Before an aircraft takes flight, there is a lot of inspection and maintenance that happens both before the day of flight and a few hours prior to takeoff. Those hours before flight are very important as that is the last opportunity to catch any anomalies that need to be inspected. During these check ups, the flight crew checks on things like engine condition and lubricant levels to spot anything different from what is standard. Then there are some items that must be inspected on a cyclic schedule. These items are checked during what is known as the hot section inspection or HSI.

A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include rocket, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term jet engine typically refers to an internal combustion airbreathing jet engine such as a turbojet, turbofan, ramjet, or pulse jet. In general, jet engines are internal combustion engines.

When your plane arrives at its destination and slowly moves towards the terminal, you may have noticed several different pieces of equipment waiting to service the plane. Tow tractors, cranes, dollies, and ground support personnel busying about, waiting to perform crucial maintenance on the plane you just exited. This ground support is the lifeline for successful flights.

In a typical reciprocating combustion engine, as seen in automobiles and propeller-driven aircraft, the functions of intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust all take place in the same combustion chamber. Therefore, each must have exclusive occupancy of the chamber during its part in the combustion cycle. Gas turbines, however, have separate sections for each function, and all functions are performed simultaneously without interruption.

Much like starting a car’s engine, starting the turbine engines on a commercial airliner is a complicated endeavor. When a turbine engine’s main fan in the front begins to spin, it is actually one of the latter steps in a process that ends with the engines at full power and the aircraft taking off into the sky.

As you gaze into the sky and look about the horizon, an ascending airplane catches your eye— you marvel in its magnificence and can’t help but to feel inspired by the wonders of flight. The aircraft travels so effortlessly from afar, almost as if it can fly forever. As flawless as it might seem, there comes a time when every plane must be decommissioned. So, what determines the lifespan of a plane? Where do they go after they can’t fly anymore?

There are five basic types of Army/Navy (AN) connectors used on aircraft: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class K. Class A-D connectors are made of aluminum while Class K is made of steel. Class A is a solid, one-piece back shell connector and is general-purpose. Class B back shell separates into two parts along the length and is used where it’s important that the soldered connectors are readily accessible. Class C is a pressurized connector and has inserts that are not removable. They are used on walls or bulkheads of equipment that is pressurized. Class D are moisture and vibration resistant and have a sealing grommet in the back shell. Class K is a fireproof connector and is usually longer than other connectors.

There are three kinds of engines that power most aircraft: piston engines, jet engines, and rocket engines. Each of these have the same basic principles; the engine mixes fuel with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber, the mixture is ignited, the burning mixture creates hot, expanding gases, and these gases will either produce thrust directly or are used to push a piston or drive a turbine. There are different variations of a jet engine, also known as a gas turbine. Most have the same five key parts: an inlet, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and a turbine with a driveshaft running through them.

Although tow bars are essential equipment for aircraft emergencies, tow bar maintenance is often overlooked. Just like with any other piece of equipment, tow bars should have a brief daily inspection and routinely scheduled thorough maintenance in order to ensure full functionality. Because there are many types of tow bars, it’s best to at least become familiar with some of the more comman tow bar parts to ensure inspection goes smoothly.

Jet engines are complex pieces of machinery that propel giant metal contraptions tens of thousands of feet in the air. They’re a type of combustion reaction engine that discharge fast-moving streams of fluid and generate thrust by propulsion. They’re made of different parts: a fan, compressor, combustor, turbine, nozzle, and exhaust.