You’ve probably heard that bad weather can affect a scheduled flight. Chances are, you’re one of the many passengers who experienced a delayed flight because of too much snow. So, how much snow does it take to cancel a flight? Well, canceling a flight isn’t based on how much snow there is, but on how … Read more
The approach speed and profile for the Boeing 737-800NG depends on several variables like any aircraft. However, there is generally a typical profile that most operators tend to use for the type. An important element in this regard concerns the flap settings most commonly used by operators. It is common for a Flap 30 approach … Read more
Perhaps one of the most important metrics for measuring capability and performance, the fuel consumption of an aircraft is a primary factor in fleet selection. With a strong push for reducing carbon emissions and minimizing operating costs, airlines seek aircraft which are fuel-efficient. A320 Fuel Burn Per Hour The A320 Current Engine Option (CEO) burns … Read more
During the landing phase of flight, it is not uncommon to feel the aircraft “accelerating” close to a touchdown. This feeling of acceleration can occur due to several factors. In most instances, however, the feeling of the aircraft accelerating during landing is due to the pilots making small corrections to the thrust settings to counteract … Read more
It’s obvious that the field of aviation demands a lot of time and commitment, but do you have to be smart to be a pilot? The short answer is no, but the details can be a lot more complicated than that. Being a pilot is, by no means, a simple task, and you’ll need to … Read more
In the aviation industry, various facilities and services are provided to aircraft and their personnel. In both the commercial and non-commercial sectors of aviation, there are facilities known as FBOs and MROs which fulfill different services for operators and aircraft owners. Known as a Fixed Base Operators (FBO), FBOs generally provide services to General Aviation … Read more
A system specific to the Gulfstream IV/V aircraft series, the nutcracker switch is located aft of the thrust levers in the cockpit. The primary function of the Gulfstream nutcracker system is to verify the spoiler deployment mode in which the aircraft is configured to. Upon extension of the landing gear on approach, the flight crew … Read more
During the pre-flight phase, the flight crew of the aircraft conducts flight planning for the flight. As part of this flight planning, the routing, weather, speeds, and cruise altitude are determined. For a conventional short to medium-haul flight, a cruising altitude is filed as part of the flight plan. In some instances, in which the … Read more
Top of Climb, commonly abbreviated as T/C or TOC, is the calculated point at which the aircraft reaches its cruising altitude. At the Top of Climb, the aircraft levels off and is neither descending nor ascending; the climb phase of flight has now been completed. It is important that the flight crew have determined T/C … Read more
In en-route flight management and planning, Top of Descent (T/D) is the calculated point during a flight in which the aircraft begins descent for the arrival airport. Top of Descent (T/D) can be calculated either manually or automatically. On modern commercial aircraft, T/D calculations are performed automatically by the Flight Management System (FMS). How is … Read more
Commercial aircraft navigation systems consist of processes which provide a positioning system to the aircraft. These positioning systems communicate with the onboard navigation systems. This communication allows the exact location of the aircraft to be identified. In order to achieve accurate positioning, aircraft are equipped with Inertial Reference Systems (IRS) or Inertial Navigation Systems (INS). … Read more
During the landing phase of a flight, there are numerous outcomes that may occur depending on a number of factors. On a scheduled commercial flight, the most common outcome is a full-stop landing. However, for numerous reasons outlined below, there are instances in which an aircraft may perform a touch-and-go landing. How Common Are Touch … Read more
