Safety, efficiency, and environmental concerns are paramount in aviation, and the particular choice of ground support equipment (GSE) plays a pivotal role in ensuring smooth operations when on the ground. Traditional GSE, often powered by combustion engines and hydraulic systems, has long been the backbone of airport operations. However, the aviation industry is evolving rapidly, and a shift toward electric ground support equipment is underway. In this blog, we will explore the operational benefits of electric GSE and how they are transforming aviation operations.

Flying over the ocean presents unique challenges for aircraft communication. Without the infrastructure of land-based communication systems, airplanes must rely on alternative methods to ensure safe and effective communication during their oceanic journeys. In this blog, we will explore the different ways airplanes communicate when flying over the ocean and the technologies that enable them to transmit and receive vital information during flight.

Maintaining proper airspeed is a critical part of flight, making the airspeed indicator a vital instrument. In this article, we will go through some information about what an airspeed indicator is, what it shows you, and why it is important.

In the present, a majority of transportation aircraft are specifically designed with underwing nacelle installation. The reason for this choice is a result of the design’s impact on the wings’ lift and stall angle. While very beneficial in various regards, the underwing nacelle design has also led to premature flow separations that have adverse effects on performance, necessitating the use of solutions such as vortex generator structures known as strakes. In this blog, we will discuss strakes and their use, allowing you to better understand the importance that they serve for aviation.

The landing gear of an aircraft is an often overlooked, but major, component of the vehicle that allows it to take off and land safely. In addition, landing gear support for taxiing or parking makes this assembly very important in an airplane's standard operations. Landing gear often comes in various types and different assemblies may be used in various aircraft depending on requirements, but all serve one function: helping planes take off and touch down on runways safely after a flight. Landing gear can generally be divided into two groups based on retraction capabilities, those of which are fixed type landing gear and retractable type landing gear. Today, mostly all modern commercial aircraft use wheel-type retractable landing gear. This blog will shed light on the importance of landing gear and how it functions.

When you need to assemble parts, there are many ways of doing it. Of course, you can use screws, rivets, and adhesive or filler metal, but sometimes, all that is required is to bend and fold on one part so that it can be secured around another. To do this, you must make sure that your parts are made up of a malleable material that can easily be staked or swaged using a pneumatic, hydraulic, or electromechanical press. In addition to this process, ridges or grooves can also be created along malleable materials to add strength once joined. This blog will give a detailed description of staking and swaging, alongside their advantages and disadvantages.

Aircraft are powerful vehicles, forever changing how we traverse and interact with the world through the ability to fly anywhere in a matter of hours. Just like a typical automobile, aircraft and their various components are subjected to a wide number of stressors over time, leading to wear and tear that slowly detracts from the quality and integrity of assemblies. To prevent costly downtime, breakdowns, and hazards, it is crucial that aircraft maintenance is carried out on a regular basis. In this blog, we will discuss the maintenance process and its importance, allowing you to better understand how operators maintain the airworthiness and reliability of aircraft components.

An elevon is a flap that combines the functions of an elevator and an aileron. In older aircraft, elevators control pitch and the ailerons control roll. Elevons supply roll by moving the controls on either side of the aircraft the same distance in opposite directions. Meanwhile, pitch control is achieved by equally moving both elevons up and down.

Resistors are passive two-terminal electrical devices that are equipped with electrical resistance as a circuit element. These components find use in street lighting, fan speed controllers, temperature sensors, and more, limiting the flow of electrical current of such apparatuses. More than that, they are available in varying types, all of which serve a diverse set of industrial applications. One such type includes a metal film resistor. Serving as one of the most widely used resistor types, metal film resistors outperform their counterparts. As such, this blog will cover metal film resistors, their uses, and importance.

Elevators, or lifts, as some may call them, are a form of vertical transportation that allow people or objects to move between floors in large buildings. They may also be found in large vessels like ships that have multiple decks. Elevators are commonplace in most settings that necessitate vertical movement like shopping malls and skyscrapers. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of the different types of elevators available today, their varying functions, and multiple uses.

