The Basics Of Aircraft Maintenance

Proper aircraft maintenance is essential for keeping aircraft and aircraft parts in optimal condition, and ensuring the safety of pilots, crew, and passengers.

Repair stations and maintenance technicians perform maintenance and inspections on aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for certifying the repair stations and aircraft maintenance technicians (AMTs).

Repair stations are certified under FAR Part 145. AMTs are certified under FAR Part 65.

FAR Part 43 details the standards regarding the maintenance, preventative maintenance, and alterations of aircraft and aircraft articles and systems.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is responsible for certifying repair stations in the European Union and member states.

AMTs maintain specific areas of aircraft depending on their certification and rating.

The different aircraft ratings are airframe (the aircraft body, such as the tail, fuselage, wings, and landing gear), power plant (engines and propellers), and avionics (electrical systems and instruments).

Most AMTs hold a dual airframe and powerplant FAA certification, and are referred to as A&P mechanics.

Maintenance Of Aircraft and the Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT)

Maintenance of aircraft is a comprehensive, ongoing process. The entire aircraft needs to be examined, maintained, and have the necessary parts replaced to uphold the safety standards mandated by the FAA.

Aircraft are required to be maintained after a certain period of calender time or flight hours or flight cycles.

Also, some aircraft articles have a specific life (flight cycle) limit, and need to be replaced immediately upon reaching the maximum use requirements.

Besides the aircraft articles that are due for replacement, all other parts need to be checked for faults or faulty performance.

Because of the noise of testing different systems, working long hours, and the expectations of maintaining high safety standards, being an AMT can be a stressful job.

Here are just some of the routine maintenance tasks performed by an AMT:

• cleaning aircraft and components
• application of corrosion prevention compound
• lubricating parts
• draining and trouble shooting fuel systems
• checking and servicing hydraulics and pneumatic sytems
• replacing components
• inspecting for general wear and tear

A newer field of aircraft maintenance is working in avionics, which deals with electronic systems. These parts are vital for navigation and communications, and include radar, instruments, computer systems, radio communications, and global positions systems (GPS). A strong knowledge of wiring and technical skills is required for working in avionics maintenance.

Laversab Aviation Systems is a global aviation systems corporation. Airplanes are incredibly sophisticated machines. For one to function properly, it relies on hundreds of sophisticated component parts; some of them include: pitot static test equipment, air data test sets, RVSM test equipment.

What Is Airplane Turbulence?

Laversab Aviation Systems is a leading supplier of Air Data Test Sets and Pitot Static Testers to the Aviation Industry. Together, their team has not only a profundity of knowledge in the area of pitot static testers, but a depth of knowledge about the aviation industry as a whole.

Airplane Turbulence

When an airplane flies through irregular and violent waves of air, it bounces around and yaws. It’s like two seas meeting, causing waves and current. A boat passing by those meeting seas would bounce on the water. Airplane turbulence is the invisible incidence of the same.

The irregular and rapid movement of air that causes airplane turbulence can be formed by any number of different conditions including thunderstorms, jet streams, mountain waves, warm or cold fronts, microbursts or atmospheric pressures. In other words, airplane turbulence is caused by the irregular movement of air created by the collision of different pressures or streams of air.

Many of us have who have traveled by an airplane have experienced turbulence. It’s always disconcerting when an airplane starts to toss around, but really there is little to fear.

Different Intensities Of Air Turbulence

Airplane turbulence is of different intensities and each level has a slightly different impact on the airplane. The following are different intensities of airplane turbulence:

Light turbulence: Causes slight, variable changes in an airplane’s altitude. Light chop: Slight and rapid bumpiness without obviousairplane turbulence changes in altitude.

Moderate turbulence: Causes intense and irregular changes in altitude but the airplane remains in control at all times.

Moderate chop: Causes intense and rapid jolts or bumps without noticeable changes in altitude.

Severe turbulence: Causes large and rapid changes in altitude and the airplane may become temporarily out of control. Extreme turbulence: In extreme turbulence, the airplane is aggressively tossed about and goes out of control. The reactions inside an airplane during extreme turbulence vary from unsecured items being displaced and passengers feeling strain against their seat belts through to unsecured items being tossed about and passengers being forced fiercely against seat belts.

