Victoria Bottomley

In January 2009 the photo of a floating US Airways A320 was splashed on the front cover of every newspaper after it made an emergency landing in the Hudson River. But is this an exception to the rule? Or do all airplanes float on water? An emergency landing on water is something that every pilot

Bleed air is a term that is tossed around frequently when it comes to aircraft systems. But what is bleed air exactly and what does it do? ‘Suck, squeeze, bang, blow’: this is the phrase that most people use to describe how an engine works. Known as the Otto cycle, this summarizes the stages of

Airbus began 49 years ago and manufactures some of today’s most popular aircraft. But Airbus have made less than 20 different civilian aircraft, so why do they all begin with 300? The first Airbus was flown in 1974. Since then the Airbus fleet has travelled over 215 billion kilometres (enough distance to travel to the

Fighter jets often have fuel stored behind the pilot’s seat, but big airliners like the B747 store massive amounts of fuel in their wings. So what is the benefit of having fuel stored in the wings of an aircraft? And does it pose any risks to safety? Why is Fuel Stored in the Wings? There

Wind plays an important role in flying. But what exactly is the relationship between wind and wings? Is it a happy marriage or are take-offs into wind dangerous? Do Planes Take Off Into The Wind? Aircraft don’t have to take off into wind, but it does help! Taking off into wind gives aircraft an extra