With the rapid modernization of aircraft, more electronic components such as navigation systems, intercoms, and even flight amenities such as entertainment systems all need power. With the increased demands of power from the beginning of each flight, many current aircraft have turned to alternators over generators as their source of power generation. In this blog, we will explore how alternators produce power, as well as how they can prove beneficial to some aircraft as compared to standard generators.

The aerospace and defense industry has an overwhelming amount of information including classification systems such as part numbers, NIINs, CAGE codes, USP numbers, and federal supply classifications. If you are doing business within the aerospace and defense industry it is important to familiarize yourself with all of the industry terminology as, without proper understanding, you may find yourself struggling to keep up with demand, or would be at a loss as to how to source a part.

Measuring fuel levels in an aircraft is an incredibly important task. Running out of fuel for an automobile typically means a ruined afternoon; an aircraft running out of fuel while operating, meanwhile, is potentially disastrous. Therefore, accurate and reliable fuel gauges are essential, with the most commonly chosen type in small aircraft being resistive-type fuel systems. In a resistive-type fuel system, a float level gauge feeds information on the fuel level to magnetic couplings and potentiometers that then relay information to the pilot. As fuel is expended in flight and the levels in the tank drop, the float inside the tank drops as well and slides a moving contact a long a resistor, increasing its resistance. The amount of resistance translates to how much fuel is left in the tank.

Aircraft rely on fuel for propulsion, but electricity is just as vital for flight as well. Everything from instruments to lights to setback TVs in commercial passenger jets rely on electricity, which is generated as some of the energy produced by fuel being burned goes into a generator or alternator that produces electricity.

One of the greatest challenges Americans traveling through Europe face is the fact that many of the plugs for their electrical devices cannot be inserted into the various socket types found throughout Europe. In this blogpost, we’ll break down eight different power adapters that will allow you to recharge and use your electronic devices while traveling overseas.

We are all quite used to the standard curved shape of a commercial aircraft window, but believe it or not, they were once square. In 1952, three tragic commercial airplane crashes left engineers puzzled. The ill-fated airframes had two things in common—a fuselage that tore apart at cruising altitude, and square windows. 

A portmanteau of “aviation” and “electronics”, “avionics” is a word used to describe aviation electronics for aircraft, artificial satellites, and spacecraft. Avionics are incorporated on an aircraft for a multitude of purposes: communication, navigation, monitoring, flight control systems, fuel systems, collision-avoidance systems, flight recorders, weather systems, aircraft management systems, and in-flight entertainment.

An airplane is an intricately designed machine. Not one component is solely responsible for getting it up in the air. All of its parts work together to balance aerodynamic factors and operating requirements. The main parts of the body of an aircraft are the fuselage, the wings, the empennage, the landing gear, and the engines. A simple way to understand the body of an aircraft is to compare it to the human body. 

KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are units of measurement that allow businesses to track their success and evaluate how effectively they are achieving their objectives.  When choosing which KPIs to use, utilize the SMART acronym.

Aircraft engines and car engines seem like they would be rather similar. After all, they are both machinery that power massive vehicles used to transport people and goods. But, the truth is, aircraft engines are rather different. Aircraft utilize RPMs, not multi-gear transmissions.