How well do you know the inner workings of your altimeter? Most of us understand that it uses pressure differentials to calculate altitude above sea level, and it is common place to receive barometric pressure settings to calibrate your altimeter based on the...

While flying into a Class Charlie airspace you’re on a four-mile final and ATC tells you “caution wake turbulence for heavy aircraft landing.” You know what to do since your instructor taught you proper wake turbulence avoidance techniques, but why are some airplanes...

Whether you are a seasoned, new, or aspiring pilot, you likely have noticed that aircraft fuel tanks are commonly located in the wings instead of the main body or fuselage of aircraft. While high level consideration may attribute this to space concerns, there are...

Most pilots are roughly familiar with the power setting principals of piston engines, and even of the power setting principals of piston engines driving constant speed propellers.  But for turbine engines, power is expressed in terms of “N1” and “N2.”  Because...

Turboprop and turbofan engines appear to be radically different machines.  How do the fundamental differences in each engine type affect the safety, efficiency and performance of these engines?  The underlying fundamental differences lay not the mechanical...

Turbojets and turbofans are often discussed interchangeably in the aviation world, but are actually somewhat different types of engines.  Both are “jet” engines and are in some ways indistinguishable from one another, but important fundamental differences exist...

Although most aircraft are made of the same basic elements, wings, rudder, elevators, a fuselage, and a tail cone, the way these elements are created and organized on the aircraft can be a little different and can create different flying characteristics. Anyone who...

Piston and turboprop powered aircraft uniquely overlap in their flight regimes raising the inevitable question of which power plant is better.  The two power sources can be compared in a range of categories, but this evaluation will focus on relative differences...

Modern transport aircraft designers have settled on two primary layouts; engines slung beneath the wing and for smaller aircraft, engines mounted on the aft fuselage.  The most ubiquitous of these wing mounted designs is 737, but it features a distinctive flat...

Whether as a passenger on an airliner, or a student pilot in the cockpit, you’ve probably noticed rolling onto the beginning of a runway very large numbers and maybe even a letter painted onto the beginning of the runway. As with everything else in aviation, it’s...