Gas Turbine Aircraft Engine Design and Operation: The Way It Works
Conventional gas turbine jet engines, like the turbofan, have been around for years. They power almost all commercial aircraft and are very reliable. Every time you board a commercial aircraft, this technology is providing safe and efficient power to get you to your destination.
A gas turbine engine varies greatly in design from the engine in your car. Air enters the front of the engine through the fan section, which runs on the N1 or low-pressure shaft. In high by-pass engines, which are the most efficient, 4 times the air that continues into the core of the engine, or more, is directed around the engine producing thrust. Then the air entering the core of the engine reaches the compressor section. Here, the air is compressed in stages as it continues rearward. Since air does not like to flow from areas of low pressure to high pressure, turbine engines rely on the cascade effect. The compressor, running on the N2 shaft or high-pressure shaft, contains stages of rotor blades. These rotor blades are small titanium airfoils radiating from the shaft. Just like an aircraft wing moving through the air, these blades are positioned to produce an area of low pressure on the top and high pressure underneath. Since these blades are angled forward, the low pressure area is facing forward in the engine and the high pressure faces rearward. In between each set of rotating rotor blades, there is a ring of stationary blades called the stator vanes. These are identical titanium airfoil shaped blades positioned opposite to the rotor blades. As the area of high pressure behind the rotor blades pass the area of low pressure in front of the stator blades, the air flows from the high pressure to low pressure. This is continued through the compressor section until the pressure is increased much higher than the outside pressure. Read the rest of this entry »
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Ultra Light Aircraft – The Auto-Gyro
A completely different design of the ultra light flying machine, the auto-giro is fitted with a rotor blade without wings, similar to a helicopter.
The rotor blade does not have a fixed drive connected to the engine. The pilot engages the rotor blade to the engine before takeoff. The engine then pre-rotates the rotor blade up to a rotation speed of two hundred revolutions per minute when the drive from the engine to the rotor blade is disengaged as well as the parking brake.
The push propeller on the back mounted engine then pushes the aircraft forward. Picking up speed, the wind from the front “auto rotates” the rotor to gain speed and lift until the aircraft is airborne.
Once airborne, the aircraft is normally flown level at a low altitude to gain air speed and more rotor speed. With sufficient air and rotor speeds, it can climb at a considerable steep angle.
Handling and maneuverability of the auto-gyro is unique compared to other micro light models and configurations. It can be flown almost sideways. It can make a hundred and eighty degree turn in a very short distance, nearly around its own axes. It reaches quite a high speed in straight and level flight. It has the ability to land on a very short runway. The aircraft is practically stationary on touch down. When referring to practice landings the auto-gyro pilots will talk about “stop and go” landings where winged aircraft pilots will call it “touch and go” landings. Read the rest of this entry »
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Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Are in Demand – What You Need to Become One
In the world of aviation there are many factors involved regarding the operation, maintenance and upkeep of aircraft. Maybe none are more important than the role of aircraft maintenance engineers.
To understand an aircraft maintenance engineer’s job and responsibility, it is also important to understand the basic role and definition of an engineer as it applies to avionics.
The definition of an aircraft engineer is ‘To plan, manage, and put through skillful acts of aircraft design, planning, construction and operation’. To be more precise in describing role of aircraft maintenance engineers, would be to say that they oversee any problems, issues or defects regarding the integrity of an aircraft.
It is because of this important job description that the aviation industry constantly seeks to find newly trained engineers in order to maintain and support their respective aviation fleets. This presents a great opportunity to those willing to take it.
There are two classifications of aircraft maintenance engineers. The first is what is known as a Line Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. A Line Engineer oversees the operational integrity while the aircraft is in use…such as traveling from destination to destination. They will make inspections in a very timely manner as needed when an aircraft is waiting or soon to be departing
for travel. Read the rest of this entry »