/Plane Thread/ : /n/ is for bikes edition

reminder
sea planes a best

The design requirements are totally different.

Aircraft engines are built light weight. With as much aluminum and magnesium as possible. Cylinders will be mostly aluminum with steel barrels.
They are also air cooled and designed to run at a constant power setting. The engine heats up as you add power, cools down when you pull back on the power. If you pull back to fast, or shut the engine down in flight, you shock cool it. Not the best thing to do to a engine.

If you dropped a Continental O-470 in a car and drove it across town, you would start causing excessive engine wear/stress because of the constant fluctuation in temperature. The temp transition needs to be gradual.

Aircraft engines in cruise normally run at %80 power continuously. The majority of their life is at that power setting. Auto engines are at least half that.

Pistons and connecting rods are aluminum in aircraft. The pins are steel. Pistons have 4 - 7 rings. Only 2 valves per cylinder. Sometimes the exhaust valve is sodium filled. Pushrods and lifters are steel. Rockers are sometimes aluminum or steel. 2 magneto driven ignition systems with 2 sparkplugs ($45 a plug) per cylinder for redundancy and efficiency. Engine driven fuel pump, sometimes accommodated by a electric driven pump for redundancy or priming.
Bearings are very sensitive to oil issues. The majority of engine failures are main bearing failures. An air bubble in the oil feeding the bearings is enough to trash them. Pilots are always looking at their oil temp and press. %90 of engine failures are on the first power reduction after take off.

If they are that sensitive to temperature, I'm surprised they don't all use thermostatically controlled engine cowlings. And 4 to 7 piston rings? That's an engine that REALLY doesn't want to lose oil/mix hot gas in the crankcase.

I thought the usual reason for main bearing failures was unbalanced carburettors, although Yeah I can see how oiling when the g force can change direction so much can be an issue.

>rings
That was a typo. 6 is the most I've seen.
The only Pistons I've seen with that many rings are on the larger radials. Pic related is a trashed R1820-76D piston and has 4 on top, 1 on bottom.

>thermostatically controlled
Some do.
Most planes have cowl flaps that are controlled by the pilot. The checklist usually determines their position, but you can adjust them by looking at the Cylinder temp.
Usually open for taxi, takeoff, climb. Closed for cruise.
I personally leave them closed on landing, because I'm already cooling the engine by pulling power back. I don't want to cool them too fast.

>bearing failures
It's not the g force that kills the bearing.

It's usually on really high time engines, but just when you start reducing power from 100%, the main bearing spins with the crankshaft. It only spins an 1/8th of an inch. But it blocks the oil port.

>be me
>innaflightschool
>can’t for the life of me keep the plane level while landing in a crosswind
Any tips pil/o/ts? I know I’m supposed to use the rudder to keep the nose aligned with the runway and keep the wing facing into the wind down, but I keep wanting to press the same direction rudder and aileron and fuck it up.

I took an old Subaru engine and put it on a glider.

...

What would you recommend for new A&P's career wise? I finish school in a few months and have been mulling over the idea of joining a regional airliner because they are willing to hire zero experience applicants.

If it were me, I would stay away from the airlines. Mainly because I have yet to meet anyone, retired or working, who didn't regret going into the airlines.

The key is to find a specialization.
You'll make more and be more valuable as a specialist than a general mechanic.
Work for a small business, doing a certain skill, then after mastering that skill, move on to where the money is.

I specialize in trailing edge technology. I've created a reputation for my self. So people call me to help them with their DC-3s. And my time and services aren't cheap.

If you were better than your classmates at sheet metal, go be the sheet metal guy.

If you really understood airframe electrical, go be a avionics guy.

If the above don't apply. Composites are the future, go work at a small time shop that does glider or GA composite repair. Learn those skills, and you will be on a very good career path. Maybe even work for space X, or boeing/lockheed/Grumman space division.

I didn't realize valves had sodium in them
Learn something new everyday

Usually just the exhaust valve.

The Wright R1820 valves are huge. We would sometimes get a wore out exhaust valve, cut a slit into it to expose the sodium. Then toss it into a lake. It's like a grenade going off. Loud bang, white smoke, and water thrown into the air. If we're lucky, dead fish float up to the surface.

posting the MARS because water bomber

do you guys think it would be possible to make a DIY para-motor (engine, cage, and seat) for less then a thousand bucks, considering it for a winter project

Don't have my A&P but just got hired on as a Tech II at Gulfstream

Pretty cool job desu

>Airbus sold 50bi worth of planes at Dubai Air Show

How can Burgers compete?

>want to work on C-130 Hercs
>they all operate out of the shitty side of Canada
Hornets for me I guess

By making planes that are interesting to fly.

by making planes that allow you to abort take off.

*abort landing for touch and go

>This salt.

...

any european commercial pilots here?
wondering what kind of drug testing they use on the initial interview for a job (ryanair or air france for example) - pure curiosity, not a drug user myself.

Getting my A&P, half way through Airframe.

By going into the airline you have a lot of different opportunities though. Which can lead in getting specializations becuase they will want to find something your good at and monetize that, to make them more money. Also there is the added benefit of unions.

enjoy crashing into trees when your pilot has to abort landing but the plane wont let him.

sure you aren't kiddo

I have heard from a few home builders that RV owners are snobs.Still nice planes but beyond my financial means for the foreseeable future.

>g force

What is a coordinated turn?

If your thing is really wacky suicides, sure