Matt Claiborne - Page 10

Landing an airplane is a complex task that is made up of many smaller flight maneuvers. Pilots have terms for each phase of the landing approach, from the legs of the airport traffic pattern to the last runway rollout. What is the Landing Flare? The landing flare, which is sometimes called the roundout, is when

Flying involves moving the aircraft in three dimensions, which makes turning it significantly more involved than turning a car. To turn a plane, the pilot uses all three primary flight controls to move the airplane around its three axes. How Do Airplanes Turn? To turn a plane, the pilot uses all three primary flight controls

One of the mystical things about airplanes is autopilot. We hear about it in movies, and we know it’s there, but what does it do and how does it do it? When you’re on an airliner, how much of the time is the pilot flying the plane? What is Autopilot? Autopilots are pretty simple devices

Airplanes have three main types of control surfaces that allow the pilot to control them as they fly through the air. The elevator allows the pilot to, as they say in the movies, “Pull up!” How Does the Elevator on a Plane Work? The elevator is a horizontal control surface, usually located on the tail

There are more than a hundred different types of clouds. Luckily, they aren’t hard to learn because they are categorized in a very logical order. Once you learn a few basic definitions, you’ll be identifying every cloud in the sky with no problems. Clouds are classified based on their physical characteristics, and further on where

The airplane rudder controls yaw, swinging the nose left or right. How it works, why it does not turn the plane, and the moments pilots need it most.

Have you ever sat on an airliner and wondered where the power comes from? Everything is electric, from the reading lights to the entertainment screens. It’s relatively easy to see how the enormous turbine engines produce thrust. But the power and hot air produced by those Jet-A guzzling monsters are used to power many onboard

Aeromedical factors are the study of how the human body works when flying a plane. Quite a few things change for our bodies once our feet leave the ground. Perhaps one of the most apparent challenges we face at altitude is the reduced amount of oxygen. What is Hypoxia? Hypoxia is simply the medical term

What is a contrail? A cloud of ice crystals made from jet exhaust. Why only some planes leave one, the three types, and their real climate effect.

One of the most fundamental concepts in aerodynamics is the concept of angle of attack, also called AOA. Aerodynamics is a complex subject and there are many concepts that go into understanding precisely what the AOA is and why it is essential. The angle of attack (AOA) is the angle formed between the wing and