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

Aerotime

The automatic pilot (autopilot) has to be one of aviations finest technological inventions. Largely gone are the days when pilots had to manually control their aircraft from engine start-up to shut down by keeping their hands rigidly fixed on the controls at all times. What is an autopilot?

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Alaska Airlines Flight 261: Investigating what caused the tragedy

Aerotime

Twenty-five years on from this terrible accident, we look back at what led up to the crash, what was learned from it, and why the pilots Ted Thompson and Bill Tansky are now hailed as heroes for their actions during the incident. Wikimedia Flying the aircraft were two highly experienced former military pilots.

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JAL Boeing 787 wing collides with tail of Delta Boeing 737 in Seattle: video

Aerotime

According to reports, the right wing of the JAL aircraft struck the tail of the Delta airplane as it taxied behind it. However, as the right outboard section of the wing on the JAL 787 reaches abeam the rear of the Delta jet, it strikes the rudder of the latter, deflecting the rudder to the left before coming to a sudden stop.

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Best Of The Web: Taildragger Sim

AV Web

Aviation YouTuber Trent Palmer says far too many tailwheel airplanes get wrecked in ground loops because new pilots don’t have the basic rudder and brake feel to keep them rolling straight on the runway. He’s designed a tailwheel ground simulator to help impart that essential skill without risking expensive hardware.

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Safety alert: NTSB ‘uncertain’ number of Boeing 737s flying with impaired part  

Aerotime

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued an urgent safety recommendation to Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following an incident at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in February 2024, when the rudder pedals jammed on a United Airlines 737 MAX 8.

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The Ercoupe

Plane and Pilot

He was proud of his little bird, with its unique split sliding canopy, no rudder pedals, and a delightful art deco instrument panel. Then, a few years ago, I was privileged to hear how an amazing young woman, Jessica Cox , earned her sport pilot certificate. Born without arms, Cox flew her trusty Ercoupe using only her feet.

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Mastering Stalls: How to Recognize, Prevent, and Recover Safely

Flight Training Central

A wing will always stall at the same angle of attack; however, weight, and bank angle, power setting and load factor may change the speed or the pitch attitude at which the airplane stalls. Also, the weight in the airplane must be properly distributed and balanced. The test standards divide stalls into power off and power on.

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