Aviation Parts Online Blog

Landing gear is paramount to any aircraft, allowing them to safely touchdown on a runway or surface for the means of finishing a flight operation. As landing gear can serve as a source of drag as equipment disrupts airflow, it can be very beneficial to minimize its effects for the most advantageous aerodynamic properties. With a retractable landing gear system, the landing gear of an aircraft may be deployed and retracted as needed to increase climb performance and cruise airspeeds. In this blog, we will discuss the retractable landing gear system and its benefits to flight operations.

When breaking into a market dominated by a limited number of companies that make proven products, innovation is necessary. However, in a rigid industry like commercial aviation, where safety is critical, being innovative can also be risky. This was the challenge faced by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) as they attempted to gain a foothold in the 120-180 passenger aircraft engine market. To do this, P&W engineered the PW8000 geared turbofan, the first turbofan engine to use gears for enhanced performance. Adding a gearbox to the conventional turbofan allows engine components to spin at more efficient speeds. In this blog, we will discuss how the addition of gears affects turbofan engines.

The aircraft turbine engine is a robust apparatus, capable of providing enough propulsive force to permit heavier-than-air flight. With the amount of heat produced from the combustion chamber and a great number of moving objects present in the turbine engine, lubrication is crucial for the health and integrity of assemblies. With the use of the oil tank, pumps, valves, and other various components, the engine assembly can be protected from heat and friction through lubrication. To best understand how turbine engine lubrication systems function, one should first familiarize themselves with the basic components that make them up.

Helicopters are robust vehicles, expertly engineered to achieve sustained heavier-than-air flight with their blade assemblies while also withstanding the various forces exerted upon them during typical operations. To maintain safe and balanced flight under various stressors and upsetting forces, helicopters rely on a number of stabilizer systems. From structural components to tracking systems, various components and technologies are implemented on helicopters to improve their ability to maintain uniform flight paths.

Professional electricians use a wide range of testers to monitor a variety of electrical functions in residential and commercial electrical systems. Identifying these testers, understanding how they work, and learning how to use them will help make an expert out of any DIY electrician. This blog will explain the eight most common electrical testers and their functions.

When conducting landing operations for aircraft, it is important that pilots are able to be guided down to the runway safely and smoothly. During night hours or when visibility is generally poor, pilots rely on the aircraft instrument landing system (ILS) for safe touch downs. The aircraft instrument landing system is a type of radio navigation system, utilizing radio transmissions in order for the pilot to set their approach without relying on any visuals. In this blog, we will discuss how the instrument landing system functions, allowing you to better understand how pilots conduct safe landings during poor visual conditions and weather.

When driving a vessel in icy conditions, drivers will often implement certain brake procedures to prevent the risk of skidding on the road and causing a major accident. Even while skidding, there are methods for how to control skidding using the brake. Aircraft also have something similar, but in addition to certain measures, they have an anti skid brake system in place that can help in certain skidding or potential skidding situations. For more information, read about that here.

Inside of the cockpit of any business aircraft jet, you will see that there are about a hundred or so dials, handles, switches, and screens. To have the capabilities to fly an aircraft, the pilots must be able to demonstrate focus and understanding of dials and buttons on an aircraft’s control panel. Distinctive airplane models have diverse working frameworks and in this manner somewhat various controls. To have the option to fly another model, a pilot needs a precise familiarity for navigating the control panels. In this article, we will go over some of the switches and monitor displays that are commonly found on control panels.

Ensuring the security, care and maintenance of your aircraft wiring framework is a common concern in the aviation sector. When caring for the fuel system, it’s so crucial to maintain the wiring that is located inside of the fuel tanks. Providing routine checks ups for your wiring and ensuring it has basic structure and support is essential to guarantee a proper and FAA airworthy approved aircraft. Aviation engineers and those working in maintenance cannot stress that enough as any faulty care or negligence can lead to potential dangers within the intermingled fuel and electrical power. For more details on protecting the fuel system in an aircraft you can read the helpful tips below.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a commercial jet airliner is estimated to be struck by lightning once every 1,000 hours of flight. During flight, aircraft may even trigger a lightning strike by passing through an ionized cloud. Despite the commonality of aircraft lightning strikes, there has not been a commercial plane crash directly caused by lightning since 1967. The lack of accidents caused by lightning and high reliability of aircraft after strikes is due to advanced aircraft lightning protection that is implemented across various structures, including lightning arrestors and exterior metal and skins.