[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by honeybee

So you are allowed to access internet and post on Team BHP from 34000 feet, but we are not. Being a pilot does have its perks LOL

A lot of American carriers have internet access (via wifi) available on board that passengers can use (for a fee, of course). It's not on all aircrafts but a sizable number.

I recently flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Tromso and they had wifi complimentary for the duration of the flight.

IIRC, there is a proposal to allow wifi on Indian skies. I read somewhere that some carrier (I think, Jet) had started the process of upgrading the aircrafts to allow wifi.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

A few months ago I flew Lufthansa in Europe. At the gate we were advise to dowmload a certain Lufthansa app. In the plane that allowed you to go on wifi and see all sort of information, a few movies etc, all on your own device, all the time. Pretty neat.

Jet Airways has that; on a few flights. I haven't used it myself but I know a couple of people who have.

[Jeroen]

Lots of carriers allow internet access. Also, lots of carriers allow you to use your devices and watch the screen all the time. Last time I flew on an Indian carrier there is still this business of having to switch off your devices prior to take off and landing.

A few months ago I flew Lufthansa in Europe. At the gate we were advise to dowmload a certain Lufthansa app. In the plane that allowed you to go on wifi and see all sort of information, a few movies etc, all on your own device, all the time. Pretty neat.

Jeroen

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by honeybee

I recently flew Boeing 747-800/900 on Jet Airways, not sure exactly which model. While getting on board, I saw there is a light fixture at the place where the wing joins the body. From the aerobridge(?) it looked like a projector headlamp of a car. It was the at front side of the wing.

Maybe you mean 737? Because Jet doesn't have any 747s and the 747/900 doesn't exist yet.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Jet Airways has that; on a few flights. I haven't used it myself but I know a couple of people who have.

To use that app you have to connect to a wifi network on the plane. So as soon as the government allows wifi internet usage on planes, Jet will be equipped.

[RVD]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

To use that app you have to connect to a wifi network on the plane. So as soon as the government allows wifi internet usage on planes, Jet will be equipped.

Jet is already equipped with WIFI on a few of its airplanes. It is enabled by a master switch in the cockpit. You download an app and then can access limited content while in flight.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Maybe you mean 737? Because Jet doesn't have any 747s and the 747/900 doesn't exist yet..

Hmmm might be, I don't remember that precisely so you must be correct.

So are you saying if I downloaded this app, I too could access internet in flight?

A question to the pilots: Do you have any driving lights and do they help while flying in the night?

[Ricci]

I'm not a pilot, but I'll take a stab.

The lights on aircraft are only for ground use - taxiing, during take-off and landing roll, and the final approach where some lights are angled down so as to be pointed at the runway during the last few hundred feet as the plane flares.

In flight, there's little use of lights as the speed is too high for the reach of any lights, and if you make lights very powerful, as in driving lights for aircraft, you risk blinding other pilots in other aircraft, and one's own lights will reflect back in clouds causing discomfort to the pilots.

[Thad E Ginathom]

but...

Could some of our professionals and other knowledgeable members please comment on the Goa-airport-mishap thread.

I'd really appreciate some input/insight on this

[Thad E Ginathom]

It lacks informed input.

Not gonna participate.

Fair enough. Both professionally and personally, of course, that's entirely your option.

[norhog]

I guess there is enough of which pilot did what during an incident, going on here.
Let's discuss the beauty of flight.
I like some information on dihedral angle of the wings. I understood from Wikipedia etc that it helps to get the aircraft into a bank when rudder input is applied.
But did not fully understand (of course) how same achieved in an aircraft with wings having anhedral angle. Do the pilots put the aircraft into a bank first and then turn( apply rudder).
The gurus, searchingheven and Jerone SIRs, awaiting your reply with anticipation.
OT..(may be not too much) Even though I am 40 now, the child in me forces a smile on my face even today each time I see an aeroplane up close at the airport.

