Yokes have been around since the early days of aviation. Consisting of a U-shaped control wheel, it allows pilots to adjust an airplane’s roll and pitch. Pilots can tilt the yoke forward, backward and side to side. Yokes allow for … Read More

Modern airplanes are constructed with more than just nuts and bolts. In addition to traditional fasteners such as these, they often feature lock bolts. Lock bolts are two-piece fasteners consisting of a pin and collar. The pin is a bolt-like … Read More

Landing an airplane requires extreme precision. A typical runway is only about 50 to 200 feet. With external factors like crosswinds, rain or fog present, landing on such a small area can prove challenging. Fortunately, pilots can take advantage of … Read More

Are you struggling to remove a nut that’s stuck on a bolt? Nuts and bolts are two of the world’s most commonly used fasteners. You can find them in furniture, machinery, building materials, automobiles, aircraft and more. Nuts and bolts … Read More

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has different classifications for airplanes. Small airplanes, for instance, fall under the Normal, Utility, Transport or Acrobatic category depending on how they are used. Airplanes in the Normal category are used for carrying passengers … Read More

Crosswinds are a concern when piloting an airplane. Very rarely do winds align perfectly with an airplane’s path of travel. Instead, winds typically move in a different direction, which can result in crosswinds. To learn more about crosswinds and how … Read More

Composite materials have become increasingly common in the aerospace industry. Modern airplanes like the Boeing 787 are often comprised of at least 50% composite materials. Consisting of reinforcing fibers mixed with a polymer matrix, they offer a superior strength-to-weight ratio. … Read More

When most people think of fasteners used in the aerospace industry, they envision traditional fasteners. Modern airplanes, however, are manufactured using a variety of fasteners. In addition to traditional threaded fasteners like screws and bolts, many airplanes now feature quarter-turn … Read More

When researching aircraft systems, you may come across pitot-static systems. Pilots today rely on a variety of instruments to provide essential flight data. The pitot-static system is a collection of instruments that’s responsible for measuring airspeed, vertical speed, altitude and … Read More