What role does the FAA play in aviation?
By: Nirek Deepak
Showing posts with label The Basics of Flight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Basics of Flight. Show all posts
Sunday, May 21, 2023
The Basics of Flight #6: What role does the FAA play in aviation?
How has the FAA developed over the years?
The FAA was and still is a huge part of aviation, which over the years has developed and operated numerous amounts of new aviation technology, such as Air Traffic Control, reducing aircraft noise, and safety. Accidents were the most common in the years between 1950-1980, in which had one of the worst accidents in US history before 9/11, was American Airlines Flight 191. The FAA then took control of all US airspaces and territories, along with regulations, Air Traffic Control, and security after 9/11. This is what made the FAA the most common and safest air transport agency in the world today.
Thank you for reading this article! Make sure to read my other posts in the Basics of Flight series and share this post with your family and friends. Don't forget to comment below on what you think about the FAA. See you next time!
Friday, April 22, 2022
The Basics of Flight (Glossary)
Glossary
Welcome to the glossary! In case you were wondering what some words and abbreviations in the Basics of Flight mean, you can get your definitions here.
Thrust: Amount of acceleration.
Flaps: Part of the wing that provides lift and slows down aircraft on descent.
Go-Around: Maneuver that incase you are not able to land, you circle the airport and try to land again.
Flight Level: Another way of saying the altitude.
Slats: Part of the wing that allow air to move freely around the aircraft.
Spoilers:Part of the wing that slows down aircraft
Reverse thrust: Engine compartment that adds a force to reverse the aircraft.
Elevators: "Second Pair of Wings" located on the back of the plane.
Pitch: How many degrees up or down the aircraft moves.
Trim: Pull nose up and down
Air Traffic Control: Service of people that control an operated airspace to manage flights.
Holding Pattern: Pattern used when there is another aircraft on runway.
Knots: Type of speed measurement.
Primary Flight Display(PFD): Display on the left of the captains control panel.
Multifunctional Flight Display(MFD): Display on the right side of the PFD
Auto Flight Directory System(AFDS): Also known as autopilot. The AFDS is a system that uses the pilots inputs to get the aircraft from one place to another
Standard Instrument Departure(SID): Using instruments and ATC to leave the airport.
Standard Terminal Arrival Route(STAR): Arrival into an airport.
Instrument Landing System(ILS): System used at night or bad weather operations to land.
Mode Control Panel(MCP): Panel near the MFD that includes the vertical speed, Indicated airspeed,Altitude and heading.
Flight Management Computer(FMC): System that calculates the route and autopilot settings.
Visual Flight Rules(VFR): When the pilots use their visuals to fly from airport to airport.
Instrument Flight Rules(IFR): When pilots use the instruments in the cockpit along with ATC to fly from airport to airport.
Thank you for reading the Basics of Flight! Make sure to share the Basics of Flight series with your friends and family. See you next time!
Saturday, April 16, 2022
The Basics of Flight #5 (Flight Formats)
The Basics of Flight #5
By: Nirek Deepak
Hello and welcome back to The Basics of Flight! Today we will be discussing about Flight Formats in aviation. Let's get started!
What are the different Flight Formats?
The flight formats we will be talking about today are VFR,IFR,IlS and finally ATS.Each of these formats are used on an everyday basis and include many different aspects for the format to be used in-flight.
What is VFR?
VFR(Visual Flight Rules) is mostly used for general aviation on aircrafts like the Cessna 172, helicopters or small private jets although it can be used for commercial airliners for short distance routes. VFR is when the pilot has to use his/her own visuals to fly the aircraft from airport to airport. They don't have access to radio communications or transponders like commercial aircrafts. It is prohibited from the FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) for smaller aircrafts to fly VFR in bad weather. The pilots always have to follow the VMC(Visual Meteorological Conditions in their FPL(Flight Plan) to make sure there is no bad weather in the route they are going to fly.Pilots must be able to operate aircrafts using only their flight plan and their visuals. In order to fly VFR, pilots need a VFR license.
What is IFR?
IFR(Instrument Flight Rules) is when pilots use their instruments in the cockpit and ATC(Air Traffic Control) to fly from airport to airport. IFR is mostly used for long distance commercial aircraft routes and on some larger private jets.IFR gives the pilots access to radio communications and transponders. You can fly in IMC(Instrument Meteorological Conditions) but they have to make sure that they can only fly into areas that don't have up to 76 knots of wind.IFR must require an ATC clearance for each part of the flight that can include change of heading(direction),change of altitude,routes to follow, and a change of frequencies and transponder codes.
What is ILS?
ILS(Instrument Landing System) is a navigation system that allows an aircraft to safely approach the runway at night or in bad weather conditions. This can be used in all types of aircrafts except gliders.It allows the aircraft to approach until it is 200ft away from the runway. If the pilots are still not able to spot the runway, they perform a missed approach to get back to the runway. The ILS function used both the localiser and glideslope on the aircrafts MFD(Multifunctional Flight Display).
What is ATS?
