuel pump needed on GA aircraft? When is a fuel pump needed on GA aircraft? I am a flight simmer and have noticed that you can leave the fuel pump off and start/fly the aircraft. When would you use the fuel pump? <Q> On a low wing monoplane you'll need a pump all the time. <S> There will be a mechanical pump ...	Typically high wing GA aircraft will use the aux pump only for priming the engine (fuel injected engines) as gravity feed from the main tanks offers a backup in case of EDP failure.
What is the chime that can be heard roughly 30 seconds after takeoff? This may be confirmation bias on my part, this might be impatient passengers pressing the call button, and it might be me imagining things, but it's one of those I've wondered about. I'll try to describe as best I can. Of all the times I've flown r...	On our Airbus aircraft you’ll hear the ‘boing’ sound shortly after take-off – this sound lets crew know that the landing gear is being retracted.
Why do winglets reduce maneuverability (of fighter jets)? In this answer Ethan makes the following statement concerning winglets on fighter jets: [Winglets] reduce maneuverability which is why you don't see a winglet on a fighter jet I could image that adding more weight at the end of the wings increases inertia, ...	Winglets are optimized for a particular configuration of wing, flight speed and profile and are usually ineffective, and may even have adverse effects on aircraft performance in other situations.
What is the primary means of IFR navigation for private pilots? I have been doing a lot of reading into IFR navigation, and have been looking at the various instruments and systems that are used. I am going to exclude GPS here, as I have been focussing on some of the more 'old-school' methods. My question is, if a ...	You can use Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) along with Non Directional Beacon (NDB).
Could bypass air be used to cool a rocket engine like in turbofans? Rocket engines typically employ a cooling jacket of sorts, usually dual-purposing the fuel as a liquid coolant before it flows into the injectors. Here is an example turbojet using a bypass. As you can see, the bypass air is far cooler in temperature ...	The reason bypass air isn't used is because it is at a lower pressure than the inside of the core of the engine, so the hot gases would move out through the holes toward the bypass duct.
Who flies planes on ferry flights? Two questions regarding ferry flights: When an aircraft has to be delivered, who flies it to the destination airport? Does the manufacturer have a dedicated crew for this or is it up to the airline to send someone over? When an aircraft is sent to Victorville (Southern California L...	At the airline I worked for, all flights, including initial delivery, were conducted by pilots on our seniority list and other airlines Normal ferry flights for aircraft repositioning or maintenance needs were generally done by low-seniority reserve crews because those tended to be non-scheduled activity and show up wi...
How is the amount of time for an A check or daily maintenance determined? How can the time for daily maintenance or A Check be calculated for different aircraft types? Is there any exact formulation depending on the aircraft specifications? P.S.,I'm very new to the aviation field. <Q> This answer is not specific for A...	The time required is then calculated by actually timing the operations and adding correction factors or by statistical analysis over a period of time. The factor will typically vary depending on factors such as:- facilities / equipment available at the maintenance location;- experience and skill levels of the technicia...
What is the thick, dashed, magenta line on a sectional chart? In the attached area of the sectional chart we see restricted areas R-2101 and R-2102. Also covering that general area is a circular, thick, dashed magenta line. There's a notice there that I assume corresponds to it, but I wasn't familiar with this marking ...	Apparently there are "National Security Areas" which are marked with a dashed magenta line.
Why do the Cirrus SR-20 and SR-22 have the CAPS (parachute) system? Cirrus touts the parachute as an added layer of safety. The parachute has obvious marketing value, but is the parachute's added safety a spin on the airframe's shortcomings? CAPS is not an option when buying a Cirrus, so what's the real reason for it? ...	Cirrus wanted to make a safer aircraft that could recover even if the pilot has no spin training at all, so they implemented two safety features: a "cuffed wing design" from NASA and the CAPS.
Do quadcopter propellers break the sound barrier? I recently bought a quadcopter and noticed every time I fly it there is this weird buzzing noise. I have heard this noise on other quadcopters around the same size as mine(4in by 4in). On an airliner turbofan engine you can sometimes hear this weird buzzing sound from t...	The tip speed of many aircraft propellers is close to supersonic, and if not properly controlled can exceed the speed of sound, but most models don't get up that fast (and your blade tips don't have to be supersonic to be annoyingly loud). It's possible, but I would say unlikely.
Is it possible to drop a payload via anchored parachute? Apologies if this is not the proper forum for this question - Here's my situation: I'm trying to drop a payload via parachute with some accuracy. I'm worried that in the above setup, the line will interfere with parachute deployment or - if not deployment -...	So long as the drag rope connecting the payload to the anchor rope is sufficiently long and the mechanism connecting the drag rope to the anchor rope is sufficiently slippery, you shouldn't have a problem.
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 this before. Is this ...	One theory (@Peter Kämpf) is that they are there to protect the ailerons from ground contact.

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