Aircraft Systems: Principle of Operation and Use of Weather Radar - Coursework Example

Aircraft systems Introduction For commercial Aircrafts to navigate efficiently on the runway various principles and instruments come into action. Various instruments are essential for takeoff as well as landing. For typical Commercial aircrafts, radio beam transmitters are important for providing directions for approaching aircrafts. For this principle to function, a pilot needs to tune their receivers to receive airport signals. This beam of signal provides safe lateral and vertical landing signals. An approaching aircraft precision landing depends on high precision landing guidance, which constitutes a combination of high intensity lighting system and radio signals (Nolan, 2010). High intensity lighting systems applies in situations where there is fog, mist and blowing snow discouraging safe landing. 1. Principle of Operation For safe operational landing of commercial aircrafts, an approaching aircraft gets guidance by instrument of landing. This operation relates to the modulation of depth comparisons. Many recent aircrafts use Autopilot systems to locate signals from these beams. The instrument of landing in most airports consists of a Glide slope and localizer. A localizer measures the difference in depth of modulation. Measurement of this depth relates to diverse pairs of directional antennas. A localizer refers to an array of antennas located beyond the point of departure of the airport. It provides lateral guidance to aircrafts. Typically the system consists of two signal transmitted on one instrument landing system. One of the signals modulations is at 150Hz and 40Hz. The signal is transmission come from co-located antennas where each transmission comes from narrow beam of signals. In every operational landing, the depth of modulation is 20 percent while the difference between the two signals varies in relation to the angle of deviation of approaching aircrafts from the centreline. A Glide slope, on the other hand, provides vertical guidance for pilots. A glide slope refers antennas situated on one side of the runways. These antennas provide signals similar to that of a localizer. The system of glide slope antenna provides a systematic arrangement of glide path at approximately 3° above the landing area (Nolan, 2010). A pilot uses the gliding slope in ensuring that the aircraft remains above the obstruction for safe touchdown. Difference between flight components and ground components Commercial aircrafts flight system consists of multifunctional systems, flight displays, crew-alerting systems and engine display systems. The flight components of an aircrafts navigational instruments, as opposed to ground components, assist flight engineers detect engine malfunctions that might affect flight, assist pilot locate beams and airports while provide alert for members of the crew. The components also ensure that aircrafts relays and get information from ground sensors. Additionally flight components of CAT navigational instrument consist of display monitors, data processors and control panels for pilots (Jabbal, & Crowther, 2010). Ground components in Paris as well as other airports consist of instrumental landing systems or microwave landing systems. Airports need to have radar altimeter as well as localizers. Pilots despite having Autopilot systems use localizer signals during lateral landing. Some of the instruments displayed in a CAT navigational system include altimeters, Airspeed indicators and Altitude indicators. 2. Use of Weather radar Commercial flights occur over diverse climatic regions. Pilots of these Aircrafts have to land in airports with various weather conditions. Some of the airports are prone to fog, mist and other conditions that limit pilots visions. Therefore, there is a need for CAT aircrafts to have weather radar to overcome fog and other elements that might affect pilots’ vision. For commercial aircrafts radar imaging bear blue, red and purple colours. These colours’ intensity relates to winds pressure, prevailing visibility, rainfall and thunder storms. Weather patterns also appear in symbols which indicate to pilots the direction of winds, speed and temperature levels. Airborne radar’s function is to detect thunderstorms and avoid them. The radar detects liquid raindrops by reflective mechanism of radar beams. Most reflective beam indicates wet hail while least reflective beam indicates dry snow. 3-4. Oxygen systems Oxygen system in aircrafts provide supplementary oxygen in a situation of emergency this situation refers to events of smoke, loss of oxygen, fire or in situations of chemical fumes. If cabin pressure is lost during high altitude oxygen masks in front of passengers automatically opens. In cases of emergency passengers do not to get out of their seats so as use the masks. Cabin crew however, may use potable masks since they provide services to passengers in such emergencies. Their masks have to be charged with oxygen in sockets propelled by generators. Flight crew, however, have a separate system of oxygen supply. Due to their tasks flight crew need not to be disoriented by a drop in altitude and probably lose control of the aircraft. Therefore, flight crew in such aircrafts use lavatories oxygen systems. There are two methods of providing oxygen for passengers in aircrafts. The methods are the use of a chemical oxygen generator and by the use of a gaseous manifold system. A gaseous manifold system works by connecting all the masks to a central supply. The supply comes from the cargo area, and it can only be reset from the cockpit or another place in the aircraft. A chemical oxygen generator system on the other hand ensures that pulling of one mask ensures supply of oxygen to all other masks in the compartment. This system comes as a result of chemical reaction between iron powder and sodium chlorate. Two seat military planes travel at very high altitude and have ejection seats (Lovelace, 2012). Therefore, air is pressurized by the engines to ensure that passengers have adequate oxygen a process at times referred to as air bleed. An altimeter is the standard instrument for measuring air pressure. Altitude of aircrafts refers to the measurement of air pressure by use of altimeters. High humidity conditions, as well as frost condition may lead to ice formation on aircrafts either on the ground or on a flight. Ice might form on the wings of the aircraft or on other parts of an aircraft. Therefore, air crew need to detect such conditions. Icing effects on aircrafts might lead to the formation of water droplets on the surfaces of airplanes. Ice might have dangerous implication on the functioning of the jet engine. Icing has an effect of stalling wings of airplanes, as well. Pilots however, have ice detectors planted on the wings of the aircraft to detect ice formation. The device is in the form of a transducer able to relay information to the pilot for further action. To protect airplanes from icing electrical heating system may be used to heat crucial engines of the aircraft in order to prevent ice formation. Aircrafts might also use weeping wings, which has multiple holes, which releases anti icing fluid. The edges of the tail and wings of airplanes facilitates heating of air which evaporates ice on contact a process known as “bleed air”. There are various precautions that one has to undertake to prevent aircraft part from icing. Some of these procedures include avoidance of icing conditions by use of mechanical means, applying de-icing fluid or putting the aircraft of heated hangar (Marwedel & Jörg, 2011). One can even position the aircraft towards sunlight, but if icing persists one has to use ant icing fluids. 