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Top Of Descent
In aviation, the top of descent, also referred to as the TOD or T/D, is the computed transition from the cruise phase of a flight to the descent phase, or the point at which the planned descent to final approach altitude is initiated. The top of descent is usually calculated by an on-board flight management system, and is designed to provide the most economical descent to approach altitude, or to meet some other objective (fastest descent, greatest range, etc.). The top of descent may be calculated manually as long as distance, air speed, and current altitude are known. This can be done by finding the difference between current altitude and desired altitude, dividing the result by the desired rate of descent, and then multiplying that figure by the quotient of the ground speed (not airspeed) and 60. ((C-T)/RoD)*(KGS/60)=TOD. The result dictates how far from the destination descent must begin. See also *Flight management system *Autopilot An autopilot is a system used to con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air balloons and airships. Aviation began in the 18th century with the development of the hot air balloon, an apparatus capable of atmospheric displacement through buoyancy. Some of the most significant advancements in aviation technology came with the controlled gliding flying of Otto Lilienthal in 1896; then a large step in significance came with the construction of the first powered airplane by the Wright brothers in the early 1900s. Since that time, aviation has been technologically revolutionized by the introduction of the jet which permitted a major form of transport throughout the world. Etymology The word ''aviation'' was coined by the French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1863. He derived the term from the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cruise Phase
Cruise is the phase of aircraft flight that starts when the aircraft levels off after a climb, until it begins to descend for landing. Cruising usually consumes the majority of a flight, and it may include changes in heading (direction of flight), airspeed and altitude. Commercial or passenger aircraft are usually designed for optimum performance around their cruise speed ( VC) and cruise altitude. Factors affecting optimum cruise speed and altitude include payload, center of gravity, air temperature, and humidity. Cruise altitude is usually where the higher ground speed is balanced against the decrease in engine thrust and efficiency at higher altitudes. A typical cruising airspeed for a long-distance commercial passenger aircraft is approximately . The typical cruising altitude for commercial airliners is . The speed which covers the greatest distance for a given amount of fuel is known as the maximum range speed. This is the speed at which drag is minimised. For jet aircraft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Final Approach (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, the final approach (also called the final leg and final approach leg) is the last leg in an aircraft's approach to landing, when the aircraft is lined up with the runway and descending for landing.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 213 and 241. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. In aviation radio terminology, it is often shortened to "final". In a standard airport landing pattern, which is usually used under visual meteorological conditions (VMC), aircraft turn from base leg to final within one-half to two miles of the airport. For instrument approaches, as well as approaches into a controlled airfield under visual flight rules (VFR), often a "straight-in" final approach is used, where all the other legs are dispensed with. Straight-in approaches are discouraged at non-towered airports in the United States. Approach slope An approach slope is the path that an airplane follows on its final approach to land on a runway. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flight Management System
A flight management system (FMS) is a fundamental component of a modern airliner's avionics. An FMS is a specialized computer system that automates a wide variety of in-flight tasks, reducing the workload on the flight crew to the point that modern civilian aircraft no longer carry flight engineers or navigators. A primary function is in-flight management of the flight plan. Using various sensors (such as GPS and INS often backed up by radio navigation) to determine the aircraft's position, the FMS can guide the aircraft along the flight plan. From the cockpit, the FMS is normally controlled through a Control Display Unit (CDU) which incorporates a small screen and keyboard or touchscreen. The FMS sends the flight plan for display to the Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), Navigation Display (ND), or Multifunction Display (MFD). The FMS can be summarised as being a dual system consisting of the Flight Management Computer (FMC), CDU and a cross talk bus. The modern FMS w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Speed
In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: * Indicated airspeed ("IAS"), what is read on an airspeed gauge connected to a Pitot-static system; * Calibrated airspeed ("CAS"), indicated airspeed adjusted for pitot system position and installation error; * Equivalent airspeed ("EAS"), calibrated airspeed adjusted for compressibility effects; * True airspeed ("TAS"), equivalent airspeed adjusted for air density, and is also the speed of the aircraft through the air in which it is flying. Calibrated airspeed is typically within a few knots of indicated airspeed, while equivalent airspeed decreases slightly from CAS as aircraft altitude increases or at high speeds. With EAS constant, true airspeed increases as aircraft altitude increases. This is because air density decreases with higher altitude. The measurement and indication of airspeed is ordinarily accomplished on board an aircraft by an airs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flight Management System
A flight management system (FMS) is a fundamental component of a modern airliner's avionics. An FMS is a specialized computer system that automates a wide variety of in-flight tasks, reducing the workload on the flight crew to the point that modern civilian aircraft no longer carry flight engineers or navigators. A primary function is in-flight management of the flight plan. Using various sensors (such as GPS and INS often backed up by radio navigation) to determine the aircraft's position, the FMS can guide the aircraft along the flight plan. From the cockpit, the FMS is normally controlled through a Control Display Unit (CDU) which incorporates a small screen and keyboard or touchscreen. The FMS sends the flight plan for display to the Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), Navigation Display (ND), or Multifunction Display (MFD). The FMS can be summarised as being a dual system consisting of the Flight Management Computer (FMC), CDU and a cross talk bus. The modern FMS w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autopilot
An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allowing the operator to focus on broader aspects of operations (for example, monitoring the trajectory, weather and on-board systems). When present, an autopilot is often used in conjunction with an autothrottle, a system for controlling the power delivered by the engines. An autopilot system is sometimes colloquially referred to as ''"George"'' (e.g. ''"we'll let George fly for a while"''). The etymology of the nickname is unclear: some claim it is a reference to inventor George De Beeson, who patented an autopilot in the 1930s, while others claim that Royal Air Force pilots coined the term during World War II to symbolize that their aircraft technically belonged to King George VI. First autopilots In th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Top Of Climb
In aviation, the top of climb, also referred to as the TOC or T/C, is the computed transition from the climb phase of a flight to the cruise phase, the point at which the planned climb to cruise altitude is completed. The top of climb is usually calculated by an on-board flight management system and is designed to provide the most economical climb to cruise altitude or to meet some other objective (fastest climb, greatest range, etc.). The top of climb may be calculated manually with considerable effort. Alternatively, when manual planning and monitoring a VFR flight, TOC is an elegant and efficient way for a pilot to eliminate all the vaguery and variability of departing any airport (the turns assigned, changes of runway the pilot cannot control). TOC establishes a "starting gate" for the en route portion of a flight to allow timing and tracking along the course. A clearly determined TOC is predicated in planning along the intended route of flight far enough from the departure s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
