Aerospace Engineering

Flight instruments play an important role in modern airplanes. Found in the cockpit, they consist of displays, gauges and control panels. In the past, airplanes used analog flight instruments. Modern airplanes, however, now use electronic flight instruments. Here are five … Read More

Ever wonder how pilots control the altitude of airplanes? Commercial airplanes fly at an altitude of roughly 30,000 feet. At high altitudes such as this, the air is thinner. Thin air creates less drag, allowing airplanes to fly longer distances … Read More

Airplanes typically require a cooling mechanism for their engine or engines. As they burn a mixture of fuel and air, they will produce heat as a byproduct. If left unchecked, this heat can cause catastrophic damage. While most cars and … Read More

Aspect ratio plays an important role in aircraft design. All airplanes have an aspect ratio. Some of them, however, have a higher aspect ratio than others. Whether you’re a pilot, engineer or simply an aviation enthusiast, you might be wondering … Read More

Paint isn’t used strictly for commercial logos and branding on airplanes. Whether it’s a narrow body or wide body, all airplanes require paint to protect them from the elements. It serves as a physical barrier, protecting the underlying fuselage materials … Read More

The field of aviation encompasses some rather confusing concepts, one of which is flight level. Many people assume that flight level is just another term used to describe an airplane’s altitude. While they both represent how high an airplane is, … Read More

Aerospace design encompasses many different concepts, one of which is wing planform. All fixed-wing aircraft have a wing planform. It represents the shape of a fixed-wing aircraft. But wing planform affects more than just the aircraft’s appearance. To learn more … Read More

Statistics show that there are nearly 10,000 active flights at any given time. Even with all of these flights, accidents are rare. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the accident rate for airplanes is roughly 1.21 per million sectors, … Read More

Are you familiar with thrust-to-weight ratio? It’s commonly used in the aviation industry. Commercial airlines must consider their airplanes’ thrust-to-weight ratio. Among other things, it will affect an airplane’s ability to take off, climb and maneuver. What is thrust-to-weight ratio … Read More