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Aerospace/Aviation/Questions Answered by Expert Laura Laster
| Subject | Date Asked |
| flying | 7/6/2011 |
| Q: why do aircraft experience turbulence of varying degrees flying thru' clouds? A: Turbulence has several causes including temperature differences - heating/cooling of the earth's ... | |
| Minumum height and ground effect? | 6/17/2011 |
| Q: I'm wondering if it is true that ground effect makes it impossible for a large plane to fly close to ... A: I am by no means an engineer but I do not believe there would be a problem for a jet like the 757 to ... | |
| Cuestión | 5/30/2011 |
| Q: My boss wants to buy a plane and I really like the king air are between king air or lear jet might ... A: Depending on what kind of operations for which you will be using the airplane, the King Air is ... | |
| "disc" lever in some ac | 4/16/2011 |
| Q: I am an aviation detailer in MN and have been on some Gulfstreams (GIII, GIV, GV) and other aircraft ... A: I am getting the information for this from my husband who has worked on Embraer 145 aircraft. He ... | |
| Boeing 787 | 1/16/2011 |
| Q: What are consequences of Boeing 787 jetliner production delay? In November 2010 The Boeing Company ... A: I believe that Boeing has built a solid reputation for producing quality aircraft, and while that ... | |
| aviation project | 12/3/2010 |
| Q: I am Vinay from India. I am doing my bachelors in Aeronautical engineering. I am in my final year of ... A: While I am not sure what you mean by a project, I would suggest one that you already mentioned, ... | |
| Loading passengers on an active runway | 10/26/2010 |
| Q: Is it legal to load or unload passengers to or from an aircraft on an active runway? Not on a ... A: There are situations where this would be possible. However, it would not be safe. A situation where ... | |
| Wright Brothers Aircraft | 9/4/2010 |
| Q: I don't know if you have the answer, but maybe know of other avenues for the information. Thanks My ... A: Great question. I am not any kind of expert on the Wright Brothers. I think you are correct about ... | |
| Aviation career choosing | 8/1/2010 |
| Q: I am Vinay from India. I am doing my final year in the Aeronautical engineering Bachelors program. I ... A: I think a good idea for you would be to either continue your studies in aviation safety or airport ... | |
| aviation | 7/2/2010 |
| Q: I am aerospace engg student.I need some information related to aviation accidents and blackbox ... A: I will do my best to help you with your questions: 1) The standard procedure is for the country ... | |
| help me. | 6/14/2010 |
| Q: I am currently enterting my final year in Engineering with majors as electronics and communication. ... A: I can answer parts of your question, but not the ones about aviation management degrees, because I ... | |
| co pilot or a passenger with a commercial pilots license help investigaters | 4/26/2010 |
| Q: How can a co pilot who was one of the few individuals to survive a commercial airline airplane crash ... A: I may need a little more information from you to adequately answer your question. Is this a ... | |
| Fuel Contamination | 4/6/2010 |
| Q: Pilots are taught to examine fuel samples drawn from the bottom of fuel tanks before flight in case ... A: I don't know much about car engines, but the thing is with airplane fuel, if water does get in the ... | |
| property tax on aircraft - seriously? | 3/21/2010 |
| Q: cant remember if I asked this question before here but i really need an answer from someone in the ... A: The only thing I can liken this to is that in Virginia, where I used to live, we had to pay property ... | |
| Hot Loading of passengers | 3/3/2010 |
| Q: Is there an FAA regulation that prohibits the loading or unloading of passengers into an aircraft ... A: No, there is no regulation prohibiting the loading or unloading of passengers while the engine is ... | |
| Trigonometry/Precal | 1/5/2010 |
| Q: How do you use trigonometry or pre-calculus when your in a plane? Could you please answer it in any ... A: The main way I have used trigonometry and pre-calculus (in a roundabout way) while flying an ... | |
| Flight Operations Manual | 1/3/2010 |
| Q: I have Comm ASEL Inst ratings and about 2K hours. I fly Part 91 operations. I have a short list of ... A: I did a quick search to see what I could come up with online. The following link may be just what ... | |
| Career in Aviation | 11/5/2009 |
| Q: I want to have a career in the civil aviation industry, and I was hoping you could provide some more ... A: Let me preface my answer by saying that I have not been in aviation for that long (it's been 5 years ... | |
| Which one should i become? | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: Just have these questions. Please help me. This year i am graduating and choosing college or ... A: Maybe, you can find a college or school in Japan that could tell you what qualifications are ... | |
| Which one should i become? | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: Just have these questions. Please help me. This year i am graduating and choosing college or ... A: Well, an air traffic controller is not exactly an aviation engineer either. There are specific ... | |
| Which one should i become? | 9/3/2009 |
| Q: Just have these questions. Please help me. This year i am graduating and choosing college or ... A: When you refer to becoming an aviation engineer - I am a little confused as to what you mean. In the ... | |
| Part 61 vs. Part 141 commercial traning | 8/14/2009 |
| Q: I am 37 years old and just received my instrument rating. My total flying hours are about 200. I ... A: Currently, I believe the regional airlines can hire as a first officer anyone with a commercial ... | |
| Part 61 vs. Part 141 commercial traning | 8/8/2009 |
