Airbus A320 family has two APU option, whether APIC APS 3200 or Honeywell 131-9A.Both are almost similar but have some different sub system, for example the bleed air system. When APU is running, the load compressor will also run and produce compressed air.If the air is un-used, then it should be discharged overboard, otherwise the […]

The combustion process in an aircraft engine produces extremely high temperatures, with temperatures in the combustion chamber reaching up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). The exhaust gases leaving the engine can reach temperatures of up to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit (870 degrees Celsius). Aircraft engine temperatures are an important aspect of aircraft performance and […]

The engine performance retention is tracked with a specific engine parameter, the EGT margin. It is used, through engine trend monitoring Deterioration rate of EGT margin by 2 to 3°C per 1000 hours due toEngine wear due to normal use , this normal deterioration rate can be reduced by reduced takeoff thrust application when possible Engine performance is usually recovered with an engine performance restoration in shop. However, engine water wash procedure can be applied on-wing and help to optimize the on-wing time prior […]

The A320 family THSA has a fail-safe design: each attachment, upper and lower, has two load paths, a normally loaded Primary Load Path and a Secondary Load Path, which is only engaged in case of Primary Load Path rupture. The Electrical Load Sensing Device (ELSD) has been introduced on the THSA in order to detect an engagement of the […]

The engine of an A321 aircraft was being replaced. The maintenance team installed the engine bootstrap equipment that is used to hold and lower the engine during the removal task. When the engine was disconnected and separated from the pylon, the engine suddenly fell. Fortunately, nobody was injured. The engine pylon was damaged and needed […]

In addition to standard Bootstrap tool ( Bootstrap with Manual Hoisting Device), there are a new “electrical bootstrap” tool . which offers a number of enhancements, including easier handling and improved load monitoring, and requires less mechanics. It is therefore safer to operate. The main features of this new GSE are:–Wireless electrical hoists–Integrated dynamometers–A load […]

The aircraft is like a Faraday cage, it builds up static electricity that needs discharging to avoid noise & ensure a good quality of radio transmission, without interference. Did you know : #A320 has 33 static dischargers of which at least 80% are required for correct operations. Not all static dischargers are the same. Depending […]

Today, modern airplanes use 90%+ fuel as thrust to actually move the airplane. But around 6% of fuel is used to provide secondary services like compressed air, which is the single largest secondary load on an aircraft. More Electric Aircraft The A380 has four variable-frequency electrical generators each delivering 150 kVA from each of its […]

The leading edge slat tracks go through holes in the front spar. Track cans are attached to the front spar and isolate the tracks from the wing fuel tanks. Liquid from the slat tracks collects in the cans and then flows down drain-pipes to drain holes in the bottom skin.A320Ceo At track 4 in both […]

Turbulence can put stress on passengers, crew and aircraft. In worst cases, it can also lead to injuries as well as aircraft damage. What if pilots had more advance warning and more precise data about upcoming turbulence thanks to a collaborative digital solution? What if they could prepare themselves and their passengers and even avoid […]

The fixed oxygen system in the cabin supplies oxygen to passengers and cabin crew in case of cabin depressurization (Cabin Altitude > 14000 ft) It has containers with two to four masks and a chemical oxygen generator. In case of cabin depressurization the container doors open automatically and the oxygen masks drop out. The container […]

Pratt & Whitney designed the geared turbofan to run the fan and the low-pressure turbine each at its aerodynamically optimal speed. The fan turns more slowly than the LP turbine, at about one third of the rotation speed of a conventional fan. In turn, the tensile strength requirement decreases sharply, from 200,000- to 400,000 psi […]

When the hangar isn’t quite high enough to accommodate the aircraft taila specially designed hydraulic tow bar is used to lift the nose of the aircraft and therefore lower the tail enough to be able to get it through the hangar doorsIt required a delicate balancing act to ensure that the tail didn’t hit the […]

Clogging of Aircraft Fuel Filters by microbial contaminants in jet fuel can pose a serious threat to safe operations. If conditions are favourable, microbes can reproduce and grow resulting in the formation of visible slimy growth known as biomass. When this occurs in fuel tanks the biomass is most commonly observed at the interface between […]

The tail strike protection on the B777 consists of a tail strike assembly (TSA) and tail skid assembly. The TSA is an antenna with a two wires inside. So as when there is tail strike occurs, the antenna breaks causes the wires into open circuit which would trigger Tail Strike message. The tail skid is […]

The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic is a twin-engined, mid-winged monoplane with a “double-bubble” fuselage; the upper lobe comprising a pressurised crew compartment, and the lower lobe housing a 9 m (27 ft 6 in) long weapons bay, with sonobuoy tubes aft of the weapons bay. A radar scanner is housed in a retractable underfuselage radome, while […]

Airbus has this week released an exclusive upgrade for existing A380 operators with the installation of an additional engine and eco cell tanks to reduce fuel consumption by 65% The modification which will be a 4-month engineering procedure will cost approximately US$74 million but return a $295million saving in fuel costs. Alternatively, the additional fuel […]

