Aviation Orbit Blog

Electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS) are essential frameworks that have the ability to support the transfer of power and data across modern aircraft. To preserve safety and operational performance, these systems are regularly engineered with reliability, system-wide integration, and cont...

Far more than just onboard electronics, avionics encompass an intricate network of sensors, communication systems, data processors, cockpit displays, control units, and other electronics that are seamlessly integrated within an aircraft to reduce pilot workload. These systems work together to suppor...

Aircraft hydraulic systems, which are essential for the operation of aircraft components like landing gear, flaps, brakes, and flight controls, rely on precise management of hydraulic fluid. Though often overlooked in discussions about aircraft hydraulics, the reservoir is a critical aspect that ens...

Spiral gears, often referred to as helical gears, are a fascinating and crucial component in various mechanical systems, renowned for their smooth and efficient power transmission capabilities. Deriving their name from the spiral-shaped teeth that wrap around a cylindrical gear, they enable quieter ...

Braking systems play a crucial role in various machinery and vehicles to ensure safe and controlled deceleration. One essential component of these systems is the braking resistor, an essential element of the wider assembly. In this blog, we will delve into the world of braking resistors, exploring w...

Turboprop engines have long been a critical component of aviation, propelling aircraft of various sizes and types. These engines, while often overshadowed by their more well-known turbojet counterparts, serve a crucial role in both commercial and military aviation. In this blog, we will delve into t...

In the aviation industry, safety and preparedness are of utmost importance, especially during nighttime operations. Therefore, pilots require reliable lighting tools to navigate their aircraft and perform essential tasks in low-light conditions. In this blog post, we will explore the most important ...

Aircraft braking systems are crucial to safe landings, and they regularly undergo intense inspection and servicing to guarantee their reliability. Typically, aircraft brakes can last between 1000-2000 landings before requiring replacement, and their longevity depends on the particular material they ...

When aircraft are in flight, the various control surfaces are carefully oriented in the right direction to effectively direct the airstream. But when they are on the ground, what is there to keep the flaps from moving in the wind? Though the control surfaces are designed to handle harsh conditions, ...

?Static dischargers are small components mounted on the exterior of aircraft that are designed to safely release electrical charges accumulated during flight. By directing this static energy away from the airframe and into the atmosphere, these components help prevent electromagnetic interference th...

Tracing back to the inception of powered flight, safety has been a staple of the aviation industry as various engineers, manufacturers, and governing bodies seek new and reliable ways to improve aircraft and their systems. While the job is far from over, current regulations and past breakthroughs ha...

In our modern day, aircraft are produced in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate a diverse set of applications. The commercial sector is one of the primary elements of aviation, serving for passenger transport both domestically and internationally across the globe. One of the most commo...

Maintenance, repair, or overhaul procedures should only be carried out by certified aircraft mechanics. If you love airplanes and enjoy fixing things, this may be an ideal career choice for you. As this field plays a vital role in the aviation industry, this blog will provide a breakdown of differen...

Maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) facilities play an integral role in keeping aircraft operable and airworthy. Although any facility that performs these actions in servicing aircraft may be labeled an MRO, there may be a significant variation in the business models and efficiency between loc...

Semiconductors are an important element of countless advanced electronic assemblies, coming in the form of a material that has an electrical conductivity value between a conductor and an insulator. The resistance of semiconductors may vary based on their design and environmental conditions; values o...

Tachometers are essential cockpit instruments designed to measure the real-time rotational speed of engines or propellers, helping pilots and onboard systems monitor propulsion health during all phases of flight. This rotational speed data supports engine efficiency, enhances flight safety, and enab...

An integral component of modern aviation is the series of flight instruments that work together to provide the crew with valuable information about the aircraft. In the cockpit, you may notice dozens of gauges and meters, some of which are used frequently, and others rarely. Of these many ...

Navigation is a crucial element of flight operations, allowing pilots and operators to carry out a flight plan to reach an intended destination with ease. While most pilots now rely on highly advanced GPS technology and the Flight Management System (FMS), past operations were much more difficult. Th...

Aircraft have countless components that necessitate routine maintenance to ensure their optimal functionality. Propellers are just one example of components that need to be inspected from time to time to guarantee they are in working condition. Typically made of an aluminum alloy or a stru...

Rotary engines are internal combustion engines with chambers that change in size as the rotor rotates. This type of engine also has an odd number of cylinders per row that are radially configured. More than that, rotary engines are considered to be one of the most notable advances in engine technolo...

A filter manifold, or pressure filter, is tasked with combining a myriad of separate filtration components into a single assembly. The compact construction reduces the total weight and cost of the unit, making it the optimal choice for many applications. Often implemented in commercial and mili...

Pressure switches are often found in fluid systems, capable of acting as an electric contact when fluid pressure thresholds are met. These thresholds may be used to determine whether fluid pressure has risen or fallen from a set point as dependent on the component itself, making contact at...

