The un-official aviation thread

[owequitit]

As some of you know,

My first love is flying.

I am starting this thread because I thought that maybe if anybody had questions, concerns or just wanted to chat, this would be a good place to do it.

Anything flying goes:

Rules and regulations

Procedures and maintenance

Systems and technology

Structure

Aerodynamics

Safety

Business

etc.

If it is a question, I may not have the answer, but I can certainly find it for you.


**airports and aviation infrastructure are cool too**

[HondaGuy1212]

this is sort of a random question but doenst Rolls Royce make engines for planes?

[According2Aaron]

I don't know if they still do but they made engines for planes back in World War II, I believe.

[phatdoughnut]

i use to fly planes.... little wooden kit planes... bwuahahahah!

[Shuebakka]

I used to play Microsoft's Flight Simulator all the time! First 95, then 98, then 2000, and finally 2004. Crazy how that game evolved. My bro and I would have our computers networked and fly together. I got pretty good at it too. I should reinstall that now I wanna fly!

[Accord R33]

Shuebakkas comment brings up an interesting question in my mind..

If you have ever played Microsoft flight simulator...how close to the real thing is it?

[owequitit]

this is sort of a random question but doenst Rolls Royce make engines for planes?

Yes Rolls Royce does make airplane engines. They are one of the 3 biggest makers.

The other 2 are Pratt & Whitney and General Electric

www.rolls-royce.com

www.pratt-whitney.com

http://www.ge.com/en/product/business/aviation.htm

Most other engine companies are a subsidiary of someone else.

Williams International - Major supplier in small biz jets

Honeywell (Garrett - yes the same one that makes turbos) - major supplier in larger biz jets

http://www.williams-int.com/

http://www.honeywell.com/sites/aero/...on_Engines.htm

SNECMA is a French engine manufacturer that does mostly military stuff. Their biggest commercial collaboration is with General Electric on the engines that power the newer Boeing 737 (series 300 to series 900)

[owequitit]

I used to play Microsoft's Flight Simulator all the time! First 95, then 98, then 2000, and finally 2004. Crazy how that game evolved. My bro and I would have our computers networked and fly together. I got pretty good at it too. I should reinstall that now I wanna fly!

I do still spend a lot of time on Flight Sim 2004. Flight Sim X is about to be released this fall, and it looks pretty improved over 2004....

http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/flightsimulatorx.aspx

Obviously it is a lot more fun with an internet connection, because that allows you to use the real time real world weather, aftermarket ATC, and even to fly with others as you mentioned.

[PakaloloHonda]

On Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station .. I (as a civi) had the opportunity to fly the F/18 Sim.
My buddy ran the whole show there, and said that hours were always needed to qualify
for more money being added to the program.

I was most certainly up to that task .. The real deal .. a real F/18 cockpit .. 8 feet off the floor,
and he could program fires, lightning .. a blown out engine .. you name it ..

I have to my credit .. 72 hours of simulator flight time ... in the F/18 Hornet ..

That being said .. I once had a Bride and Groom fly in from TX .. they were both pilots
and crewed with each other on 747's .. Wellll .. they had a twin engine Aztech ..
and wanted me to shoot them on Maui .. We went to their hanger, where they kept
the Aztech .. and I sat co-pilot. While taxing out on Honolulu's tarmac .. he asked
if I would like to take off and fly over to Maui .. I was like ...

After 72 hours in a sim .. I was most definitely ready for the real deal ..
The Bride, while sitting in back .. tapped me on the shoulder, and said .. "You're lucky ...
most people who fly for the first time .. never get to fly a twin engine"

I was completely stoked .. very close to the sim in feeling .. and many other aspects.
I landed in Maui and we shot all day into sunset .. went back .. gased up .. and
I got to fly her back to Honolulu Int. Airport .. awesome .. totally insane rush ..
They both said I did an incredible job not only flying it .. but landing in Honolulu Int.
it felt like I never even touched down .. I was on a cloud for weeks .. I think I might have
even slept with a smile on my face for days ..

Now I have an affinity with the Aztech .. Every time I see one, I get a huge smile goin.
If I had it all over to do again .. that would prolly be the only thing I would ever change ..
I'da been a pilot for some commercial or even private company at a very early age.

Flying No Ka Oi !!!
Tomi

[i97supratti]

I always wanted to fly one of those one planes used mostly in crop dusting.


Maybe later on in life

[ACC0RD22]

I want to try to get an internship with Pratt and Whitney when I have to go for my first Co-op next summer. I live about 15 minutes from thier East Hartford, CT plant.

and it makes a ton of sense that Garret makes jet engines and turbo's, since they both rely on turbines to operate.

[owequitit]

Shuebakkas comment brings up an interesting question in my mind..

If you have ever played Microsoft flight simulator...how close to the real thing is it?

In some respects it is very accurate and in some it is not...

It is great for procedures like instrument flying, but from a physics perspective, there is a lot to be desired.

For the price, and the computing power required to run it though it is unbeatable.

I use it a lot for instrument and procedure practice, because at $200-300 per flight hour, it doesn't take long before you can see a significant cost savings due to proficiency. The instrument systems work just like the real ones, so that is extremely accurate.