| Q: I am 37 years old and just received my instrument rating. My total flying hours are about 200. I ... A: Congratulations on having received your instrument rating! I personally went through a Part 141 ... | |
| what is future in aviation mangement? | 7/18/2009 |
| Q: .. i did my graduation in aeronautical engineering. and i want to study MBA in AVIATION MANGEMENT ... A: I don't have an MBA in Aviation Management, however I do work in business aviation as a flight ... | |
| Why Knots are the standard for aviation airspeed | 6/17/2009 |
| Q: Had a senior military officer ask my why aviation chose 'an archaic/nautical measure for distance' ... A: Well, I don't actually know the answer to your question, but like you I looked it up on the internet ... | |
| Weight and balance and # of passengers | 6/10/2009 |
| Q: Is it legal to carry more passengers in an aircraft than there are seats? Assuming that the ... A: By FAA regulations, it is only legal to carry children not secured in a seat belt when they are ... | |
| Speed | 6/8/2009 |
| Q: In the light of the recent Air France crash, media often cite experts something like this: Part of ... A: I can try to answer at least parts of your questions. While I don't know much at all about avionics ... | |
| Air Navigation | 4/14/2009 |
| Q: What would the steps be basically to fly a King Air from one airport to another , 40 nm distant? ... A: 40 nm is not too far between airports, so a flight plan may not be necessarily required. In the US, ... | |
| highschool classes | 3/3/2009 |
| Q: What classes do I have to take? A: I'm confused about what your goal is here. Are you interested in becoming a pilot? I'm not sure what ... | |
| Enquiry | 2/23/2009 |
| Q: I am a Kenyan aged 22 and currently taking a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Plant Option at a ... A: I think if you are studying mechanical engineering, you would have an excellent career ahead of you ... | |
| aviation | 2/21/2009 |
| Q: What do the three different sizes of magenta airport symbol 'dots' on a sectional chart represent? A: I will try to answer your question. I'm a little confused by your question because usually there are ... | |
| king air question | 2/13/2009 |
| Q: We are in the process of maybe purchasing a King Air E 90. I am a pilot with my int,comm, and ... A: Well, there are different types of turbine engines for aircraft. The King Air has what is called ... | |
| COCKPIT | 1/4/2009 |
| Q: why pilots cabin is known as cockpit A: The cockpit is a term that is probably a carryover from all the other aviation terminology that came ... | |
| aviation abbreviations | 12/29/2008 |
| Q: Recently I was out spotting at Pearson in Toronto during a cat 111 approach day and heard the ... A: RVR stands for runway visual range. This is a measure usually used at airport during times of poor ... | |
| Mars Climate Orbiter | 12/13/2008 |
| Q: In 1998 the Mars Climate Orbiter was launched from Cape Canaveral, it was later lost. Why was this? A: Based on a little bit of research done, it seems the orbiter was lost because one team working on it ... | |
| flight distance | 11/15/2008 |
| Q: the Endeavour was just launched and that prompted me a question. Suppose the weather is crystal ... A: I did a bit of searching online to find some articles which may be helpful to you. It appears that ... | |
| Avation | 10/20/2008 |
| Q: I hope you are fine as the same is with me here.I viggy from india is writing you the following ... A: An aircraft moves forward while taxiing as its propellers move air the same as they do while the ... | |
| WHAT IF PROPELLERS STOP WORKING | 9/21/2008 |
| Q: I have a scnario which is not realistic but logical. Assumptions: 1. the Weather is extremely ... A: I will make a few assumptions of my own too: 1) We are talking about a multi-engine airplane (since ... | |
| Maximum speed of turboprop aircraft | 8/19/2008 |
| Q: This is a general question-I hope! I'd like to know if there is any turboprop aircraft that can ... A: The fastest turboprop aircraft ever built is the Tupolev Tu-95 bear, which according to Wikipedia ... | |
Aerospace/Aviation
Answers by Expert:
Laura Laster
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can help with questions about aviation disasters, aircraft operations especially general aviation and King Air information, aviation safety, and education questions on how to get into an aviation career. I can also answer general aviation questions as I am a commercial multi-engine pilot. I cannot answer questions about flight training or MBA schools in countries other than the USA or provide advice for non-US citizens interested in flight training. I cannot answer questions advising you what school to choose. I have no experience with aeronautical engineering so I cannot answer questions relating to engineering or schooling for aeronautical engineers. PLEASE don't ask me questions about any kind of engineering because it is outside my area of expertise, and I will NOT answer your question. I also cannot help you to choose a master's program for study as I do not have a master's degree in aviation. I cannot help with MBA advice.
Experience
I have been studying aviation disasters through doing my own research and a lot of reading since I was 13 or 14 years old. I am very interested in aviation safety and also am a commercial, multi-engine pilot. I am an flight operations division manager for a company operating a large fleet of King Air aircraft (60) and so I have some business aviation experience as well as having flight instructed for one year after college. My operations manager job frequently involves coordinating international trips for aerial survey clients and hiring qualified pilots to fly aerial survey missions.
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Science with Flight Management Concentration: LeTourneau University (2004)
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