Are Planes Washed?

Actually, planes get dirty more than we think. Aircraft surfaces are contaminated by various factors such as dust, rain debris, bird droppings, insect residues and hydraulic oils. Exhausts in the aircraft blow the polluted air towards the sides and tail of the aircraft and cause various particles to adhere to the surface and become contaminated. During a plane ride and while driving the taxiway, many insect swarms pass through it. These insects stick to the plane and cause pollution. All these pollution causes in the aircraft disrupt the aerodynamic structure of the aircraft in the air and significantly reduce fuel efficiency and flight safety.

Economic Factor of Washing Aircraft

With a simple calculation, airline companies save an average of 5 thousand dollars a month if they wash their planes regularly. An airline company with a fleet of 200 aircraft can save around $ 12 million a year, and this is a very serious figure. All these reasons raise the issue of how important plane washing is.

How to Wash Planes?

As with all kinds of operations in aviation, very serious procedures are followed in aircraft washing. Washing is carried out in company with authorized aircraft technicians. During washing, there are spots where water and various chemicals will damage some parts of the aircraft. Before the washing phase, all these points are carefully protected. The landing gear is protected in order not to be affected by various chemicals, and then the washing process is started after all the controls are made. This washing process with water and chemicals is repeated at intervals of two or three months, depending on the type of aircraft and the region where it is located. Approximately 13,000 litres of water is spent washing a single-aisle passenger plane. Apart from that, dry washing processes with special chemicals are also used. Some airline companies, which are more sensitive to the environment, prefer this process and aim to reduce water use. The entire surface of the plane is wiped with a robot, and this process, where approximately 20 personnel work, can take up to 8 hours. This process is repeated every 6 months.

What Happens If the Engine Stops During Flight?

Even if all of its engines fail, a passenger plane can glide through the air thanks to its aerodynamic structure. In aeroplanes with two or more engines, calculations are usually based on one engine missing performance value. Secondary engines are considered as a kind of backup engine. Even if the plane is left with a single-engine, it can continue its flight for hours without any problems.

Can Aircraft Lose All Their Engines At The Same Time?

Aeroplanes produced in today’s technology have become almost impossible to lose both engines with the developing technology. Aircraft engines produced for aircrafts today are produced in such a way that they can start themselves again within 2.5 minutes at the latest, even if they are in the air.

Are Wings Only Enough for an Airplane to Stay in the Air?

Passenger aircraft can take a certain path in the air thanks to the structure of their wings. As long as the wing maintains its integrity, the aircraft will continue to fly. If both engines fail at the same time, the aircraft loses its forward thrust, so in order to keep the aircraft in flight, it has to change energy by losing altitude. It does not have to make the loss of altitude very quickly; it would be appropriate to glide the wings enough to gain the carrying force. Because finding a suitable place for landing can take an average of 30-40 minutes.

How Much Can Airplanes Float?

A standard commercial aeroplane has a glide ratio of about 10: 1. This means that it will lose 1 km of altitude for every 10 km to move forward. Even if an aeroplane is at a typical cruising altitude of 10,000 meters and loses both engines, it can go 100 km forward before reaching the ground. One of the important events in history; was Air Transat Flight 236. There was a fuel leak on the plane, and about 65 knots off Lajos Air Base in the Azores, this problem caused both engines to fail. The plane successfully landed on the runway approximately 17 minutes after the last engine stopped.

Do Pilots Cut Off Power To Engines In The Air?

The less power that goes to the motor, the less it will burn and its consumption will be. Airline companies try to be as economical as possible in their flights. Many aircraft lands on the runway with the least thrust. In other words, the power of the motors can be cut off consciously. Under such conditions, the aircraft glide in a controlled manner, performing a softer and more controlled landing. You can have this experience on every flight.

Why Don’t Planes Fly Low?

Many commercial passenger aircraft fly at an altitude of about 35,000 feet. When we think about it, that’s a pretty high altitude? What’s wrong with flying a few hundred meters above the ground so that an aircraft is above all Earth Structures (for example, towers and skyscrapers)? But first of all, this altitude, which all aircraft watch, is not an arbitrarily chosen number. There are many important reasons why planes in the sky fly so high.