Bearings are common components to mechanical assemblies, rotating between parts for the means of constraining motion and mitigating the forces of friction. Thrust bearings in particular are rotary bearing types that are permanently placed between moving surfaces, set apart from other variations through their role of supporting axial loads. Thus, bearings are commonly found in marine, aerospace, and automotive applications alike, often seeing implementation within engine assembly parts, gearboxes, rotators, clutch pedal components, and more. As such bearings are regularly put under high amounts of stress and are dependent upon proper lubrication and placement for their functionality, failure is a possibility. In this blog, we will discuss the most common reasons for thrust bearing failure and how to prevent such occurrences.

As flights can regularly be a lengthy endeavor, passengers often seek the greatest seat they can for optimal comfort. While many debate over whether the window or aisle seat is better, some are major proponents of the bulkhead seat. The bulkhead is the wall that serves as a divider between business and economy classes, sometimes coming in the form of a curtain or screen. Bulkhead seats are known for offering a passenger more legroom as compared to others of the same class, alongside other benefits. Despite this, there are also various drawbacks to such seating as well. In this blog, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of bulkhead seats from the perspective of a passenger, allowing you to know if they are a good fit for your needs..

From the communication systems that enable pilots to speak with air traffic control to the lighting systems that provide safe operations during low-light conditions, much of an aircraft’s equipment will rely on electrical systems and power for their functionality. As aircraft electronic technology and flight instruments continue to be improved and advanced, so too are the electrical systems that provide them with the power needed for their operability. In this blog, we will discuss how the aircraft electrical system functions and how power is generated aboard the aircraft during flight.

Flow meters are used throughout the aviation industry to monitor the flow of fluids including fuel, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, and more. In this blog, we will discuss the ways flow meters are used to manage these fluids.

Check valves are a safety device often implemented in fluid and gas assemblies for ensuring that all materials only move in one direction through the system. As fluids are pressurized, they will pass through the valve by first entering the inlet, and then will be forced through the outlet for their exit. Based on the various check valve designs found across common types, all serve to provide uninterrupted flow until pressure is lost or the pump is shut down at which time they will then prevent any fluids or gasses from moving back through the check valve. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of the common types of check valves, allowing you to know how such components provide their one-way flow operations.

In the case of a flight emergency where all power may be lost, it is paramount that pilots can still have functional flight systems and instruments so that a safe landing may be conducted. Despite many modern aircraft having two sources of power, there is always a possibility that both may fail or be inoperable. In such emergencies, the aircraft may be able to rely on a structure known as a ram air turbine (RAT) which can be used as an alternate source of power during flight.

An actuator is a type of transducer, or a device used to convert one type of energy into another. This energy can come in the form of an electric current, hydraulic pressure, or pneumatic pressure. An example of an actuator that transforms energy from electricity or fuel in the energy of circular motion is a motor. Adversely, a linear actuator converts the energy of rotary motion into linear motion. A piezoelectric actuator is an example of one type of linear actuator.

Hydraulic piston pumps are an essential part of fluid control systems. There are many types of piston pumps, each one offering a variety of applications. In any facility, the piston pump machinery should be monitored at all times. In the event of its failure, operations will quickly halt. As such, it is critical that facility managers understand the essentials of piston pumps and how they operate. This blog will serve as a guide to piston pumps and their varying types.

If you’ve ever found yourself on an aircraft where another passenger was repeatedly coughing and sneezing, you were probably a bit concerned for your health. A common myth about aircraft is that, because all passengers are breathing the same air, if one passenger is sick, all other passengers are being exposed. However, thanks to air quality control systems aboard commercial airlines, it is just that: a myth. Whether you’re flying a long haul flight or a short commuter journey, there are a few things to know about the air quality you can expect on an aircraft.

A valve train can be defined as virtually any engine that acts as a controller for the opening and closing of a valve, although for older models, the fuel output is managed by the injectors. As indicated by its name, the main function of the valve train is to monitor the entry and exit of the valves. For more information on what a valve train is, its functions, components, and repair options, read the article below and gain a better understanding of the valve train. If you don't have a lot of experience fixing or working on engines, the valve train of any sort of engine is a very complex design and can be overwhelming. While this article focuses on diesel engines, many of the points can also apply to other types of engines as well.