Blake's Aeronautical Science blog

Aircraft fuel systems are designed to provide a continuous amount of clean fuel from the fuel tanks to the engine. There are two types of fuel pumps: the gravity-feed system and fuel-pump system. Just as it sounds, the gravity-feed system uses gravity to provide the fuel from the tanks to the engine. The fuel-pump system utilizes pressure from a pump to transfer fuel to the engine in aircraft that are not able to function with the gravity system. This system also serves as a redundant system to some gravity-fed aircraft systems (PHAK, 2016). Like all aircraft systems, there are failures that can occur if the necessary precautions and maintenance procedures are not applied. Indications of failure in the fuel system can be identified by by a fuel smell in the cabin, lack of fuel flow or excess of fuel flow transferring to the engine, which may indicate a leak. Fuel system failure or leaks can be caused by flexible materials becoming brittle and losing elasticity. Other fuel system parts ...

  There are several environmental factors that affect aircrafts, including altitude, humidity, and temperature, to name a few. In my blog post, I will be focusing on a specific element of temperature, which is icing. Icing has many perilous effects on aircraft if the necessary precautions are used. Icing takes place on almost any and all surfaces of an aircraft, and sometimes even inside aircraft systems. Some of the main places icing occurs is on the leading edge and on top of wings, as well as propellers. Icing changes the airfoil of the aircraft, while also adding mass, which can have effects on the weight and balance of the aircraft and flight capabilities. Additionally, ice can fall off the aircraft, resulting in it becoming FOD, thus leading to further damage wherever it may impact. Icing on the propeller can cause severe vibrations which may lead to damage of the engine and even engine failure. There are several ways the aviation industry combats icing. Some of the main know...

 Ethics in Aviation  Ethics is defined by Merriam-Webster as the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. When applying this definition to aviation, it is important for all personnel in aviation to have a strong ethical standard for the safety of aircraft passengers. So how can we ensure that all personnel in aviation have an understanding of their ethical responsibilities? Based on research from The Journal of Aviation and Aerospace, Benton discusses the importance of teaching ethics and suggests methods that may be used in aviation curriculums to enhance the ethical outlook of the aviation student (Benton, 2017).  It is proven from earlier research that ethics, can in fact, be taught. While it may be obvious to just incorporate a mandatory ethics course in aviation curriculums, the author does not believe it it is effective since it does not show a direct correlation of how it relates to the field of aviation. He believes the most...