Fuel Efficiency Due To Air Resistance

The main reason passenger planes travel at such a high altitude is fuel efficiency.  The higher you rise above the ground, the thinner the atmosphere, and therefore, the less air resistance the plane experiences as it watches. The more molecules pass through a plane, the more energy is required for movement, the same is true in aviation and increases the cost of the flight in terms of fuel. Due to the thin air at high altitudes, commercial aircraft perform a more economical flight. That’s why 35,000 feet is called the “optimal cruising altitude.” About 35,000 feet is considered suitable for fuel efficiency, taking into account operating costs. But it should be noted that some aircraft engines also perform high in thicker air, since not all aircraft engines are of the same type and design.

Cruising High From The Sky Layer Where Weather Events Occur

Another important reason for this high commercial aircraft to watch at this height a more stable weather pattern of clouds and be and often weather-related events is of great importance in terms of comfort, they watch from the sky layer higher flight. As an airline, you do not want to provide passengers with a comfort-free service; what companies want is to provide their passengers with a flight experience that will make them feel as comfortable and safe as possible.

Distance From Surfaces Where A Possible Collision Will Occur

As a pilot, you don’t want to manoeuvre between buildings, towers and all other tall earth structures when you’re flying a plane. Passengers on this plane will not find much comfort on this flight. In order to avoid a possible accident and provide a much more comfortable flight service, pilots want to watch much higher on these structures. The reason for this situation is not just earth structures. It is also desirable to avoid colliding with a bird or a flock of birds. In history, accidents and failures caused by bird strikes have occurred due to low altitude on many take-offs and landings.

Safety Height

Let’s say you’re flying a commercial plane just a few hundred feet above the ground, and something went wrong. At this time, the aircraft began to rapidly lose altitude. As a Pilot, you think you can solve the problem on the plane, but you don’t have the time. In that case, you might think, ‘I wish I was higher up and had some time to solve the problem…’  Another reason pilots watch at this altitude is that in the event of any problems, they want to have the necessary time to solve this situation. As a result, given all these reasons, we see the advantages of high altitude in terms of Economy, Comfort and safety.

Can We Enter The Cockpit During The Flight?

It is a question that most people with a little curiosity in aviation are curious about. We can say that the answer to this question varies from situation to situation and country to country. As it is known among the people, aviation rules are written in blood. The setbacks, negligence and precautions that have been experienced have changed these rules throughout history. In the past, airline authorities were much more comfortable with these issues, but nowadays they are much stricter.

In this case, the impact of the Germanwings accident, especially the September 11 attacks, is quite great. After these unfortunate events, airlines authorities took much stricter measures. Cockpit doors have been locked and bulletproof in all aircraft. As a result, this situation can vary from airline company to company today. You have the chance to ask the captain pilot and be in the cockpit during the flight. Most airlines leave this to the captain’s initiative. Some airlines are strict and clear enough to put an end to the flight crew in detecting such a situation. Nevertheless, making such a request before or after the flight is beneficial for the safety of all passengers, rather than during the flight.

 

 

 

What Happens to Toilet Waste in Aircraft?

We often find aircraft toilets cramped and stuffy. For this reason, we want to finish our work and return to our seats as soon as possible. Still, it is a must-have on passenger planes, especially on long flights. These toilets used in aeroplanes make us think about how this system works and where the waste goes every time we flush.

What Are The Toilet Systems Used Until Today?

In the past, unusable bucket-type toilets were used in warplanes and similar aircraft. The waste of these toilets was thrown in the air during the flight. From the past to the 80’s, portable reservoirs with blue anodec solutions, low sealing, very difficult to maintain and not useful were used in aircraft toilets. Electric pumps circulated fresh liquid through the system every time a flusher was pressed, allowing waste to be collected. Although this system is more useful than the bucket method, it had disadvantages. It was necessary to carry a lot of anodecs on each flight, which increased fuel usage and reduced passenger capacity. In addition to these, since the liquid tank was located just below the toilet, odours could come into the cabin from time to time. The solutions used were liquids that are harmful to human health. Another disadvantage of this liquid was its tendency to leak from the drainage system and pipes. These leaks that could occur could freeze during the cruise and fall to the earth in the form of ice masses by partially thawing during the descent. This prompted the airline industry to develop a liquid-free system. In 1975, James KEMPER designed a modern aircraft toilet with a powerful vacuum feature using Teflon and a very small amount of disinfecting fluid. We have been using this system since 1982. In this system in the aircraft we use today, each time we press the siphon, it is absorbed almost faster than an F1 car and is sent and stored in closed tanks made of stainless steel, away from the passengers at the back of the aircraft with the help of pipes. When the plane lands, it is vacuumed through the waste van and sent to the tank behind the truck and then to the sewer from the truck.

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