Why Are Airplanes Riveted Instead Of Welded?
Anyone who is interested in aviation has noticed that most commercially produced aircraft have a very similar architecture. Although powered flight has been through many extraordinary changes in the past century, many of the basic structural characteristics remain...
Why Is 29.92 The Standard Altimeter Setting?
Standard pressure is 1013.25 hectopascals (hPa) which is equivalent to 29.92 inches of mercury (Hg). This setting is equivalent to the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level (MSL). Pressure altitude is primarily used in aircraft-performance calculations and in...
Glass Cockpit vs. Steam Gauges: 7 Factors Compared
Aviation technology has experienced massive breakthroughs in the last century since the Wright Brothers first flew in Kitty Hawk. Airframe and propulsion technology have progressed manned flight capabilities from flying two feet off the ground for a few hundred feet...
High Wing vs. Low Wing Aircraft (Pros, Cons, and Key Differences)
The distinctions between high and low wing airplanes are, visually, obvious. High wing aircraft place the wing above the fuselage, the main body of the aircraft, while low wing aircraft place the wing below the fuselage. Both configurations offer...
Should I Train With Multiple Flight Instructors?
Those of us who have completed any form of flight training will agree that it is one of the most rewarding and challenging tasks we have ever pursued. Those that had no prior experience or had limited knowledge of flying would also agree that it can feel like taking a...
Can You Takeoff With Frost On The Plane?
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface. It forms when water vapor above freezing comes in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing. Sometimes you may see this on your plane before departing on an early flight, and you may have...
16 Actionable Tips and Tricks for the Instrument Rating
Some pilots will say the instrument rating was one of the hardest ratings of all (second to perhaps becoming a flight instructor). Whereas in the private and commercial license training you are learning the physical coordination of flying, in instrument training it is...
How Does Aircraft Fuel Not Freeze During Flight?
Most aircraft (commercial jets) are designed to cruise at high altitudes for the favorable fuel efficiency and engine cooling properties of the less dense cold air. For context, between 30,000 and 40,000 feet where airliners typically fly, average temperatures usually...
How Does an Airplane Form Wake Turbulence?
Many of us who operate small general aviation airplanes out of busier airspace are familiar with the phrase, “caution wake turbulence” issued by the controller. As a pilot wake turbulence is an important hazard to be aware of and something that every aircraft (no...
Why Does Jet A Fuel Cost Less than 100LL (Avgas) Fuel?
It can be frustrating to pull up to the fuel pump and see the prices for 100LL be significantly higher than Jet A fuel. Oh what it would be like to top off your Cessna at only a couple dollars per gallon! Unfortunately there are some valid reasons that 100LL will...
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