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

Aerotime

Nowadays, modern aircraft are equipped with systems that can not only fly the aircraft but can also perform fully automated take-offs and landings and can even provide protection systems in the event of unusual flight situations that threaten the safety of the airplane and its occupants.

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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

Have you ever seen an airplane with no tail and no vertical fin, but with just a sleek wing? A tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing airplane without a horizontal stabilizing surface. With this type of aircraft, the functions of longitudinal stability and control are incorporated into the main wing. How does the tail do this?

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Approachable Excellence

Plane and Pilot

Airplanes like the Piper Cherokee probably dont get their due. Ask a stranger to think of a small GA airplane, and theyll probably conjure something like a Cub. Fearsome metal airplanes helped win a global conflict, yet pilots came home to variations on prewar designs of tube-and-fabric construction and modest performance.

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What Are Common Part 107 Test Questions?

Flying Magazine

You should expect to see questions that show you understand what happens when you change an aircraft’s balance, stability, and center of gravity. 1: When operating an unmanned airplane, the remote pilot should consider that the load factor on the wings may be increased any time that the: A. Example question No.

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The Hazards of Aircraft Icing: Explained

Pilot Institute

Ice can affect everything from how the airplane flies to the engines staying functional. Additional Dangers of Ice Accumulation Icing also makes your aircraft heavier and can even change the position of the center of gravity. If ice starts building up on your aircraft, you’re looking at a serious problem.

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How to Make a Perfect Soft Field Landing Every Time

Pilot Institute

This tendency is due to their high center of gravity and heavy engine over the nose wheel. As with any landing, it’s vital to have a stabilized approach. If you’re not stabilized at 200 feet AGL, go around. Check out How to Perfect Your Airplane Landings. In extreme cases, a nose-over can occur.

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What Is a Flat Spin?

Pilot Institute

An aft center of gravity increases flat spin risk. A flat spin happens when the center of gravity shifts too far aft (toward the tail), and the aircraft’s rotation becomes more horizontal. Some aircraft can enter flat spins even if their center of gravity is in the normal range.