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Examining over 100 years of flight automation and the history of the autopilot

Aerotime

His system would provide an aircraft with automatic stability and control mechanism, through the control of the ailerons, stabilizer, and tail rudder through the use of a set of simple gyroscopes. Generally speaking, a commercial airliner must be equipped with an autopilot if it has a capacity of 20 passengers or greater.

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The Ercoupe

Plane and Pilot

Many years ago, while working my way through college pumping avgas at the local airport, I discovered that one of our university deans owned a diminutive two-seat, twin-tailed airplanean Ercoupe. ERCO), Weick refined the design into the low-wing, twin-tailed beauty whose distinctive looks are unmistakable.

Rudder 105
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35 years ago: How a United Airlines crew landed an ‘unflyable’ DC-10

Aerotime

A violent and destructive engine failure on the aircraft, one of United Airlines ’ McDonnell Douglas DC-10s, caused the loss of all standard flight controls through the fracture of all three hydraulic syst ems on the aircraft. On scanning the engine instruments, it quickly became apparent that the number two tail-mounted engine had failed.

Runway 294
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Everything You Need To Know About Ailerons

Pilot Institute

At first glance, ailerons look like ordinary hinged panels on the wings, but don’t be fooledthey’re important for keeping an aircraft both stable and maneuverable. But theres much more to ailerons than just rolling left or right. Or how do modern airplanes reduce dangerous effects like aileron flutter or adverse yaw?

Aileron 90
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Split-S Decision

Plane and Pilot

Missing its tail, pointing almost straight down, a Van’s RV-7A single-engine, two-seat homebuilt plummeted out of the blue and into the rocky ground. This wasn’t the first Van’s homebuilt to experience an in-flight tail separation. The airline merged with Republic, then Northwest, and finally Delta. The pilot died instantly.

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Split-S Decision

Plane and Pilot

Missing its tail, pointing almost straight down, a Van’s RV-7A single-engine, two-seat homebuilt plummeted out of the blue and into the rocky ground. This wasn’t the first Van’s homebuilt to experience an in-flight tail separation. The airline merged with Republic, then Northwest, and finally Delta. The pilot died instantly.

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Nothing By Chance: The Return of Parks Biplane N499H

Vintage Aviation News

Photo copyright Russell Munson] On April 26th, 1964 a radial-powered biplane with wings and tail in Champion Yellow and Stearman Vermillion-painted fuselage took off from an airfield near Lumberton, NC. “The steel fuselage frame, tail surfaces, and landing gear have been repaired as needed, media blasted, and primed.

Airplanes 105