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Aviation/Flying/Questions Answered by Expert Paul Ruderham
| Subject | Date Asked |
| fathers needs info on being a pilot | 1/27/2010 |
| Q: he wants to be a pilot.What classes in school does he need to take.I know he needs geometry,algebra? ... A: Talking in UK terms your son will need to pass his school exams in maths, english, science. These ... | |
| trim | 11/2/2009 |
| Q: what is "center the trim" on this clip mean? ... A: In the old analogue cockpits, (looks like this might have been a dc8) the trim was done manually. ... | |
| how can planes fly?? | 9/13/2009 |
| Q: can you please tell me how planes can fly thanks tracey A: To keep it simple, air passing over the top of wing is less than the air passing underneath creating ... | |
| aircraft | 6/25/2009 |
| Q: how does an aircraft manages lightening? A: Aircraft, and by that I mean the body of the aircraft and not the occupants inside, are protected ... | |
| flight recorders | 6/5/2009 |
| Q: Regarding the recenlty downed Air France jet, why is it not possible to design some sort of ... A: It's a good idea but you have to realise that these boxes are designed to withstand 100's of ... | |
| bird strike | 1/19/2009 |
| Q: Paul,I think you should re-consider you answer to the question "How dangerous are birds to jet ... A: This was a very unusual case as the strike was by a very large flock of geese according to the ... | |
| reverse thrust | 4/22/2008 |
| Q: hey paul! it's me again, brandon. i was wondering if you know how the reverse thrusters on the ... A: A cascade thrust reverser for a fan-jet engine comprising a two portion shroud surrounding the ... | |
| reverse thrust | 4/20/2008 |
| Q: hey paul! it's me again, brandon. i was wondering if you know how the reverse thrusters on the ... A: There are basically two different types, one is the clamshell type which is mounted on the outside ... | |
| 747/707 slats | 4/15/2008 |
| Q: I am an amateur aviation enthusiast and I was wondering why the pilot retracts the slats on the ... A: I see what you mean now. The leading edge slats tuck up under the wing on touchdown to get out the ... | |
| 747/707 slats | 4/13/2008 |
| Q: I am an amateur aviation enthusiast and I was wondering why the pilot retracts the slats on the ... A: Landing checklist for the 747 would include, flaps set (probably 40 for finals), gear down, ... | |
| MSFS saved flight files | 10/3/2007 |
| Q: Paul - I've been "simming" with Microsoft Flight Simulator since it's first introduction. I have a ... A: To be quite honest I don't actually know. Everytime I use a saved flight my button configuration is ... | |
| aviation | 8/29/2007 |
| Q: frm where do i complete my 50 hrs flying?also plz let me know the procedure for this.... A: you need to go to your local flying club/school to gain your minimum 40 hours. Solo is usually after ... | |
| air shows | 7/17/2007 |
| Q: can you tell why air shows are called air tattoos? A: I believe it originates from the 17th century as a last call to the soldiers to return to barracks ... | |
| How to become an airline pilot | 1/9/2007 |
| Q: I've been interested in becoming an airline pilot for sometime now and I've finally decided that ... A: This is the most asked question I get. Well, to attain your ATP (Airline Transport Pilots licence) ... | |
| A380 | 12/6/2006 |
| Q: What are the cons of the new Airbus A380? A: I apologise for the late reply. My email was hacked into and it was a long process to id who i was. ... | |
| Slats Deployment | 9/14/2006 |
| Q: Is it dangerous for an airplane to have an uncommanded slat deployment? Will it cause the airplane ... A: sorry for the delay. been in france for a week just got back tonite. it was a theory among pilots ... | |
| PanAm 103 | 8/30/2006 |
| Q: How did the aircraft break during the explosion? I heard that more than 100 passengers including the ... A: The aircraft broke up in flight shortly after an explosive device, contained in a portable plastic ... | |
| What is the safest part of the plane | 8/28/2006 |
| Q: I was just wondering what part of the plane is the safest? Is it the tail section? A: It depends on the situation really. In aircrashes its usually the empennage (Tail section) which ... | |
| How dangerous are birds to jet engines? | 8/16/2006 |
| Q: How dangerous are birds to jet engines? If they are a serious problem then why don't they put ... A: The engines on jets are tested to destruction. The odd bird ingested into the engine will not make ... | |
| Aircraft Vulnerability/Survivablity | 7/24/2006 |
| Q: They say that where the plane is hit is most important than the size of the airplane. Very very ... A: I have not seen the movie so I cannot answer any questions on it. Aircraft are capable of surviving ... | |
| Flight Simulator | 7/16/2006 |
| Q: in your expertise paragraph, you said that you were a flight simulator expert. So here is my ... A: Your question is more pc / hardware related than anything to do with microsoft flight sim. I cannot ... | |
| Flight Simulator | 7/16/2006 |
| Q: in your expertise paragraph, you said that you were a flight simulator expert. So here is my ... A: Sory about the delay but I did reply straight away. The site has only informed me today that it did ... | |
| Relative speed | 6/13/2006 |
| Q: I now understand why the jet stream goes west to east. However, my original question had to deal ... A: Your friend is incorrect in his statement about the earth. It rotates West to East, not East to ... | |
| Relative speed | 6/12/2006 |
| Q: During a recent trip a friend stated that flying from the west coast to east coast is faster than ... A: Flying West To East generally takes less time than flying East to West because of the jet stream. ... | |