Clear Air Turbulence

Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) is a type of turbulence that occurs when the sky is clear of clouds. It is usually encountered at heights where a cruising airplane suddenly enters dangerous turbulent areas.

Airplanes have very sophisticated and advanced radars for weather forecast, but they can not detect Clear Air Turbulence. When it occurs, it is usually mild on the flight desk and more severe in the rear, so pilots can’t physically measure its actual intensity.

Although pilots can’t foreknow or see CAT, scrutiny of the forecasted turbulence factor or the weather charts could warn them of possible turbulent areas on the route.

Injury Prevention

Airplane turbulence is one of the main causes of in-flight injuries. There are numerous reports of passengers who were badly hurt while moving in the cabin when air turbulence is encountered. Recently, the FAA reported that among non-fatal air accidents that happen in the USA each year, about 58 passengers are injured by turbulence while not wearing seat belts.

Passengers often ignore the advice to keep seat belts fastened even when the seat belt signs aren’t illuminated. They can certainly move around the cabin to use toilets or exercise on long-haul flights, but seat belts must be fastened at all times when seated to avoid injury from unexpected airplane turbulence.

Innovation In Aeronautics (Part 2)

In case of aeronautics, it is necessary that the end user must know the basic concepts of mathematics and fundamentals of engineering theory in order to have the ability of conducting the designing, manufacturing, maintenance and repairing aircraft and engine. In specific higher mathematics, engineering mechanics, fluid mechanics, engineering thermodynamics, mechanical principles and design, design of aircraft, aero engine, design of aircraft controlling system, the basic and application of finite mega, aeronautical manufacturing technology are the primary concerns. But, on the other hand, the secondary disciplines are advanced connectivity technology, high efficiency NC machining technology in aeronautical industries, precision forming technology for aeronautical components, reliability test and evaluation technology for welding structure, welding equipment and quality control and preparation technology of metal based composite materials. Progressive works are still being carried out to solve the challenges that still exist in air transportation system such as air traffic congestion, safety and environmental impacts. Solutions to these problems really need innovative technical concepts, and dedicated research and development which include enabling fuel-efficient flight planning, and reduce aircraft fuel consumption, emissions and noise. For instance, aeronautics integrated service routers (ISR) video image processing design exploits high end digital signal processing hardware and algorithms, broad range of real time automatic image processing features, which enables any end user of still and video images to increase its ISR productivity dramatically. Aeronautics ISR video image processing capabilities can be easily integrated to any existing image source for real time and offline processing. Some of the aeronautics image processing features includes motion detection, video footprint using geographical registration on reference image, digital stabilizer, zoom and rotation, mosaicking, ISR video image compression, real time annotation on image (i.e. high resolution and update rate) and real time ISR video enhancements such as spatial filters, contrast, brightness etc.

Some of the best recent innovations in aerospace engineering include the Pilotless Cargo Chopper, Red Bull Stratos Pressure Suite, NASA Gravity Recovery and Interior Lab, Boeing PhanthomEye, Nano Quadroto Robots, Solazyme Solajet, Asteroid Anchors, Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle, NASA PhoneSat, Mars Curiosity Sky Crane etc. With the largest direct impacts on the lives, advancements in aeronautics are the key to make flight more affordable and efficient. These advancements decrease pollutants and make flight faster, quieter, and safer for all. Research work on everything from biomedical science and space exploration to software simulation and satellites are carried out to attain its maximum efficiency. In near future, by providing a comprehensive experience and up to date information on technological developments in aeronautical engineering leads to latest innovations in diversified areas such as aeroacoustics, aircraft design, fluid dynamics, advanced materials / composites, aerodynamics, avionics, aircraft systems, aircraft structures, risk & reliability, noise control, aircraft propulsion, reliable energy propulsion, heat transfer flight mechanics, computational aerodynamics and helicopter aerodynamics etc.

This Laversab Aviation article was brought to you by Laversab Aviation Systems. At Laversab, a deep understanding of aeronautics is a must; and the team at Laversab is among the most knowledgeable about the discipline. Aeronautics is indeed an incredibly sophisticated discipline. For one to become well-versed in the discipline, it takes the understanding of hundreds of sophisticated concepts; some of them include: pitot static test equipment, air data test sets, RVSM test equipment.

