Airplane emergency response systems are integral to aviation safety, designed to mitigate the effects of in-flight emergencies and ensure the well-being of passengers and crew alike. These sophisticated systems comprise many technologies and protocols, each tailored to address specific types of emergencies, ranging from mechanical failures to medical crises. Understanding how these systems operate provides insight into the remarkable safety record of modern aviation, reflecting decades of innovation and stringent safety standards.

In the world of construction, manufacturing, and engineering, there are essential components that often go unnoticed despite playing a crucial role in holding everything together in an assembly. These unassuming yet indispensable elements are known as fasteners. From the bolts securing the critical components of an aerospace structure to simple wood screws holding your furniture together, fasteners are the invisible heroes of countless industries. In this blog, we will explore what fasteners are and how they are used.

Hydraulic systems are a common and often essential element of modern aviation design, such equipment serving to provide the necessary power to operate various aircraft components. While many aircraft have long relied on mechanical and pneumatic systems for actuation, the importance of aircraft hydraulic systems lies in their ability to provide high power and reliability while being lightweight and compact. In this blog, we will explore the general makeup of aircraft hydraulic systems and how they are used in flight operations.

Hydraulic pumps are used in hydraulic systems to move hydraulic fluid from point A to point B to initiate the production of hydraulic power. They serve as a special type of power transmission mechanism that controls pressurized, fluid transmitted energy while changing it into mechanical energy. Hydraulic systems can be applied in a wide range of settings, including commercial, industrial, and consumer sectors.

Aircraft magnetos are components used to generate an electrical current to be used by the aircraft ignition system. They typically consist of a coil assembly that has a primary coil and a magnet rotor which interact with each other to generate current. The coil assembly includes a primary coil which is made up of about 200 turns of heavy copper wire wound around an iron core and a secondary coil, that of which is a thin copper wire wound around the primary coil. Next to the coils is a permanent magnet which rotates when actuated. As the magnet rotates, its poles continually change position so that a flowing current is generated in the primary coil. This current creates a powerful magnetic field in the iron core which encapsulates the whole coil assembly.

With many systems in modern aircraft being electronic, the term avionics has gained popularity, that of which is a combination of the terms aviation and electronics. In aircraft, spacecraft, and even artificial satellites, electronic systems are used for a variety of purposes, ranging from very simple to highly complex functions. Some typical applications include, but are not limited to, flight control systems, engine controls, flight recorders, communications, navigation, threat detection, weather radar, electro-optic (EO/IR) systems, fuel systems, and performance monitors. Altogether, there are seven basic system categories that comprise avionics, those of which we will cover in the following blog.

With the aviation and aerospace industries comprising a myriad of aircraft makes and models, there are countless ways to classify planes, helicopters, and more. Depending on the purpose of an aircraft, it will be modeled accordingly; for example, commercial jets are large to accommodate for many passengers. Meanwhile, aircraft for personal use and specialized work are often smaller, so the market for light aircraft makes this category a large and important one. As such, there are many makes and models of light aircraft to choose from, so this blog will offer a brief overview of the most popular brands today.

Fasteners and springs are both common types of components found in numerous assemblies, and they both serve to join and secure materials together. While fasteners may be found in applications ranging from residential use to industrial processes, the exact fasteners chosen for a particular system or assembly will often come down to its particular needs. With the right choice of fasteners and springs, one can better guarantee successful and reliable operations. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of the most common fastener and spring types that one may come across, allowing you to have a better grasp on how various products are used.

Bearings are important components in industrial machinery, and they are used to transfer movement from one component to another with as little friction as possible. As such, they are often securely fit with smooth sides and therefore very difficult to remove with conventional hand tools. When removing a bearing, there are several methods and tools available to use. However, some are much better than others in terms of preventing personal injury and damage to machinery. The following is a list of the different methods you can use to remove a bearing and some of the benefits and drawbacks to consider for each:

Whether you operate aircraft with turbojet engines, turbofan engines, turboprop engines, or any other gas turbine engine type, then the ability of flight for your vehicle is made possible through jet fuel. Jet fuel is a specialized form of aviation fuel for gas turbine engine aircraft, and it is a mixture of hydrocarbons that is either colorless or straw-colored in appearance. Depending on the area of operation and the type of aircraft one is flying, there are numerous subtypes of jet fuel that can be used. To help you better understand jet fuel and its applications better, we will discuss the various types of jet fuel available, their compositions, and more.

Cotter pins, cotter wedges, or split pins are small yet crucial locking components made up of thick wire with a semicircular cross-section inserted through a hole to join various parts of a machine. Examples of cotter pin use include securing a crank to its crankshaft or combining a piston rod to a crosshead. In a bicycle, a cotter pin locks the pedal crank to a bottom bracket axle to stop axial motion along the shaft when propelled into the assembly hole. For a steam engine, a cotter joint is tapered to resist thrust. The position of a component being held by a cotter pin is determined through the angle of the wedge. Hence, if the angle of the cotter pin is equal in both pedals on a bicycle, the pedal arms will be situated at a straight angle or 180 degrees from one another. While tapering into a hole, split pins usually get compressed, inducing friction and binding them tightly for security.