An aircraft slideraft is a type of emergency evacuation system that is designed to help passengers and crew members escape from an aircraft in the event of an emergency. This system is typically located on the underside of the aircraft and is deployed by pulling a handle or pressing a button. The slideraft is made […]

Today let’s talk about how we usually identifying the fan blade numbering. There is always some argument on we should start the numbering counter clockwise, clockwise by looking at how engine spining with their leading edge of fan blade. As there is no right or wrong but it just a matter how the job are […]

Do you know what happened if there sudden change of cabin air pressure or ambient air pressure throughout each B777 phase of flight?? As a passenger, we will definitely feel discomfort such as eardrums pain, headache and nausea if the event of decompression or overpressure in cabin. So today I am going to share some […]

How does lightning impact a composite airliner like the Boeing 787. Images from an American airlines incident. Other 787s have have similar damage including a Jetstar 787 that suffered burn marks and dozens of small holes punctured on the underside of the fuselage It is not uncommon for an aircraft to be hit by lightning […]

A significant number of missing wheel tie bolts have been reported to Airbus over the last 5 years. A few of these reports have described significant damage to the wheel or brakes.  Carefully checking the condition of the wheel tie bolts during aircraft walkarounds can allow detection of missing or damaged bolts and help to […]

Since the beginning of 2020, Airbus has received an increasing number of reports of unreliable airspeed events at takeoff due to Pitot probe obstruction. Despite the existing prevention means and the preflight exterior walkaround, takeoffs with obstructed air data probes may happen. This article highlights why it is so important for pilots to actively monitor […]

Why 2 engines are safer than 4 The probability of a single engine failing on a 4 engine aircraft is double that of a 2 engine aircraft. Therefore, the chance of engine failing, blowing up or self-destructing is doubled with 4 engines Consider that the vast majority of failure of all engines (whether 2, 3, […]

Facing the unprecedented and massive fleet storage worldwide which is needed in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Airbus has launched an active support to all operators about the grounding, parking and storage conditions. To complement this on-going effort, this article aims at reminding some of the key safety considerations for a proper parking and storage.  PARKING […]

747-8 with under 50 hours being scrapped for parts (parted out). N458BJ was first commissioned by the Saudi Arabian Royal Flight group in June 2012 and was to be registered HM-HMS1. However, crown prince Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud it was bought for died whilst the aircraft’s interior was still being prepared. AFG Aviation Ireland Limited […]

A system reset is not always the quick fix that it may seem. Performing an inappropriate manual system reset in flight can seriously impair the safety of the flight. Multiple system resets on the ground without performing the necessary troubleshooting actions can also have serious consequences. This article addresses when system resets are applicable and […]

Aircraft braking systems include: Aircraft disc brakes in the landing gear, used to brake the wheels while touching the ground. … Thrust reversers, that allow thrust from the engines to be used to slow the aircraft. Air brakes, dedicated flight control surfaces that work by increasing drag. Aircraft brakes stop a moving aircraft by converting […]

48 years ago today Lufthansa Flight 540 was a scheduled commercial flight for Lufthansa, serving the Frankfurt–Nairobi–Johannesburg route. The flight engineer was found to have failed to open the slat system bleed air valves as required on the pre-flight checklist. This prevented bleed air from flowing to the 747’s pneumatic slat system and, since the […]

Monitoring aircraft to ensure long-term protection When lightning strikes an aircraft, the result looks spectacular from the ground and it can also cause alarm for passengers. However, aircraft are designed to cope well with what is actually a fairly common event – on average a passenger jet will be hit by lightning once every 1,000 […]

Precise, reliable measurement and display of Angle of Attack (AOA) from takeoff to landing can substantially improve aircraft performance as well as assure a safe operating margin above stall speed.Angle of attack is defined as the angle formed between the wing chordline and the direction of air flowing past the wing. At any specific AOA, […]

The Integrated Drive Generator system, or IDG, is a key power system found on aircraft that controls all of the engine hydraulic systems. An IDG consists of a Constant Speed Drive (CSD) and AC generator mounted side by side in a single housing assembly. The CSD uses controlled differential action to maintain the constant output […]

Efficient maintenance operations require qualified, experienced and competent aircraft mechanics. However, airlines and MROs are about to face a new challenge: the existing workforce is diminishing but demand for mechanics is expected to rise sharply in the future.  This shortage risk is based on a retiring population and the effects of the pandemic, but may […]

A combination pressure and vacuum valve meant to prevent cabin pressurization from exceeding safe limits. The valve normally combines the functions of overpressure relief valve, vacuum relief valve, and dump valve. The overpressure relief valve prevents cabin pressure from exceeding specific values; the vacuum relief valve ensures that ambient pressure is less than cabin pressure […]

There are two main types of aircraft vibrations: normal and abnormal. Normal vibrations regularly occur when an airplane is in flight and during takeoff and landing. These oscillating or reciprocating motions do not indicate potential defects with the aircraft or its engines and can be explained by routine operations such as flying through turbulence or […]