Innovation In Aeronautics (Part 1)

Innovation in all disciplines is necessary and particularly advancement in aerospace design and engineering is essential to overcome many real time challenges. Basically innovating novel technologies in any fields is to move our society forward. Recently, much more significant interest has been carried out in conducting fundamental, cutting-edge research into new aircraft technologies, as well as systems-level research into the integration of new operations concepts and technologies by employing new techniques and novel algorithms in solving many real world problems especially in the field of aeronautics. It is well known that, aeronautics is the science or art deals with the study / investigation, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmospheric level. It is pertinent to pin point out that aeronautical science is a branch of dynamics called aerodynamics, which deals with the motion of air and the way that it interacts with objects in motion, such as an aircraft. Aviation, Aeronautical science and Aeronautical engineering are the three, major branches of aeronautics. Aviation means heavier-than-air flight, but nowadays it includes flying in balloons and airships, Aeronautical science discusses about the practical theory of aeronautics and aviation, including operations, navigation, air safety and human factors.

Aeronautical engineering covers the design and construction of aircraft, including how they are powered, how they are employed effectively and how they are controlled for safe operation. Aeronautical engineering is the study of how things fly in the Earth's atmosphere and the application of that knowledge to design and build aircraft and missiles etc. Aeronautical engineering includes an extremely wide range of fields, including the research and development, testing, assembly, and maintenance of aircraft and missiles and their parts. Moreover it includes the effect that aircraft have on the surrounding environment, the potential dangers of specific aircraft, and their fuel and systems efficiency. Aeronautical engineering emphasize on flight within the Earth's atmosphere, while astronautical engineering focuses on the research of space flight and the design of spacecraft and satellites. This includes research on best launching spacecraft and the effects the surrounding environment has on them, as well as developing suitable systems to control spacecraft and designing materials that can withstand space flight. However, a major part plays in case of aeronautical engineering is aerodynamics, (the science of passage through the air) which deals with the motion of air and the way that it interacts with objects in motion, such as an aircraft. The study of aerodynamics falls widely into three fields such as incompressible flow occurs where the air simply moves to avoid objects, typically at subsonic speeds below that of sound, compressible flow occurs where shock waves appear at points where the air becomes compressed, typically at speeds above and transonic flow occurs in the intermediate speed range around, where the airflow over an object may be locally subsonic at one point and locally supersonic at another.

This Laversab Aviation article will be continued. Aeronautics is an incredibly sophisticated discipline. For one to become well-versed in the discipline, it takes the understanding of hundreds of sophisticated concepts; some of them include: pitot static test equipment, air data test sets, RVSM test equipment.

Pitot-Static Flight Instruments

Laversab Aviation Systems is a leading supplier of Air Data Test Sets and Pitot Static Testers to the Aviation Industry.

There are two major parts of the pitot-static system: the impact pressure chamber and lines, and the static pressure chamber and lines. They provide the source of ambient air pressure for the operation of the altimeter, vertical speed indicator (vertical velocity indicator), and the airspeed indicator.

IMPACT PRESSURE CHAMBER AND LINES

In this system, the impact air pressure (air striking the airplane because of its forward motion) is taken from a pitot tube, which is mounted in locations that provide minimum disturbance or turbulence caused by the motion of the airplane through the air. The static pressure (pressure of the still air) is usually taken from the static line attached to a vent or vents mounted flush with the side of the fuselage. This compensates for any possible variation in static pressure due to erratic changes in airplane attitude.

The openings of both the pitot tube and the static vent must be checked during the preflight inspection to assure that they are free from obstructions. A certificate mechanic should clean blocked or partially blocked openings. Blowing into these openings is not recommended because this could damage the instruments.

As the airplane moves through the air, the impact pressure on the open pitot tube affects the pressure in the pitot chamber. Any change of pressure in the pitot chamber is transmitted through a line connected to the airspeed indicator, which utilizes impact pressure for its operation.