| TWA 800 | 5/26/2006 |
| Q: ok, serious now, for years now they have said that the US government were covering up for the US ... A: (Son), The debates and disputes will carry on for years. The US Government has covered up many ... | |
| Marker Beacons | 3/3/2006 |
| Q: I am a third year student studying Aviation Technology at the University of Leeds, England. I am ... A: The outer marker is usually 3.5 to seven miles from the ILS's runway threshold. It illuminates a ... | |
| aircraft lighting/landing & taxi lights | 12/15/2005 |
| Q: i have a question , id like to know when do commercial airlines normally turn on the landing light ... A: here are the rules for lights. landing Light: DAYTIME: If NO taxi light is installed, use is the ... | |
| Greetings, Are there DVD's... | 11/25/2005 |
| Q: Greetings, Are there DVD's available that provide a detailed explanation on the following: - FMS - ... A: Sorry to take a while in replying as I have been moving house. You will have to get them off the ... | |
| Fear of Flying | 11/2/2005 |
| Q: Is it true that it is not as safe to fly in the winter months due to the fact that a plane traveling ... A: It makes no difference. A plane say at 35000 feet doing 500mph is experiencing temperatures of -50 ... | |
| How can one tell a CRJ from... | 10/20/2005 |
| Q: How can one tell a CRJ from an ERJ just by the appearance? What in your opinion makes one better ... A: The CRJ and ERJ are very similar in appearance. The only way to tell is that the Embraer ERJ does ... | |
| Jets | 7/3/2005 |
| Q: Why when you look up at some jets in the sky there are streams of smoke going across the sky and ... A: What you are looking at are condensation trails or "Con trails" for short. These are caused by the ... | |
| learning to fly | 6/13/2005 |
| Q: About the fastest thing I've ever driven is my Ford sedan, but I've always been interested in ... A: It's never too late to learn something new. Find out where the local flying club is in your area, ... | |
| I am very interested in gaining... | 4/12/2005 |
| Q: I am very interested in gaining more knowledge on detailed desription, function and use of the ... A: It would be impossible for me to give you detailed workings on all of these instruments as there is ... | |
| how to be a pilot | 1/3/2005 |
| Q: What education and training do i need to become a pilot? A: You will have to get top grades in english, maths, and science for starters. Then there are two ... | |
| AIRCRAFT LIGHTING | 12/18/2004 |
| Q: it has helped me out very much but i just have 1 more question if u don't mind me asking, since the ... A: The red anti collision lights are used at all times. Especially inportant on the apron of the ... | |
| AIRCRAFT LIGHTING | 12/18/2004 |
| Q: AND THE NIGHT TIME? AND I LOOK AT THE PLANES IN THE DAY TIME BUT I DONT SEE ANY LIGHTS , SO I WAS ... A: daytime lights are anti collison which are red flashing under and on top of the aircraft. night ... | |
| Geodetic Structure | 11/18/2004 |
| Q: I am going to fly around the world. Could you write me where could I find exactly path of aeroplane ... A: You need to use a gps navigation system. Most aircraft are fitted with these now. You just punch in ... | |
| mach number | 10/13/2004 |
| Q: why above +/- 20.000 feet the speed in aircrafts is used in number MACH and not in IAS ? thanks, ... A: Its all to do with air density. Below 250kts the aircraft is travelling at sub sonic speed where the ... | |
| Landing In Commercial Aircraft | 9/19/2004 |
| Q: I travel alot and have always wondered why when landing in 747 for example; When the front wheel ... A: it all depends on the winds at the time of landing. very rarely will an aircraft land without ... | |
| Any idea on how to use the special Vor in the Dc-3 | 8/26/2004 |
| Q: ------------------------- WEll when you fly a heading it says you dont intercept the vor its ... A: I have searched my databases and the best I can do is this. The magnetic course is found by taking ... | |
| piloting | 8/5/2004 |
| Q: Followup To Question - i am a high school graduate and i will like to become a pilot but i dont ... A: By the time you have worked you way up to a CPL/IR, that's a commercial pilots licence with ... | |
| piloting | 8/5/2004 |
| Q: i am a high school graduate and i will like to become a pilot but i dont know what steps to ... A: First of all you will need good grades in english, maths, and science. Then you can apply to a large ... | |
| aircraft Compressor | 4/19/2004 |
| Q: A few years back I heard that a commercial airliner lost one engine in mid flight, due to a bad ... A: it all depends when the fault occured. the aircraft has very sophisticated instruments to tell the ... | |
| Fear of Flying | 4/19/2004 |
| Q: I have one more question. Are professional atheletics planes maintained and serviced more as opposed ... A: all commercial planes have to serviced at regular intervals which involves the aeroplane being ... | |
| Fear of Flying | 4/17/2004 |
| Q: My wife and I are going to be flying sometime next week on a Southwest flight. I just have a few ... A: the engines on planes are so reliable that twin engined operations are allowed within three hours of ... | |
Aviation/Flying
Answers by Expert:
Paul Ruderham
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I have been studying aviation for over twenty years. I know about the function of airlines, how aeroplanes fly, aviation accidents and why they happen. I am also an accomplished model aeroplane pilot, and a flight simulator expert. I have flown chipmunks and light aircraft.
Experience
Hands on experience working at the airport, plus many hours of studying airlines and different types of aeroplanes.
Organizations
Jersey model aero club
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