The day someone earns their pilots license can be an exciting moment, opening up a world full of adventure for many, and allowing individuals to pursue their dreams of navigating the skies. However, the time it takes to obtain a pilot's license can vary depending on the certificate one is pursui...

As the aviation industry continues to grow worldwide, billions of passengers travel across the globe every year. Many of these passengers will ride on commercial airliners, those of which rely on turbine engines with turbine blades. Turbine engines, or jet engines, are the most widely used powerplan...

While the various essential flight components such as communication systems, navigation systems, and flight instruments are often discussed in length, the aircraft antennas that ensure their functionality are regularly underrepresented. On a typical aircraft, one may find dozens of antennas that are...

As our modern society has become increasingly dependent on electronics for transportation, communication, entertainment, security, and more, it is very beneficial to have a basic understanding of how such devices function and how they are designed. Connectors are one of the most basic elements of el...

Due to the high speed ranges that aircraft typically operate in during flight, it is important that they are capable of reaching a safe stop upon landing on a runway. While aircraft can reduce their speed before landing through the use of engine power reduction and flap extension, the aircraft brake...

Every commercial flight, even those taken by private jets, involves certain aspects that are handled entirely by a computer. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated, it is virtually guaranteed that more and more pilot duties will be taken over by automated systems. In fact, as ear...

At an altitude between 30,000 and 40,000 feet where most aircraft will operate, temperatures will often fall below -40 degrees Fahrenheit. At such cold temperatures, any exposed fluids will quickly freeze and components can be affected as well. To ensure that ice does not form across aircraft surfac...

As artificial intelligence, machinery, and general technologies continue to advance, automation is becoming ever more realized for a great number of applications and industries. From the automatic program recordings conducted by TVs to self-driving electric cars, automation can come in many forms an...

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be adopted by various industries and organizations, a plethora of sectors have seen rapid improvements in their operations. Within the aerospace industry, labor costs, health and safety, human errors, manufacturing, and development all serve as concerns t...

From new and advanced engines to robust glass cockpits, the constant development and improvement of technology has greatly revolutionized the aviation industry and how they carry out operations. In more recent years, technology has further benefited the industry by allowing organizations to improve ...

Gyroscopic instruments are used on all aircraft where they provide the pilot with critical attitude and directional information, especially when flying under instrument flight rules. The power sources of these instruments can vary, as the end goal is simply to spin the gyroscopes at a high speed. Th...

For aircraft owners, rising prices are nothing new. Despite this, as the cost of aviation fuel continues to get higher and higher, owners and operators of general aviation and business aircraft are constantly confronted by the need to revamp their aviation fuel cost management methods - no matter wh...

If you’ve flown an aircraft in high summer temperatures, you know how hot the interior of your cabin can become. As such, you may be tempted to take every measure to keep the inside of the cabin as cool as possible. Despite this, using materials not designed for use on aircraft will likely onl...

Welding is a process of conjoining two or more materials together through the use of heat application. Typically, this requires an external or internal entity, such as heaters or friction, that causes the surfaces of such materials to melt together and fuse through cooling. Although welding has a lo...

When the gas turbine engine first released to the aviation market, aircraft capabilities as we knew them were drastically changed. With such engines, aircraft could produce massive amounts of thrust from fuel combustion, allowing airliners to travel great distances with high speeds. Nevertheless, th...

When designing aircraft, there are many factors that are taken into consideration depending on the desired application that it will fulfill. For instance, an engineer may implement a more powerful engine to increase speeds, or install hardpoints to help the aircraft in its ability to establish air-s...

As aircraft technology continues to improve throughout the years, obtaining the realization of fully electric aircraft seems to be closer than ever. As compared to standard fuel powering, electricity poses a much more economically feasible method of producing aircraft propulsion. Electric aircraft a...

The fuselage of an aircraft is one of the most critical parts of the entirety of the plane, allowing for passengers, crew, cargo, and other equipment to be held safely during flight operations. The fuselage plays many roles, containing the cockpit, acting as a center of gravity, and may even house e...

If you spend enough time in or around the aviation sector, you will inevitably hear the term TSO used. In an industry with so many highly-specialized parts and practices, the many acronyms and abbreviations can become hard to remember. This blog will cover the technical standard order, or TSO, one o...

When deciding upon which light aircraft is best for you, it may be worth considering the different types of aircraft fuel systems that may be present on different models. Aircraft fuel feed systems all work to move fuel from the tanks to the engine, but the method in which this is achieved differs d...

Throughout history, the wings for an aircraft have adopted several shapes and standards. Today, commercial vessels and other aircraft, adopt a standard shape with the wings swept back, but some aircraft can still be seen with rectangular, trapezoidal, and other wing shapes. If you’re intereste...

