Aerospace Engineering

Have you ever tried to remove a nut or bolt, only to discover that it’s stuck? Fasteners are commonly used in airplanes to hold parts together. With the exception of rivets, most fasteners are removable, meaning you can remove them … Read More

Rudders play an important role in aviation. Located on the tail assembly of airplanes, they act as a primary flight control surface. Pilots can engage the rudders to change the airplane’s yaw. Even if you’re familiar with the general purpose … Read More

When thinking of navigation tools commonly found in airplanes, a compass probably isn’t at the top of your list. After all, most airplanes are equipped with more advanced electronic navigation tools, such as heading indicators, Inertial Navigation System (INS) and … Read More

Ever wonder how airplanes prevent trailstrikes? Tailstrikes are a concern for pilots. As the name suggests, they involve the tail of an airplane — specifically the underside of the tail or rear fuselage — striking the runway. Nearly all types … Read More

Have you heard of adverse yaw? Yaw, of course, is one of the three axes of flight. It represents the oscillation or rotation of an object, such as an airplane, around a vertical axis. Pilots can control the airplane’s yaw … Read More

Ever wonder why airplanes use knots to measure their speed instead of MPH? The speedometers in cars, trucks and other land-based vehicles display speed in MPH. The airspeed indicators in airplanes, however, display speed in knots. What Is a Knot? … Read More

Ever wonder how retractable landing gear works? With the exception of small private airplanes and commuter airplanes, most airplanes don’t have fixed landing gear. Instead, they have retractable landing gear. Their landing gear systems are concealed within the belly of … Read More

Not all airplanes have a traditional wing configuration consisting of a single horizontal wing around the middle of the fuselage. There are alternative wing configurations available, one of which is a canard. Canards are commonly found on military jets. Some … Read More

Modern-day airplanes are designed with a variety of automated systems. In addition to autopilot, for instance, many of them feature an automatic braking system. Known as autobrakes, it’s used during landings and rejected takeoffs. To learn more about autobrakes and … Read More