As winter weather comes around and conditions become icy in various parts of the globe, the aviation industry engages in a careful process to guarantee the safety and efficiency of air travel. The process of ground deicing ensures that aircraft are free from ice and snow before takeoff, safeguarding the precision and reliability of their performance in freezing conditions. In this blog, we delve into the intricate details of how ground deicing is carried out, focusing on key elements such as deicing fluid and the engine inlet.
When you step onto a commercial flight, have you ever wondered how an airplane gets its power while on the ground? The answer lies in an essential piece of equipment known as a ground power unit, or GPU for short. In this blog, we will explore the fundamentals of these units and the multitude of benefits they bring to the aviation industry.
When it comes to aviation, airspeed is a crucial measurement that allows pilots to maintain safe and efficient flight. In fact, it determines the speed at which an aircraft is moving through the air and helps pilots make informed decisions. However, not all airspeeds are the same, as different types are used for specific purposes. In this blog post, we will outline the differences between each type and the indicators used to detect them.
The cockpit of an aircraft is equipped with a range of instruments that provide crucial information. By enabling pilots to navigate, maneuver the aircraft, and maintain safe flight operations, these instruments play a vital role in ensuring accurate flight monitoring and control. To better understand how they provide pilots with pertinent, real-time data, we will explore the main instruments found in the cockpit of an aircraft and their significance.
Fasteners come in many forms, common examples being bolts, rivets, nuts, screws, and other such products. Beyond varying in type, fasteners may also be constructed from numerous materials to accommodate the particular requirements of an assembly. Out of all materials, stainless steel is considered to be the most popular choice for fasteners of all types, a result of its various advantages that make hardware high quality, reliable, and durable.
Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) is essential for aircraft of all types, ensuring that they remain airworthy and safe to operate over time. As the aviation industry continues to advance with various technologies coming about, MRO activities must be advanced as well to meet increasing needs. For those involved in the industry, it is important to have a general understanding of the major types of MRO activities that are carried out, as well as what facilities may be used. As such, we will discuss MRO activities, facilities, and practices in brief detail so that you can be more aware of the various options available on the market.
Turbine engines have seen various advancements over the years, they can still face a number of issues that may deter standard operations or performance. When a turbine engine or jet engine has an abnormal start or fails to start at all, it is important to determine the issue at hand before attempting to fly for the means of safety. In this blog, we will discuss some of the most common problems that turbine engines face and how they may be diagnosed, allowing you to have a better idea of what to do if you are met with such issues.
For embedded systems like the STM32 Discovery Board, many readings are made possible through devices known as gyroscopes. Also found in aircraft instrumentation, gyroscopes are a form of device that may be used to either measure or maintain orientation or angular velocity. This is often used by vehicles and devices to determine positioning and attitude, though such readings may also serve other important needs as well. In this blog, we will discuss gyroscopes in more detail, allowing you to have a better understanding of their use and functionality.
When considering any maintenance program, it is evident that safety and accuracy come first. However, efficiency and cost savings are also critical metrics to aim for when it comes to process improvement. Through planned preventative maintenance, operators can optimize safety outcomes while also reducing the economic burden. In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know about planned preventative maintenance and how to implement it in your workspace.
The various companies purchased the rights to US-wide spectrum from the Federal Communications Commission in December of 2020 for $69 billion, allowing them to gain access to up to 280 MHz of combined bandwidth. This bandwidth provides faster upload and download speeds than the current 4G LTE services at a frequency which demonstrates better range and obstacle blockage performance.
Having poorly trained or unsupervised personnel, employees working under unqualified or pressuring supervisors, and using poor quality tools or materials can all lead to an increased potential for errors and accidents. To help ensure optimal aviation maintenance that is free of hazards, it is essential to understand and address the human factors involved in the process. Here, we will discuss the most prevalent human factors in aviation maintenance.
During standard operations, aircraft engines make loud noises that can be heard from far away. This continual and often disruptive aircraft noise can cause several issues for those living and working nearby. One primary concern is the health status of airfield employees who are constantly exposed to the loud sound of engines cutting off or surpassing their capping speed during takeoff/landing procedures.
There can be thousands of parts and integrated electrical and software systems that all have to work together perfectly for a plane's normal operations to be carried out. Yet, despite this complexity, they still run efficiently.
Despite needing power for tests, turnovers, and other processes, engine operations can put surrounding individuals and buildings at risk with various safety hazards. As a result, operators must take advantage of either an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) or an Aircraft Ground Power Unit (AGPU). Despite these options, some aircraft may not feature an APU, and APUs are loud during operation and utilize engine fuel. As such, the AGPU is the optimal option for powering aircraft electronics while the aircraft is situated on the ground.
Air compressors are utilized for fuel injection during flight operations, as well as for simulating pressure during the designing phase. Useful from production to operation, aeronautical engineers depend on air compressors for numerous projects and applications. In this blog, we will discuss the use of an air compressor in aerospace applications, allowing you to better understand its importance.
With the high weight of aircraft, impact forces of landing, and other stressors that are placed on landing gear, such equipment will face wear and tear over time. As it is hazardous to have a risk of equipment failure during flight, it is highly important that the maintenance of landing gear is carried out on a regular basis.
Thermocouples and thermopiles are both common options, capable of producing electricity when they conduct temperature readings. Despite sharing a similar role and being found in many of the same applications, it is important that technicians do not confuse the two devices with one another. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of the thermocouple and thermopile, allowing you to better understand each device and the role it plays in temperature detection.
A tool that not many are familiar with, but that is incredibly useful to perform a number of operations is a dynamometer. A dynamometer is a load-indicating instrument used to measure the power, torque, and force of an engine, motor pumps, generators, or other rotating prime movers.
In the realm of motion control, permanent magnets are a fundamental component that assist in the functionality of couplings, motors, stators, and other various components. Generally, magnetic assemblies provide torque and motion that is ample enough for standard system operations despite their compact packaging. As permanent magnets can present various safety concerns when they begin to reach the end of their service lives or when damaged, it is important that they are well maintained and protected. In this blog, we will discuss the common materials that are used for magnetic assembly construction, as well as some of the various safety precautions that should be followed to prevent hazardous conditions.
Rotors are components that are found in various assemblies and machinery, used to transform electric or electromagnetic energy into rotational motion. In order for such equipment pieces to perform optimally, they must maintain an even balance and distribution of weight across their rotational axis. The unbalancing of weight on a single side can happen to rotating parts of any assembly, and uneven mass distribution will result in the misalignment of a component’s rotation center in regard to the geometric axis. This can deter proper efficiency and safety, and as thus proper balancing should always be maintained. With rotor balancing, noise, vibration, and other various issues can be deterred for the health of a system.