When travelling from sea level to higher altitudes, some may have experienced altitude sickness caused by “low levels of oxygen”. Contrary to this popular belief, even high altitudes have plenty of oxygen available in the air. The real culprit is the low pressure of the air which leads t...

As a commercial aircraft generates lift, strong vortices of air are also created that can be strong enough to flip smaller aircraft that follow too closely. These vortices are created as the high pressure air from the bottom of the wing moves to the low pressure at the top of the wing. This creates ...

Aside from the obvious and necessary need for propulsion, an aircraft’s engines also provide power for various other systems such as the electrical, pneumatic, and air conditioning. But these systems are in use even in situations when running the main engines would be unsafe or inefficient in ...

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a collection of satellites that transmit positioning data to receivers. Receivers take this information and use it to determine location. While use of the GNSS is a daily occurrence for many aviators, its introduction to the public sphere is relativel...

When you think about the technology of an aircraft, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the countless moving parts that make it take flight. However, while there are many subcomponents, there are really only five major parts to an aircraft: the fuselage, wings, empennage, powerpla...

Like all internal combustion engines, and aircraft’s engine generates exhaust gas as it operates. This gas is dangerously hot and high in carbon monoxide, which is toxic to humans, and needs to be vented safely away from the cockpit of the aircraft to protect the passengers and crew. The engin...

The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program is actively working to transition to a more environmentally friendly solvent to quickly and efficiently remove hydraulic fluid from DoD aircrafts. Petroleum-based solvents contain air pollutants (HAPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) ...

How does an aircraft gauge how fast it is traveling? How do pilots know what altitude it is travelling at? These questions can be answered with a few pieces of technological equipment: the pitot-static system, airspeed indicator, and vertical speed indicator. These components are capable of providin...

Adhering to proper maintenance practices is of utmost importance in the Aerospace industry. No aircraft is so tolerant of neglect that it is exempt from deterioration in the absence of inspection and maintenance programs. Corrosion, wear and tear, natural fatigue, and chance failures all contribute ...

An aircraft flight deck, also known as the cockpit, houses the aircraft's control systems. On a commercial airliner, flight decks may also be called a glass cockpit; they feature electronic flight instrument displays rather than the traditional analog dials and gauge display. Airline pilots are ...

Did you know that the screen resolution is not the only component responsible for creating a clear picture on a screen? Another component that can make the screen nicer to look at is a graphics card. A graphics card is a computer hardware component responsible for rendering an image to a monitor...

Regardless of what type of plane you are flying in, it most likely has a pressurized cabin. All airplanes, barring certain military aircraft, have a pressurized cabin. It is a crucial part of designing an aircraft because the purpose of pressurizing cabins is to ensure a safe and comfortable environ...

Steam turbines extract thermal energy from pressurized steam and use it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Because it generates rotary motion, it’s widely used in power generation, refineries, and petrochemical industries....

In the aerospace and aviation industry, sometimes the biggest problems, like engine failure, are not the most important problems to be dealt with. Sometimes, it’s just basic structural maintenance and repair. Aviation, due to the high stress and drastic change in air pressure, requires the use...

One of the most important things to have in mind when choosing memory speed is the purpose intended for it. The main two areas of concern for memory configuration are for gamers and enterprise server admins since both have distinct objectives.....

An aircraft is made up of different parts. When owning an airplane, it is important to not only look at the sub-parts and main components but also look at the spare parts that will be used when a part fails. As an aircraft owner, it is crucial to understand the different parts of an airplane and the...

The usage and availability of graphics cards and online currency, such as bitcoin and cryptocurrency, has created a growing industry for miners. This high-end hardware is in extreme demand and becoming very scarce.....

Projectors are not a new concept, nor are they rare. Optoma is one of the leading manufacturers of many different types of projectors and continue to create new products. Their newest announcement is a projector that uses Amazon Alexa voice recognition. Other upcoming products are the 1080P high def...

Ontic, a leading global provider of OEM-pedigree parts and MRO services for multiple aerospace platforms, recently signed a new license agreement with UTC aerospace systems. UTC has licensed Ontic to the manufacturing rights from their Electric Power Systems business segment for the wound motor prod...

In 2014 the Mexican Navy announced it would be ordering ten units of the Airbus AS565 MBe panther helicopters. They closed the deal during the delivery ceremony, and the Navy become the first customer to launch this new helicopter version. The first four helicopters were delivered to the Mexican nav...

Boeing has conducted business with MHI in many projects in the past and therefore has established a well-known relationship between the two entities. In collaboration to be able to create a more efficient flight. MHI has agreed to lower the production cost for wings that are to be placed on Boeings ...

World renown airline companies, Boeing and Emirates, indicated their commitment to acquire forty 787-10 Dreamliners at the Dubai Airshow in 2017. This purchase, which also includes airplanes and other similar equipment, is estimated to cost $15.1 billion in reference to current list prices....