AvFacts - Aviation knowledge without limits

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#14: Bombs, Bombs, and More Bombs Mar 16, 2018

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Smart bombs, dumb bombs, cluster bombs, laser-guided bombs … what does it all mean? Bombs have come a long way from World War I, where they were just hurled out of airplane cockpits by pilots with an innate sense of timing. In this episode I’ll cover the different types of bombs; their different guidance methods, fuzing, and warheads; and what we choose to use when.

#13: Coaxial-Rotor Helicopters Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

Coaxial-rotor helicopters have two rotors mounted on a single vertical mast. The two rotors rotate in opposite directions. These helicopters don’t need a tail rotor and have significant maneuverability and power advantages over traditional helicopters. In today’s episode, we’ll learn about the history of coaxial-rotor helicopters, and their advantages and disadvantages over traditional helicopters.

#12: How to Start a Jet Aircraft Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, I cover the details of how we start up aircraft, and in particular jet engine-powered aircraft.

#11: Decalage Feb 07, 2018

Show notes

Decalage is not often taught to student pilots, but it’s a critical component of what makes an aircraft fly. Decalage provides an aircraft with angle of attack stability — in other words, it makes an aircraft that is flying, want to stay flying. In this episode, I’ll talk about what decalage is and why it’s what makes an airplane an airplane.

#10: Air-to-Air Radar Modes Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

In this episode I’ll cover the basics of how air-to-air radar works, and some of the different modes that a modern fire control radar (FCR) operates in. I’ll talk about the tradeoffs of each of these modes and how they are used in modern air combat.

#9: Polar Procedures Jan 08, 2018

Show notes

Flying over the North or South Pole, or even over Northern Canada, presents unique challenges in aviation. In this episode we’ll learn about these challenges: navigation, fuel freezing, diversions, communications, and altimetry. The FAA wants to make sure you don’t get stuck somewhere in sub-freezing weather, and so they require airlines to undergo unique training and procedures when they conduct high latitude operations.

#8: Altitudes in Aviation Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

Surprisingly, pilots actually care about a lot of different altitudes in aviation. There’s the obvious ones: altitude above ground level (AGL) and above mean sea level (MSL), but there’s also some not-so-obvious ones you might not have heard of, such as pressure altitude and density altitude. In this episode we will learn about how these different altitudes are measured and what their significance to pilots and air traffic controllers are.

#7: Pursuits, Overshoots, and Reversals Nov 08, 2017

Show notes

Lead pursuit, pure pursuit, and lag pursuit make up part of the bread and butter of basic fighter maneuvers, or dogfighting. In this episode, learn what these are and how they can lead to overshoots and reversals, which can turn the tables of a dogfight.

#6: Engine Failures on Takeoff Oct 22, 2017

Show notes

An engine failure or fire during the takeoff roll is a critical emergency — the pilot has to make a split-second decision whether to “stop,” and abort the takeoff, or “go,” and take the problem into the air. To ensure the pilot makes the right decision, a whole bunch of planning goes into that stop-or-go decision. On today’s episode we look at all the planning involved in minimizing the hazards of an emergency on the takeoff roll. Voice acting: Matt Sherman, Ignacio Soto

#5: Gyroscopes Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

Gyroscopes have been a critical part of instrument flying in aviation. Without them, aircraft would have no safe way to fly in clouds or poor visibility. Today we learn about the three gyroscopic instruments in an airplane’s instrument panel, how they work, and what the future holds for gyroscopes in aviation.

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