11 ms·

Fuel pumps have backup pumps. Matter a fact, the whole fuel system is a lot more complex than this. And as for “the wings fall off” part, makes me remember a q

Fuel pumps have backup pumps. Matter a fact, the whole fuel system is a lot more complex than this. And as for “the wings fall off” part, makes me remember a quote of an engineer I once read that goes something like this: “The wings are the strongest part of the airplane. If you worry about them ripping apart or falling off, you have way bigger problems than that, like the rest of the plane missing”.

antognini 5y ago
The flex test that the wings go through is pretty incredible: https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2010/03/index.jpg https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2010/03/index.jpg
- steadyready 5y ago
  Yes, I know! I don’t remember what video I saw but the wings were bent beyond imagination. Made me realise that what I saw while flying wasn’t even 30% of what they can withstand. Incredible engineering.
WalterBright 5y ago
The Lockheed Elektra was infamous for its wings mysteriously coming off. Much research finally revealed that dynamic instability (flutter) was the cause. A great deal has been learned about how to prevent this, and a lot of effort goes into designing a wing that isn't susceptible to flutter. I did the calculations for the 757 elevators to show it wouldn't flutter. And yes, it was also verified on the test stand.
AzN1337c0d3r 5y ago
There was an F-15 that had a mid-air collision, the entire wing ripped off, and it managed to safely land. https://taskandpurpose.com/history/1983-negev-mid-air-collision/ https://taskandpurpose.com/history/1983-negev-mid-air-collis...
- alexpotato 5y ago
  The A-10 and it's redundant abilities are worth reading up on too: - https://theaviationist.com/2017/08/16/the-crazy-story-of-the-very-first-a-10-pilot-to-land-a-badly-damaged-warthog-with-no-canopy-and-with-the-gear-up/ https://theaviationist.com/2017/08/16/the-crazy-story-of-the... - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II#Survivability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunde...

antognini 5y ago

The flex test that the wings go through is pretty incredible: https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2010/03/index.jpg https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2010/03/index.jpg

steadyready 5y ago
Yes, I know! I don’t remember what video I saw but the wings were bent beyond imagination. Made me realise that what I saw while flying wasn’t even 30% of what they can withstand. Incredible engineering.

WalterBright 5y ago

The Lockheed Elektra was infamous for its wings mysteriously coming off. Much research finally revealed that dynamic instability (flutter) was the cause. A great deal has been learned about how to prevent this, and a lot of effort goes into designing a wing that isn't susceptible to flutter. I did the calculations for the 757 elevators to show it wouldn't flutter. And yes, it was also verified on the test stand.

AzN1337c0d3r 5y ago

There was an F-15 that had a mid-air collision, the entire wing ripped off, and it managed to safely land. https://taskandpurpose.com/history/1983-negev-mid-air-collision/ https://taskandpurpose.com/history/1983-negev-mid-air-collis...

alexpotato 5y ago
The A-10 and it's redundant abilities are worth reading up on too: - https://theaviationist.com/2017/08/16/the-crazy-story-of-the-very-first-a-10-pilot-to-land-a-badly-damaged-warthog-with-no-canopy-and-with-the-gear-up/ https://theaviationist.com/2017/08/16/the-crazy-story-of-the... - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II#Survivability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunde...