Aerospace Aviation 360 Blog

Modern aircraft are made of numerous metal components, and those components obviously need to be held together. The body panels must be attached to the skeleton, the wings to the fuselage connector, and so on. There are several different methods for holding metal parts together, such as riveting, bolting, brazing, and welding. The purpose of all of these processes is to produce a union that is as strong as the parts that are joined.

Fiber optic cables are fundamentally similar to electrical cables but transmit light rather than electricity. Between their unique construction and methods of transmitting information, they have numerous advantages over conventional copper cable. First, optic fiber cables have much greater bandwidth than copper cables. Copper was originally designed for voice transmission, and thus has a limited bandwidth. Fiber optic cables, on the other hand, were created with modern information technology in mind, and can carry more data than copper cables for the same diameter of cable. Within optic fiber cable families, single-mode fiber delivers twice the throughput of multimode fiber.

Bearings are, by definition, parts of a machine that bear friction between a rotating part and its housing. Ball bearings are the most common type of bearing, and as their name implies, use bearings to maintain the separation between the inner races. Ball bearings are most often used between cantilever and rotary shafts to transfer axial or radial load and need to be retained in all three directions (radial, axial, and circumferential) in relation to their housings and shafts. In this blog, we’ll use some examples of bearings in machinery, and their retaining methods to explain how they work.

Engine failure is not uncommon in airplanes and is no stranger to piston engine aircraft. These engines use one or more reciprocating pistons to convert pressure into a rotational motion and operate on the same basic principles as automobile engines. Piston engine aircraft utilize dual ignition systems to improve redundancy and air cooling to reduce weight. Despite this, these aircraft are susceptible to mechanical failure including spark failure, fuel issues, and airflow deficiencies.

Aircraft data plates are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved identifications for an aircraft. The plates are often metal and are etched with vital registration information about the aircraft. It includes the date of manufacture, model number, serial number, and registration number. All aircraft— from military grade to amateur built— are required by the FAA to display a data plate.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who likes abrupt stops. It’s relatively normal on a bike, worrisome in a car, and just plain old dangerous on a plane. But, surprisingly, airplanes didn’t always have brakes. In the early days of aviation, when the Wright Brothers had just stunned the world with their first sustained flight in a heavier-than-air contraption, there were no brake systems; slower speeds and skidding to a gradual stop were the norm. Fortunately, that’s the no longer the case due to the advancements in aviation made during WWI.

When looking at the flight path of an aircraft between two points on earth, one will quickly realize that the path that the aircraft takes to its destination is never straight, rather being an arc across the globe. While one may think that this is an inefficient choice that will lead to higher costs and lengthier flight times, there is actually a very good reason as to why this is done. To put it simply: aircraft fly across the globe in an arc due to the curvature of our round planet.

In the realm of aerospace and aviation, maintenance and repairs are crucial. Replacing one part can involve many tools. And considering the fast-paced and demanding nature of aerospace and aviation, it might be a good idea to at least get a grasp of the basics. Hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, punches, wrenches, and impact drivers are just a few of the hand tools you can expect to use as a mechanic or technician.

Aerospace, aircraft, and aeronautics are industries that are inherently innovative, pioneering new technologies and streamlining production constantly. On that note, there are still many ways these industries can optimize but probably have yet to think of. Valley Box Co. from San Diego, CA compiled a list of a few such ways.

When working in the procurement industry for aircraft it is imperative to know the various condition terms and codes to be able to reference and identify the parts. This allows for clear communication of the quality of parts to be bought and sold to the customers. We will go over the terminology and some codes to better identify the parts.