ATS(Air Traffic Service) is a service that has ATC assisting lots of aircrafts at the same time. ATS makes sure there is a constant flow of traffic en-route allowing ATC to have less pressure and making things more organised. This can be used on all types of aircrafts. It is required from the FAA to have the ATC notified before an ATS flight.
Thank you for joining me today in the Basics of Flight #5! Please make sure to read the other posts in the Basics of Flight series and don't forget to comment below and share this post with your friends and family. See you next time!
Friday, April 8, 2022
The Basics of Flight #4 (Autopilot)
The Basics of Flight #4
By: Nirek Deepak
Hello and welcome back to The Basics of Flight! Today we will be talking about the Autopilot system on an aircraft! Lets get started!
I am using Boeing terminology for autopilot. However, autopilot can be the same for Airbus.
What is autopilot?
The Auto Flight Control System (AFCS) is an automated flight system that allows the pilots to take their hands off the yoke. This system, which can follow the flight plan, can stabilize speed and height as well as the location of the front of the aircraft (heading). Autopilot is mostly used on passenger aircrafts.
How does autopilot work?
The main components of the autopilot system are the Autopilot Flight Director System and the Auto Throttle System. The autopilot is controlled by the Mode Control Panel(MCP) and the Flight Management Computer(FMC). By using the MCP and FMC, pilots can command the autopilot to climb,cruise or descent,follow specific waypoints or vectors and in some circumstances, land by itself. For more info on the FMC, visit The Basics of Flight #3. The autopilot relies on a series of sensors all around the aircraft collecting data such as the airspeed and altitude. The information from the sensors are sent back to the computers in the cockpit to determine where the plane is and how it is doing. If the plane veers of course a little bit, autopilot will make adjustments to put the aircraft back to its initial position. The autopilot can control the ailerons,flaps,spoilers on the wings,elevator pitch and trim as well as the rudder.To learn more about flight controls, visit The Basics of Flight #1. The autopilot doesn't actually fly the plane without supervision from the pilots. When the autopilot is Banking or following the route, the pilots are always monitoring the autopilot. 
Autopilot will follow the route and ATC(Air Traffic Control) clearance as shown above.
When is autopilot activated?
The autopilot is only activated once the pilots reach FL280(28,000ft) due to vertical separation requirements. When it is time to land, pilots generally disengage the autopilot and manually land the aircraft but in certain types of weather like low visibility, autopilot can land the plane in accordance with the necessary commands. It's called an automatic landing system. If the aircraft is trying to land under difficult conditions if there is a fog that completely blocking the sight, the aircraft's landing is performed in accordance with certain safety parameters with the help of ILS (Instrument Landing System). In such cases, the autopilot, acting in sync with the aircraft's other systems, provides the landing under the control of the cockpit team.
Thank you for joining me today in the Basics of Flight #4. Hope you learned about autopilot. If you didn't read the Basics of Flight #3,#2 and #1, make sure to check them out. Don't forget to comment below and share this with your family and friends and I'll see you next time!
Friday, April 1, 2022
The Basics of Flight #3 (Flight Planning)
The Basics of Flight #3
By:Nirek Deepak
When you are on a plane, you may have got many questions, for example, How do pilots file a flight plan or what instruments they use to navigate. Today in the Basics of Flight, You will learn how to make a flight plan using the WANNTRAM format.
First, We need to know what WANNTRAM stands for. The first letter we have is W which stands for WEATHER. You will do this by checking the weather status that day and you will get an updated Airac weather report showing winds,rain and other weather effects. Make sure you mark the information like wind, rain or anything else so you know what the weather is going to be like during your fight.
The next letter on the list is A which stands for AIRCRAFT. Make sure to know the differences between an aircraft. For example, an A319 can be different than an A320 so be aware of that. Also make sure to include what type of engines your aircraft has.Highlight the differences like engine start procedures to anti-ice and engine shutoff procedures. These can be very useful during your flight.
The next letter we have on the list is the letter N which stands for NOTAMS. NOTAMS means Notice for airmen. This means that you need to know if there are any runway closures or any restricted airspaces in the area. You should be aware of the rules and regulations in airspaces.
The next letter is the letter N again. This time, it stands for noise abatement procedures. This basically means when you can start up the APU and engines to avoid a lot of noise since in most airport properties, Airport staff are supposed to keep the noise level down for areas nearby to not get disturbed by the noise of aircrafts.
The next letter on the list is T which stands for Taxi. Brief you and your other pilot about the taxi instructions to the designated takeoff runway. Also, point out taxi hotspots on the taxi charts and during whiteout procedures, mark the recommended taxi speed.
The next letter on the list is R which stands for ROUTING. Make sure you include SID(Standard Instrument Procedures) In your plan to know when to climb to the necessary flight level and when to start the approach. Air Traffic Control will tell you this but it is always good to have a backup just in case.
The next letter on the list is A that stands for Automation/AFDS (Autopilot Flight Directory System). This means that you will be briefing what lateral/vertical guidance by the flight directors you will be using mainly VNAV and LNAV. This is when you will be climbing to a certain altitude and when you will be contacting controllers and what routing you will be using.
