Does every new airplane get tested/certified, or just the prototypes?
Yes. Once an aircraft comes out of the final assembly line it is handed over to the manufacturer’s production test…
Why do aircraft need a tail strike test?
It is called a vmu𝑣𝑚𝑢 (minimum unstick speed) test. The reasoning behind this test is to find the lowest speed at which…
How do Aircraft with non-conductive carbon-fiber-reinforced composite fuselages like the Boeing 787 survive lightning strikes?
Like many things in aviation, the development of composite materials used in aviation is a long and interesting development. Aluminum…
How does the Space Shuttle attach to the Boeing 747 during transport?
When orbiters were transported atop one of the 747s, they were attached by the same three attachment points used to…
An Atlas Air Boeing 747-400F freighter (N429MC) departing from Incheon International Airport, and heading to Anchorage (ANC), USA, returned to Incheon Airport (ICN) Seoul, due to a hydraulic system abnormality detected immediately after takeoff from Runway 16L on 11th June.
An Atlas Air Boeing 747-400F freighter (N429MC) departing from Incheon International Airport, and heading to Anchorage (ANC), USA, returned to…
Austrian A320 at Vienna on Jun 9th 2024, hail strike
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LBM performing flight OS-434 from Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain) to Vienna (Austria), was descending through…
How long can the A380 fly?
Short Answer: 18 hours (15,200 km) It depends on the aircraft load, cruising altitude and speed, head/tailwind, weather conditions and…
Can the A380 be redesigned to fly with two engines?
Maybe – or maybe not. If you consider that the A330 is a twin engine version of the 4-engined A340…
Is there any fundamental difference between Airbus and Boeing?
To differentiate Airbus A320 from Boeing 737, there’s the cut top corner of the last windshield window on the A320:…
Fuel saving feature on the Airbus
Another great fuel saving feature on the Airbus is SOFT ALT. The FMGS engages the “soft altitude” (SOFT ALT) mode…