Aerospace Engineering

Reciprocating engines are commonly used to power private and commercial airplanes. Also known as piston engines, they are characterized by the use of reciprocal-motion pistons. The piston or pistons “reciprocate” inside of the engines while simultaneously converting combustion-generated pressure into … Read More

Wing flaps are a common component of most airplanes. As the name suggests, they consist of hinge-like flaps on an airplane’s wings. Most fixed-wing airplanes have flaps on both of their wings. When taking off and landing, pilots will raise … Read More

Jet-engine airplanes have become synonymous with commercial airliners. While some commercial airliners are powered by a propeller, most of them are powered by one or more jet engines. There are different types of jet-engine airplanes, however, including twinjet and quadjet. … Read More

Not all airplanes are powered by one or more jet engines. While jet engines are undoubtedly common, some airplanes are powered by a turboprop engine. Turboprop engines are used in propeller airplanes. Airplanes with one or more propellers are manufactured … Read More

Flight control surfaces are an important part of all airplanes. Airplanes are designed to generate lift in response to air flowing under and over certain areas. While some of these areas are fixed, others are adjustable. These adjustable areas are … Read More

Not all types of aircraft generate lift with horizontal and fixed wings. While most jet and propeller aircraft do, in fact, have horizontal wings, there’s another group of aircraft that rely on rotor blades or rotary wings to generate lift. … Read More

Have you heard of the A321XLR? It’s a narrow-body commercial jet developed by Airbus. The A321XLR is part of the A321 family, which has been around since the early to mid-1990s. It was introduced with Lufthansa, after which it was … Read More

Taxiing is an important process for nearly all airplanes. From small and medium-sized airliners to large wide-body airliners, most airplanes require taxiing while on the runway. Before taking off and after landing, for example, airplanes must taxied. What is airplane … Read More

Navigation lights are an important part of an airplane. At any given time, there are around 10,000 airplanes in the skies transporting a total of over 1 million passengers. To protect against nighttime collisions, as well as other serious accidents … Read More