Lastly, the letter M that stands for miscellaneous. Here you can put any thing that does not fit under any other topics. For example, fuel and other calculations, Amount of passengers onboard and aircraft handling guides.
This may seem like it takes a long time to do but a making a flight plan can only be up to 10 mins if you are prepared and the briefing should only take up to 3 mins.
Thank you for joining me today in the Basics of Flight 3. Hope you learned about flight planning and briefings. If you didn't see The basics of flight 1 and 2, please check them out. Don't forget to comment below and share this with your friends and family. See you next time!
Friday, March 25, 2022
The Basics of Flight #2
The Basics Of Flight #2
Author: Nirek Deepak
Hello everybody, welcome back to The Basics of Flight #2. Today we will be talking about the flight systems on the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50. So let's get started!
First, You turn on generator 2 and generator 1. These generators are also called bus 2 and bus 1 if you look on the electrical screen. Then you turn on battery 2 and 1. After you turn on battery 1 and 2, wait for the heading on the PFD(Primary flight display) to stop. Heading is the direction you are facing. Air Traffic Control (ATC) can give you instructions to turn to a new heading. They can either direct you to waypoints or vectors. A normal heading callout from ATC can be "Speedbird 214 heavy turn ILS right heading 054°." Then turn on Nav light and LNDG light. Then start up the master oxygen, bleed air, and probe heat. After those are enabled, turn on ALL Anti-ice switches. You can now move over to the MFD(Multi-functional Flight display) and select your departure and arrival airports and FPL(Flight plan). You have successfully completed a Cold and Dark startup.
The Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 has all the same functions as a Boeing 737-800 from the same kind of landing gear to reverse thrust. The only thing is that you don't have spoilers on the SF50,which makes it harder for the plane to slow down. The reason for this, is the small wingspan of the SF50. It already has flaps and ailerons as you can see on the MFD.
If you see my MFD and the minimap on my PFD, you can see that ATC already has directed my to a vector PHFS, north east of runway 34R.
Thank you for joining me in pt.2 of "The Basics of Flight". Don't forget to comment below and share this post to your family and friends. See you next time!
Friday, March 18, 2022
The Basics of Flight #1
The Basics Of Flight #1
Author: Nirek Deepak
Have you ever wondered how pilots fly a plane? Flying a plane is no easy job.It requires skill,training and work. Today, I am going to show you the systems of an aircraft and how pilots fly a plane.
Flight Systems
The airplane has a few things that are required to fly. Most commercial airliners nowadays have large rolls royce engines On fighter jets,they have boosters that give thrust for the aircraft to takeoff. The smallest planes can have one or no engines (like the glider).The largest plane (Antonov AN 225) has 6 engines to help the giant plane lift off the ground. The largest passenger plane (Airbus A380) has 4 engines to lift off.
Next, a plane needs wings to fly. The tips of the wings are specially designed to use the thrust of the plane and lift to takeoff. The wings of a plane can be as wide as 2 football fields! On the bottom of the wings, There are the flaps. During takeoff, the flaps help generate more lift. During descent and approach, flaps helps in lowering airspeed and helps generate lift in case of a go-around. After takeoff, pilots disengage the flaps at FL20(Flight level 2000 ft). There are also Slats on the front of the wings. Slats allow the air to move freely around the surface of the wing. Near the flaps, there are the spoilers. Pilots can use the spoilers while decent to slow down to a safer airspeed. When the wheels touch the runway, The spoilers and reverse thrust engage automatically to slow the plane down. The reverse thrust is located on the back of the engine.
Now we move on tho the elevators. The elevators are the "second" pair of wings located on the back of the plane. Elevators have two sets of systems, Pitch and trim. Pilots activate the pitch to move the nose down and trim to pull the nose up, just like how they use flaps.
On the back of the plane, there is the rudder. The rudder is what makes the plane turn.
How pilots fly a plane
We will be using a Boeing 737-800 to fly. As soon as you greet the co-pilot, you will gather the checklists to see what to do. One of the first things on the checklist is a logbook check. You and your co-pilot will check the logbook to check if it is clear. After briefing weight fuel weather etc, you will request permission from Air Traffic Control(ATC) to start the engines. after start, you will push back and enter the taxiway. On the taxiway, you will extend flaps to position 2. On the designated takeoff runway, you will review your localiser and extend flaps to full and trim to 25%. After you reach 300 ft, you will pull up the gear. At 2000 ft you will retract your flaps to 0.
While you descend, you will set the trim and brief a holding pattern. At FL100(10,000ft) you will extend flaps to position 1. At 300 ft, you will pull down the gear and extend flaps 3. After touchdown the spoilers and reverse thrust will automatically engage and you will slow down. At 60 knots or 69 mph you will disengage reverse thrust and retract flaps. You will then taxi to the gate and turn the plane off. Your flight is over!
I hope you learned a lot about airplanes in part #1. Stay tuned for more!
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