STATIC PRESSURE CHAMBER AND LINES

The static chamber is vented through small holes to the free undisturbed air, and as the atmospheric pressure increases or decreases, the pressure in the static chamber changes accordingly. Again, this pressure change is transmitted through lines to the instruments, which utilize static pressure.

An alternate source for static pressure is provided in some airplanes in the event that the static ports become blocked. This source usually is vented to the pressure inside the cockpit. Because of the venturi effect of the flow of air over the cockpit, this alternate static pressure is usually lower than the pressure provided by the normal static air source. When the alternate static source is used, the following differences in the instrument indications usually occur: the altimeter will indicate higher than the actual altitude, the airspeed will indicate greater than the actual airspeed, and the vertical speed will indicate a climb while in level flight.

How Airplanes Work (Part 5)

The tail of the airplane has two types of small wings, called the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. A pilot uses these surfaces to control the direction of the plane. Both types of stabilizer are symmetrical airfoils, and both have large flaps to alter airflow.

On the horizontal tail wing, these flaps are called elevators as they enable the plane to go up and down through the air. The flaps change the horizontal stabilizer's angle of attack, and the resulting lift either raises the rear of the aircraft (pointing the nose down) or lowers it (pointing the nose skyward).

Meanwhile, the vertical tail wing features a flap known as a rudder. Just like its nautical counterpart on a boat, this key part enables the plane to turn left or right and works along the same principle.

Finally, we come to the ailerons, horizontal flaps located near the end of an airplane's wings. These flaps allow one wing to generate more lift than the other, resulting in a rolling motion that allows the plane to bank left or right. Ailerons usually work in opposition. As the right aileron deflects upward, the left deflects downward, and vice versa. Some larger aircraft, such as airliners, also achieve this maneuver via deployable plates called spoilers that raise up from the top center of the wing.

By manipulating these varied wing flaps, a pilot maneuvers the aircraft through the sky. They represent the basics behind everything from a new pilot's first flight to high-speed dogfights and supersonic, hemisphere-spanning jaunts.

This Laversab Aviation article will be continued. Airplanes are incredibly sophisticated machines. For one to function properly, it relies on hundreds of sophisticated component parts; some of them include: pitot static test equipment, air data test sets, RVSM test equipment.

How Airplanes Work (Part 4)

Aerial Navigation: Wings, Slats and Flaps

Having covered the basic physics of flight and the ways in which an airplane uses them to fly, the next obvious step is to consider navigation. How does an airplane turn in the air? How does it rise to a higher altitude or dive back toward the ground?

First, consider the angle of attack, the angle that a wing (or airfoil) presents to oncoming air. The greater the angle of attack, the greater the lift. The smaller the angle, the less lift. Interestingly enough, it's actually easier for an airplane to climb than it is to travel at a fixed altitude. A typical wing has to present a negative angle of attack (slanted forward) in order to achieve zero lift. This wing positioning also generates more drag, which requires greater thrust.

In general, the wings on most planes are designed to provide an appropriate amount of lift (along with minimal drag) while the plane is operating in its cruising mode. However, when these airplanes are taking off or landing, their speeds can be reduced to less than 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour). This dramatic change in the wing's working conditions means that a different airfoil shape would probably better serve the aircraft. Airfoil shapes vary depending on the aircraft, but pilots further alter the shape of the airfoil in real time via flaps and slats.

During takeoff and landing, the flaps (on the back of the wing) extend downward from the trailing edge of the wings. This effectively alters the shape of the wing, allowing it to divert more air, and thus create more lift. The alteration also increases drag, which helps a landing airplane slow down (but necessitates more thrust during takeoff).

Slats perform the same function as flaps (that is, they temporarily alter the shape of the wing to increase lift), but they're attached to the front of the wing instead of the rear. Pilots also deploy them on takeoff and landing.

Pilots have to do more than guide a plane through takeoff and landing though. They have to steer it through the skies, and airfoils and their flaps can help with that, too.

This Laversab Aviation article will be continued. Airplanes are incredibly sophisticated machines. For one to function properly, it relies on hundreds of sophisticated component parts; some of them include: pitot static test equipment, air data test sets, RVSM test equipment.