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The anatomy of a commercial flight – all you ever wanted to know: Part one  

Aerotime

Before the aircraft begins to move, on the left-hand ( port ) side of the aircraft you may also notice the ground crew waving a thin red flag at the captain (who always sits, aviation convention dictates, in the left-hand seat in the cockpit of fixed-wing aircraft). This marks the most critical point of the take-off run.

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

Aerotime

The primary flight controls on the DC-10 (ailerons, rudder, elevators, spoilers) were all operated by hydraulic pressure and the first officer was quick to realize that his controls were unresponsive to his inputs. “I was 46 years old the day I walked into that cockpit,” he said. “I The plane entered a descending right-hand turn.

Runway 294
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Simulated Austria Is Wild, Wonderful

Flying Magazine

The small aileron “tabs” were not doing a great job in crosswind ability. Left downwind on a blustery day with live weather actually shows a virga burst over the field, with local winds gusting 36 knots, making for some extreme conditions in such a tight canyon. Taking off in violent winds was a task.

Crosswind 105
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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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Navy primary flight training—the instructor had it coming

Air Facts

It was a beefed up, militarized version of the Beechcraft Bonanza with a narrowed fuselage and conventional tail, seating two pilots in tandem cockpits with controls and indicators configured similarly to tactical aircraft of the period. The plane’s mechanic, known as a plane captain, was up on the wing and helped me settle into the cockpit.

Cockpit 98
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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Bell X-14

Vintage Aviation News

Wright State University) The original configuration of the Bell Model 68 was an open cockpit all-metal monoplane with fixed landing gear that was powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojet engines with thrust deflectors located at the aircraft’s center of gravity.

Thrust 82
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Getting Back in the Air

Plane and Pilot

When you’re starting to feel human again after major surgery, what’s a good plan for getting safely back into the cockpit? This 172 had a flap extension speed of 85 knots, and my old Cessna 172’s limit was 100 mph, or 87 knots. I had a total knee replacement. These discrepancies helped me get my head back in the game.