5 ms·
> Preflight checks and flight safety. Larry should first build normal small aircraft that can do without constant manual checks before flight. Omg, this. The a
by outworlder 10y ago
> Preflight checks and flight safety. Larry should first build normal small aircraft that can do without constant manual checks before flight.
Omg, this. The amount of checks required for any sort of aircraft is ridiculous. A lot of it involves button pushing and checking status. This could be automated.
For instance, for a cessna 150:
STARTING ENGINE
Mixture – RICH
Carb heat – COLD
Prime – AS REQUIRED
Master switch -- ON
Beacon Light – ON
Throttle – OPEN 1/8”
Prop Area – CLEAR
Ignition – START
Oil Pressure – CHK
Radio – ON/SET
Transponder – ON / STBY
Wing Flaps – UP
Mixture – LEAN 1 INCH
READY TO TAXI
Most of these things could be set automatically.
- cpncrunch 10y agoWith modern FADEC engines, all of this is automated (from what I read...I've never actually flown anything with FADEC).
- jeiting 10y agoThe recent diesel installs with FADEC that Redbird has been doing in 172s have a one button run up: You just hold the breaks and hit a button and the FADEC does the run up and checks all parameters and gives you a go/no-go. FADEC - Full Authority Digital Engine Control
- Natsu 10y agoAnd here I thought it was 'Automatic', but I haven't dealt with a FADEC since I wrote avionics test scripts almost 20 years ago.
- rorosaurus 10y agoVery interesting. Do you know how this system handles eventual sensor failure?
- handedness 10y agoThe examples you gave take no more than 30 seconds. Sure, FADEC can eliminate most of them, but they're quick. Other examples–checking the oil, the tank sumps, the intake, the tires, the flap tracks, the rudder bolt(s), the wing tips, the tailwheel springs, etc.–are the stuff that software largely can't replace, and are the more time-consuming part of taking off. Put another way, the latest fighter jets and commercial heavies still have significant visual preflights.
- outworlder 10y ago> The examples you gave take no more than 30 seconds. Sure, FADEC can eliminate most of them, but they're quick. Sure. Maybe I shouldn't have picked the engine section as the example. In the context of this thread, way more than that is needed. > Put another way, the latest fighter jets and commercial heavies still have significant visual preflights. And that is fine. The stakes are high, the plane itself is much more complex and placed in high demand, plus they can hire staff.
- 6stringmerc 10y agoThe "staff" you mention that does the walk-around of the major commercial airliner is/are also the person(s) who will be piloting the plane, IIRC.
- parfe 10y agoI just flew on an a320 and watched the plane taxi to the gate. Someone on the ground crew in an orange vest walked around the plane and did a visual inspection using a flashlight. At no point did someone from the flight crew leave the plane.
- jeffcore 10y agoThis is typically what happens during our hot seat evolutions in the Navy, as well. As Aircrew, I'm more concerned about performing my own walkaround if any maintenance had been performed between flights and/or it's the aircraft's first flight that day.
- 6stringmerc 10y agoCurious as to what airline and at what airport? Usually pre-flight is before the plane taxis "from" the gate not when it arrives "at" the gate.
- parfe 10y agoAre you referring to only the first flight of the day? A plane lands, taxis to the gate. Passengers disembark, the plane gets cleaned and refueled, people on the ground checked it out, new passengers board (me), and it taxis from the gate. At no point did the pilots leave the airplane to "walk-around".
- serge2k 10y agoEverything you set automatically is now more complicated.