Brandon Nickens - Intro to Aeronautics

       The Pitot-static instrument system consists of the altimeter, air speed indicator (ASI), and vertical speed indicator (VSI). The displayed values are calculated using a mix of static and ram pressure from the static ports and pitot tube ( ERAUSpecialVFR, 2016) .      On December 1st, 1974, a Boeing 727-200 experienced catastrophic system failure resulting from an iced over pitot tube. Following a takeoff from JFK Intl. Airport, the aircraft climbed to 13,500 feet; after levelling off, it accelerated from 264 to 305 knots and began climbing at 2500 fpm. Eventually, the aircraft surpassed 340 knots and 6500 fpm. An overspeed warning horn sounded at 23,000 feet at 405 knots, after which the plane pitched down and began descending at 15,000 fpm. It descended more than 23,000 feet in 83 seconds before striking the ground.      Common system failures include a blocked static port or pitot tube. In flight, most blockage resul...

     Operating aircraft out of austere locations can pose quite a few challenges. Runway surface, wind, air quality and contents (dust), and the lack of infrastructure. Specifically, I will be talking about how a poor runway surface affects aircraft performance and what steps can be taken to mitigate the effects.      As learned in the PHAK (chapter 11), runway conditions affect aircraft performance substantially. Surface type, gradient, muddy or wet ground all play a factor on the ability to land and takeoff an aircraft from these locations. Many austere locations feature uneven dirt runways with lots of foreign objects on them. As surface friction is much lower on dirt than asphalt or concrete, not as much braking power can be utilized at the wheels to prevent skidding. Also, the less solid ground means that the aircraft's load needs to be lower to ensure that it will not sink into the soft ground if it rains.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane ...

Ethics are everything in aviation. They serve as the baseline between every interaction that  pilots and aircrew have with their passengers, any organization or service they will work with, and each other.  To me, aviation ethics are putting your own personal desires and laziness aside and having an ample amount of discipline to ensure the safety of all.  Of course, the number one priority of all pilots and aircrew should be safety and w ithout a concrete set o f ethics , it would be impossible to maintain a safe environment. We’ll go  through why I believe that discipline to aviation ethics and why they both are incredibly important.   It is impossible to remember everything as  you’re  flying. Every checklist item ,  every part of the  pre-flight inspection , or every incident response  without looking at a checklist. After reading enough aircraft incident reports  on general aviation incidents ,  complacency  comes...