5. Aircraft Maintenance and operations Pneumatic system in an aircraft is a very important element in the operation of aircrafts. The system contains air pumps, air filter system and gauge indicators. The system is important since it facilitates exhaustion of air, acts as an air filter, regulates pressure and assists in the failure warning system. The system as other system requires constant maintenance. Signs of failure of this system include contamination, worn out parts, engine stoppage and deceleration. To prevent such incidences one need to install backup systems, regularly check all parts, maintain parts proficiently and use precision instruments for checking. Maintenance of oxygen system, on the other hand, needs to be according to schedule, in line with safety and after maintenance one should dispose waste appropriately. One needs to ensure that all masks are disinfected and proper. Generators need to be maintained and all valves in good working condition. When maintaining the fuel system of an aircraft, individuals should at all time avoid smoking. Maintenance involve cleaning of fuel pumps, tanks, carburettors, injectors and fuel lines (Marwedel & Jorge, 2011) All of these procedures need to be in line with set standards by ATA. CAT Pitot-static system The system of pitot-static consists of sensitive instruments used in the aviation field to determine the altitude of the aircraft, the March speed number, and trend of the altitude as well as airspeed. The system consists of a pitot tube, pitot static devices and static port. The equipment may be connected to flight data recorder, cabin pressurization, airspeed switches or even data recorders (Lovelace, 2012). A representation of the system is as shown below: Part two 1-2.Airspeed/ vertical speed indicator An airspeed indicator is an instrument in an aircraft that displays the speed of the craft. The instrument relays information to the pilot in terms of knots of the movement of the aircraft. The indicator is used in almost every operation of flight. Its application comes during descend, landing, cruise and take -off. The airspeed works by measuring the difference in static pressure, which is relayed through the pitot tube (Langton, 2009). However, during the performance of this function, the instrument may relay specific errors. Errors attested to the instrument include positional error where the instrument does not calibrate exact positions. Another form of error that occurs while using the instrument is compressibility error. This occurs when the instrument calibrates only standard pressure of the sea. Vertical speed indicators on the other hand measures the rate of climb of an aircraft as well as descend. The instrument operates by detecting change in air pressure as altitude changes. It works by use of airflow. Typically the more the aircraft descends the faster air flows. Air flowing into the air bottle outside the aircraft indicates that the aircraft is descending. In the case where there is a block in reading pilots would not recognize changes. Static readings in aircrafts are important for humans. Unlike birds created for flights pilots would not recognize lifts or descends which might result in unavoidable accidents or loss of life. Air cooling pack or air cycle machine application relates to gas turbine aircrafts. The system is a refrigerated control system on the environment whose components are in two or three parts in almost all aircrafts. The air cooling process uses air instead of changing of materials in phases like gas cycles. The process involves evaporation as well as condensation for cooling equipment. In an aircraft, an ejector pump operates by using its two inlets to pump in gas and motive fluid. These two components move through a nozzle at a given pressure and speed. The system uses the Bernoulli’s principle by increasing pressure as well as decreasing velocity. The resultant effect causes an imbalance resulting to a body to rise (Langton, 2009). 3-6. Aircraft Pressurisation system The above figure represents a typical aircraft pressurisation system. An aircraft altitude refers to the height of ascend of the aircraft from the ground. The rate of climb relates to the speed of this ascend. Cabin altitude refers to a height of commercial flight that ranges around 8,000ft as the maximum level, and the climb is an increase of air pressure in the aircraft. Cabin pressurization control depends on the outflow valve which releases pressure to a constant level (Jabbal, & Crowther, 2010). The term maximum cabin deferential refers to the pressure inside and outside a pressurized aircraft. An example of maximum cabin differential is for the Boeing 787 dream liner that maintains a 6,900ft. Diagram of a possible fault in an aircraft A compass is a navigational instrument likely found in aircrafts. It gives direction where the pilot is heading. Compass gets power from the aircraft in terms of DC current. The instruments have its setbacks in terms loss of degrees due to other forces making it unreliable. Aircrafts retain magnetic compass, head indicator for emergency reasons. This instruments layout is at the cockpit. In cases of faults CAT has warning captions. These captions include fire bells, configuration warnings, and engine malfunction warnings. The diagnosis of such warning might be to put of fire, repair devices or inform control towers before landing. References Nolan, M. S.2010. Fundamentals of air traffic control.New York: Cengage Learning. Lovelace II, W. R. 2012. "Aero medical aspects of cabin pressurization for military and commercial aircraft." Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences (Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences), 13 (3), Pp.17-38 Marwedel, S, M, & Jörg R.2011 "Platform for aircraft maintenance services and asset management." European Patent No. EP 2378468. 19 Oct. Langton, R. 2009 . Aircraft fuel systems. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Jabbal, M., S. C., & Crowther W.J. 2010. "Active flow control systems architectures for civil transport aircraft." Journal of Aircraft 47 (6), Pp. 1966-1981. Read More