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

Aerotime

As the French mechanic slid himself along the wing of the aircraft, shifting its center of gravity, the aircraft became unbalanced. Hugh Llewelyn / Wikimedia Commons Even during the 1950s, commercial aircraft would employ five crew members in the cockpit comprising two pilots, a flight engineer, a radio operator, and a navigator.

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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

The Weather Vane It mostly comes from the vertical stabilizer (fin) and the sides of the fuselage behind the center of gravity. The reflexed shape of the airfoil usually causes a positive (nose-up) pitching moment coefficient at its aerodynamic center. This also means resisting unwanted side-to-side nose movements.

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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.

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Heads-up, hands-free: How to use iPad audio alerts for safer flights

iPad Pilot News

There’s even an alert for weight and balance when your center of gravity is out of limits. These alerts include runway proximity, traffic, cabin altitude, destination weather, terrain, airspace and TFRs, carbon monoxide and more. Many pilots may not realize that ForeFlight also provides audio alerts with these notifications.

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The Hazards of Aircraft Icing: Explained

Pilot Institute

Additional Dangers of Ice Accumulation Icing also makes your aircraft heavier and can even change the position of the center of gravity. Well, while frost isn’t as dangerous as clear ice, it can still block your view through the cockpit window. With thicker accumulations and irregular shapes, drag can get up to two times worse!

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Everything You Need To Know About Ailerons

Pilot Institute

The pilot is able to control the aircrafts roll by turning the control yoke or sidestick in the cockpit. This shifts the ailerons Center of Gravity (C.G.) All flight controls are actuated electronically, and theres no physical link between the control sidesticks in the cockpit and the flight surfaces.

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Pilot Communications and “The Rehearsal Season 2” Documentary

Captain Laura

As an example, we need to be clear and concise in the cockpit with each other as well as those we are in direct communication with. What are our weights, center of gravity, and fuel load we need to take. Socialization: We do like to hang out with each other, we understand how one another thinks and operates.

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