The next time you take a flight on a jet, you will notice that their wings are not entirely flat. Wings are the primary lift-generating airfoils on an airplane. They come in various sizes and designs, but except for a few smaller planes, most wing designs include an angled piece at the end called an aircraft wingtip. While small in size as compared to other components on an aircraft, wingtip design plays a significant role in the magnitude and drag of vortices. In this blog, we will discuss the several shapes of wingtips and how their differences affect flight.  Read more >>

Rivets are common fasteners that serve a diverse set of applications, often coming in the form of a solid cylindrical shank with a head on one side. When passed through the preformed hole of a surface, the tail side of the fastener can be upset, establishing a second head that secures the component in place permanently. With their design and capabilities, rivets often serve as aircraft fasteners, aiding in the manufacturing process to create strong unions that can be steadily relied on. In this blog, we will discuss the various types of aircraft rivets that are used for construction, and how they are implemented.  Read more >>

The fuel metering system is an often overlooked piece of equipment in an aircraft's engine. Fuel economy and thrust rely on a deliberate fuel-to-air ratio entering the engine, that of which is dependent on speed and altitude. This task could not be completed without a fuel metering system. In this blog, we discuss the purpose and function of the fuel metering system.  Read more >>

Turning is a normal procedure in flight, allowing for a pilot to readjust the aircraft heading to change their direction. Rather than simply rotate a steering wheel such as one would do in an automobile, pilots must take advantage of various flight surfaces and controls in order to efficiently turn. Additionally, they also have to take into consideration gravity, lift, thrust, and other various forces that may affect heading and orientation. In this blog, we will discuss how airplanes turn in the air, allowing you to better understand the control of such vehicles.  Read more >>

The flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) are both crucial parts of aircraft, allowing investigators to determine the factors that may have caused a crash. Despite both devices being well protected with intensely rigorous housing and construction, it can be difficult to locate them in the case of a catastrophic accident, especially those in large bodies of water. In order to better ensure the timely recovery of flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders, some manufacturers have begun experimenting with an alternative device known as automatic deployable flight recording systems (DFRS). Read more >>