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Alaska Airlines Flight 261: Investigating what caused the tragedy

Aerotime

What should have been a routine flight turned into a tragedy after a part of the tail assembly failed. The trim on the horizontal stabilizer – the rear wing of the aircraft – was not working. Then the tone indicating the movement of the horizontal stabilizer sounded.

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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? They prove that with the right aerodynamic tricks, you dont need a tail to fly. Key Takeaways A tailless aircraft has no other horizontal surface besides its main wing. Directional (yawing) stability from the vertical stabilizer.

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Mach Number Explained: What It Is and Why Pilots Use It

Pilot Institute

Why do jet pilots talk about speed in terms of Mach number? Jet aircraft often fly at speeds close to the speed of sound. The problem is that the tail itself might be in trouble. The tailplane (horizontal stabilizer) at high Mach can also develop shocks or experience disturbed airflow from the wings. Here’s why.

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Flight Test Files: Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Vintage Aviation News

One of the standout aircraft in Drydens research history is the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a legendary Navy fighter jet that played a key role in two major research programs at the center. This photo shows NASA’s F-14 (NASA tail number 991; Navy serial number 157991) flying over Rogers Dry Lake, accompanied by a Navy F-14.

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What are the Key Parts of a Plane?

WayMan

While commercial airliners are made up of millions of individual components, the foundation of every airplanewhether a Boeing jet or a training aircraft like a Cessna 172 starts with the same key parts. Its also the anchor point to which the wings and tail are attached. These parts help the aircraft maintain its stability in flight.

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Matt’s Gnat: A Red Arrows Jet Restoration Downunder

Vintage Aviation News

As reported by Vintage Aviation News earlier this year, Folland Gnat XR987 — now with the New Zealand civil registration ZK-RAJ, for “Red Arrows Jet” — is being returned to airworthiness at the workshops of Aero Restoration (Aero R) south of Auckland in the North Island for owner Matt Wilcock.

Jet
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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

Vintage Aviation News

Codenamed the “Fagot” by NATO, the MiG-15 was a shock to Western observers when it first entered Soviet Air Regiments in 1949, and would earn a reputation for its firepower, maneuverability, and ruggedness during the Korean War, was the first Soviet jet fighter to be an equal to Western designs.