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

Aerotime

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. As a result, the first autopilot was developed to introduce an element of control on the trajectory of airplanes. What is an autopilot?

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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? How does it turn or climb without the usual control surfaces? They prove that with the right aerodynamic tricks, you dont need a tail to fly. Despite their lack of horizontal control surfaces, tailless aircraft are designed to be stable.

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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Sage Type 3

Vintage Aviation News

During the First World War, many companies that produced peacetime products shifted towards contributing to the war effort. The prototype, along with a second example, was modified with smaller vertical tail surfaces and some of the aircraft’s overall weight was reduced, leading to the aircraft gaining an additional 4 mph.

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Experience in the Chair: Guiding a Twin Beech Home

Air Facts

Its maximum takeoff weight of 9,300 pounds and large cabin space made it suitable for cargo, passengers, or specialized equipment. It was common practice for tower controllers to monitor the area control centre enroute frequency. It was a winter night shift in a Western Ontario air traffic control tower.

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Approachable Excellence

Plane and Pilot

Lets go back to that time in postwar GA when the sands shifted quickly. The Ercoupe was designed with only two controls, roll and pitch, so it couldnt be kicked out in a crosswindit had to withstand landing in a crab. There were 23 runway loss of control (RLOC) events. The rich can dream of jets and warbirds.

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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Beechcraft Model 18

Vintage Aviation News

This led to the design of a twin engine, all-metal transport with fabric-covered control surfaces and a twin tail configuration. Peyton at the controls. This aircraft was powered by two Wright R-760 seven-cylinder radial engines, each producing 350 hp. Army flew its C-45s until 1976.

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More than 11 Blériots!

Vintage Aviation News

[James Kightly] One of Louis Blriot’s major achievements, and one he deserves credit for, was his control system. In the pre-1910 period there were numerous variations in the ways people developed to control their aircraft. An example of the Blriot control system on display in Londons Science Museum.