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Technology and curiosities from the world of aeroplanes

IN-FLIGHT REFUELLING

in-flight refuelling AirDolomitiBlog
In this space dedicated to our geek readers, we often cover tools and manoeuvres that are used in military aviation. In-flight refuelling, which we are about to cover the history and secrets of, is precisely one such topic. The reason is obvious: airliners take off...

WHAT EXACTLY IS AEROPLANE LANDING GEAR?

carrelli_degli_aerei
Out of all of the many aircraft features, the one that most stands out, even for those who know very little about aeroplanes, is the landing gear. The wheels on which an aeroplane sit look extremely small compared to huge fuselages and wings, but...

THE VARIOMETER

Variometer_AirDolomiti
Welcome back to those of you who would rather sit next to the window to watch the aircraft wing flaps than gaze at the clouds ;) In this article we’ll analyse another component of the cockpit: the variometer or vertical speed indicator. First of all,...

HOLDING PATTERNS

There is no signage in the air. There are neither signs nor lines of demarcation, no traffic lights and no lanes. So, obviously, there are very strict standards to organise air traffic, especially near the most congested airports. In order to allow all airplanes to...

AUTOPILOT

Air_Dolomiti_autopilot
It doesn’t wear a uniform, it doesn’t have a pilot’s licence and it has never attended a school, but it is now more efficient and reliable than ever. It is autopilot - the electromechanical system that can fly an aeroplane without any human intervention. It’s...

WHY CAN AEROPLANES FLY?

AirDolomiti_Embraer
The moment has come to step back in time to your school desk, specifically to your Physics classroom. Whether you’ve always been a geek or are relatively new to the experience, today we’re going to brush up on Newton, Bernoulli and Lavoisier in an...

VHF OMNIDIRECTIONAL RANGE: VOR

Air_dolomiti_VOR
Welcome back geek friends! A quick warning before we start: the post you’re about to read is perhaps the most technical article on the “How does that work?” blog… If you’re keen to unleash the volts and open up the panels concealing the technological marvels that...

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

AirDolomiti_deicing
Heavy snowfall has its charms. Flying over the Dolomites, we wouldn’t expect anything else. But sometimes, heavy snowfall brings with it gridlock, temporary bus and train cancellations, issues in towns and cities and for those who have upcoming travel plans. So… How do aeroplanes behave when...

BOARDING ON THE LEFT

AirDolomiti_Imbarco
If you’ve come across this section of our blog dedicated to flying, we’re sure you love airplanes. You may even be a frequent flyer. If that is the case, sorry for this short piece of obvious information: passengers board planes on the left-hand side....

WINDY LANDING

Take-off – cruise – landing. We don’t need to explain the meaning of these words to you, our expert AvGeek readers. Today we are talking about landing in the wind, one of the most complex landing conditions, according to our pilots. Perfect landing condition is...