One thing that consistently bugs me about flight sim is the lack of rudder accuracy. It is a very important flight control, especially in the takeoff/landing phases and in emergencies.

Some of the aftermarket add ons that are available to buy for flight sim, have become quite realistic in this aspect though...at least better than they were.

The other main complaint I have is that it is much harder to interface with flight sim than a real airplane (obviously). There are a lot of situations where you need something right now, and instead of just being able to reach for the switch, or turn my head to see what I need, I have to use the input device to manipulate things. If it is something like a map, you end up pausing the game all together to accomplish what you need.

And obviously, you don't have any movement or sensation with flight sim.

This is both good and bad. The sensations are what makes it fun, and it is a vital input for your brain.

But many aviation deaths are the result of people misinterpreting what is going on because of those sensations.

We were designed to walk around on the planet, and an airplane exists in a 3 dimensional plane that may not coincide with what our body was designed for.

You HAVE to be very aware what is going on around you, and learn how to interpret those sensations and when to ignore them.

Many accidents in instrument conditions (no visual reference to the ground) are the result of someone believing their body over their instruments, and then flying the plane into the ground because they think their instruments are not working correctly.

This is what killed JFK Jr.

This is also why we have redundant systems and are ALWAYS cross checking them for inconsistencies, so we can disregard the error if one does fail.

I guess in a round about way, I summed it up in the first sentence.

Plus flight sim can't hold a torch to the real thing.

[owequitit]

I was on a cloud for weeks .. I think I might have
even slept with a smile on my face for days ..

Now I have an affinity with the Aztech .. Every time I see one, I get a huge smile goin.
If I had it all over to do again .. that would prolly be the only thing I would ever change ..
I'da been a pilot for some commercial or even private company at a very early age.

Flying No Ka Oi !!!
Tomi

That is definitely a lucky course of events...

I would imagine the sim was pretty real, they use them for the same reasons the airlines do, to keep costs down.

Any more, the higher level sims (LEVEL D commercial simulators for instance) are so realistic it is legal to log it as actual flight time!

You honestly can't tell the difference between the two.

Flying gives you an emotional high sorta like...AHEM...

I flew for the first time when I was 10 on American Airlines...

We flew a late night 727 flight from Chicago O'hare (I am still baffled by the sheer complexity and the endless sea of blue taxiway lights...) to Syracuse New York.

I was the only kid on board, and they told me I could go to the cockpit if I wanted (those were the days) as we were boarding.

I figured they meant I could look up there, which I always do anyway so I went, looked as I walked passed and then sat down.

The flight attendant came back and "borrowed" me, walking me up to the jump seat right behind the Captain...

I remember how awestruck I was...so many gauges, and everything was all lit up in such a wonderful hue...

I have a fascination with lights like that to this day.

The 727 had 3 flight crew members, and they were all very nice. You could tell they really loved what they did. It was a privledge to them to show me that stuff, not a chore. They sat there and talked to me a little bit and asked if liked airplanes (a dumb question!), and then they handed me the "Before Start" checklist and asked me to read it!

I was so nervous. As I read down the line items, they gave the proper responses (which they explained to me was on the right side column) until we were done. They couldn't believe that I knew what everything was, and that I had read through it correctly! I was very impressed that I didn't mess up.

I realize now that they have those memorized, so if I had messed up, they would have known immediately...

Then instead of making me go sit down right away, they allowed me to stay up there while they pushed back and started. They showed me how to start the engines, then they showed me how to configure the airplane for takeoff (flaps down, trim etc.), and how they received their taxi clearance.

Then I had to go sit down because of FAA regs.

I knew 100% at that point I was going to be a pilot someday. I knew before hand, that I was pretty sure, but that just sealed the deal.

I wish some of that flexibility existed in the system today because I love introducing kids to flying, but it is getting harder and harder.

I don't know, maybe it has to do with the common man's perception that airplanes are just busses in the sky. You can't really understand unless you get a chance to do it I guess.

I will take just about anybody flying, especially if they haven't had a chance to it before.

[owequitit]

I always wanted to fly one of those one planes used mostly in crop dusting.


Maybe later on in life

If you are ever in Sedona Arizona, there is an outfit that will take you for a ride in an open air biplane. I think it is like $75 for 1/2 hour, but it is some of the most beautiful flying country you will EVER see.

I am sure there are others. Maybe I will get a list for you if I can, and you could get it as a b-day present or something.

[owequitit]

I want to try to get an internship with Pratt and Whitney when I have to go for my first Co-op next summer. I live about 15 minutes from thier East Hartford, CT plant.

and it makes a ton of sense that Garret makes jet engines and turbo's, since they both rely on turbines to operate.

Pratt & Whitney is cool, but I have an affinity for GE engines! Although my all time favorite is the Pratt & Whitney JT8D...

I think one of the reasons Garrett got into turbos was because of the compressor/turbine similarity.

That is probably one reason they settled on small aircraft engines, because both turbos and most small biz jet engines use a centrifugal flow compressor somewhere.

The advantage to centrifugal flow compressors is you can get a higher compression ratio with fewer compressor stages, and small bizjet engines tend to be a little limited in size...as are turbos.

If it hasn't worked out yet, keep trying, and I am sure you will get it.