Aerospace Engineering

Ever wonder what’s inside the nose cone of an airplane? Most commercial airplanes have a cylindrical tip at the front of the fuselage. Known as the nose can, it’s the forwardmost section. While some people assume that airplanes have an … Read More

Ice isn’t just a concern for drivers on the road; it’s a concern for pilots as well. Ice may form on the body of an airplane while subsequently affecting the airplane’s lift, angle of attack and other flight dynamics. There … Read More

It’s not uncommon for ground support equipment to tow airplanes on the runway prior to takeoff. After all of the passengers have boarded, ground support equipment will manually tow the airplane away from the gate. The pilot will then start … Read More

Clevis fasteners are used in many different industries, some of which include construction, agriculture, marine and manufacturing. Also known simply as a clevis, a clevis fastener is a multi-part fastening system. Among other things, it features a clevis pin. If … Read More

It’s a common myth that the air inside of airplane cabins is dirty. When flying aboard a commercial airplane, you’ll typically breathe in a mixture of about half fresh air and half fresh air. Commercial airplanes are equipped with air … Read More

To say airplanes have a lot of parts would be an understatement. When accounting for everything from landing wheel bearings and wheels to wires and fasteners, many airplanes have millions of parts. Some of these parts, however, are more important … Read More

Not all airplanes have plain, smooth leading edges. Whether it’s a commercial jet or a small private airliner, many of them feature leading edge extensions. What are leading edge extensions exactly, and how do they work in airplanes? What Are … Read More

Pilots don’t rely on a single metric to determine the temperature of the air outside of an airplane. Most cockpits display several different air temperatures, including total air temperature (TAT), static air temperature (SAT) and International Standard Atmospheric (ISA) temperature … Read More

Wings are an essential part of all airplanes. In the field of aeronautics, they are airfoil structures that generate lift. As air flows over and under an airplane’s wings they’ll generate lift. Lift, of course, is the invisible force that … Read More