New updates to the blog!

 

       Hello everyone 😁

  As you may have noticed, there are some new updates to the blog! The update includes:

- Comment moderation

- New updates to my profile!

- Up to 4 posts on the home screen!

Thanks for reading! :⁠-⁠D

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!

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!

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!