[MinivanDriver]

The airplane turns primarily by banking (rolling). At this time, rudder is applied to avoid side slip. Also the airplane is pitched up a bit (nose is raised) to avoid altitude loss. The pitch up is needed to compensate for the loss of lift when the wing is banked.
PS: I know the explanation is not exactly layman. I need to do a better job. May be one of the experts will do a better job than me or I will try in a later post.
Hope it was of some use.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by norhog

I like some information on dihedral angle of the wings. I understood from Wikipedia etc that it helps to get the aircraft into a bank when rudder input is applied.
But did not fully understand (of course) how same achieved in an aircraft with wings having anhedral angle. Do the pilots put the aircraft into a bank first and then turn( apply rudder).

We are getting into a very complex area here, because it’s down to how a wing develops lift. And amazingly, very few people, most pilots included, don’t understand how lift works at all. Typical explanation for lift are centred around Newton’s laws of motion and or explanations based on Bernoulli’s principle. Both are actually incorrect, although can be used to a fairly good extend, even for some calculations.

But leaving that aside, a plane with wings with at a dihedral angle is simply more stable then a plane with wings at an anhedral angle. This is down to when the plane with the dihedral angle drops a wing that wing will develop more lift than the other wing, so it has a natural tendency to come back to it’s normal wings level position.

Conversely, a plane with wings at anhedral angle are inherently less stable. If it drops a wing it might need input from the pilot to bring it back to the wing level position.

So in general most airliners and General Aviation planes will have wings at a dihedral angle and say a stunt plane or some military planes (e.g. F15, Harrier) could have wings at an anhedral angle to allow for more instability and thus agility and manoeuvrability.

To add a little bit more complexity to the above “rule of thumb”; swept wing design has a similar dihedral effect. So some actually end up with anhedral angle to offset the results from the swept wing. (E.g. British Aerospace 146 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_146 look at the photographs)

This is an interesting little video showing the effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8Y9OiVOdIQ

So turning a plane with either design is still done in the same way, drop a wing and apply some rudder. How much is very much aircraft dependent and this particular phenomena is just one parameter on how an aircraft handles.

Most planes will turn fine by just banking, but typically want to yaw away from the direction of the bank, unless you follow up with the rudder to keep the aircraft in a so called coordinated turn. Which means that the rudder counteracts the airplane yaw to the outside of the turn.

Minivandriver explained it correctly, you also need to apply some back stick pressure to keep the nose up.

In practice pilots (or the autopilots) make all the necessary adjustment in one fluid movement. There might be certain situations where you lead with ailerons and follow with rudder or vice versa. But in practice it tends to come all together.

Here is a good video explaining it all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E13JbM4jcII

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Longest flight in the world, with a 777

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11795048

[Vandit]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Longest flight in the world, with a 777

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=11795048

Yep. Spotted her overflying OMAA this morning. The return leg will be even longer

[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by Vandit

Yep. Spotted her overflying OMAA this morning. The return leg will be even longer

'Longest flight' is a debatable term. Longest in terms of what ? time or distance ?

Air india operates the longest flight in terms of distance New Delhi to San Francisco (15300 Kms) but takes only about 14+something hours as the flight path is chartered to take advantage of the tail winds. This flight is Qatar airways flight is longest in terms of time but not distance as it will be flying for 15+ hours non-stop.

Regards
Dieseltuned

[Vandit]

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

'Longest flight' is a debatable term. Longest in terms of what ? time or distance ?

Regards
Dieseltuned

These are just bragging rights for airlines. As you said, the metric of time and distance will throw up one or the other as being "longest"

Time taken is again heavily influenced by winds and the changing seasons that govern high altitude wind patterns.

Debating the specifics of one or the other serves no real significant purpose according to me. As far as I'm concerned, the way i look at it, all these flights are pretty remarkable and represent the upper limits of the capabilities of modern aircraft technology and regulations