Aeronautical Science

  CT X-Ray Machines   2022 was a record breaking year for the TSA. In total, 6,301 firearms were intercepted by the TSA through their various airport security checkpoints. This is almost a 10% increase from 2021 where they found the previous record of 5,972 firearms nationwide. Firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags, and the TSA has increased the maximum civilian penalty for those who attempt to. Based on the circumstances, the TSA can fine up to $14,950, will continue to revoke TSA PreCheck up to five years, and may do more enhanced screenings to make sure no other threats are present. (TSA breaks record, 2022)   In 2021, TSA awarded the order of new mid-sized Computed Tomography (CT) x-ray machines to Analogic Corporation for $198 million. The award establishes a contract for the purchase of more than 300 of the mid-sized units to be deployed to airport checkpoints. (TSA awards, 2021) CT is the latest in x-ray equipment to detect potential threats easier by creating a 3-d

  Qantas Mayday   On January 18, 2023, Qantas Airlines QF144 landed safely in Sydney around 3:30 after the pilots issued a very rare Mayday call. QF144 declared a Mayday call, later downgraded to a PAN call, after suffering engine failure in flight. Engine failures in flight are extremely rare, and ‘quite serious’, according to air experts. (Parkes-Hupton, 2023)   The engine failure was the first in a series of three different Qantas incidences involving the Boeing 737 for two of them, and a Boeing 717 on the other, within just a few days span. On January 19 th , the day after the engine failure, a mechanical issue with a flap was reported on QF101 . Then, on January 20 th , another Qantas aircraft, QF430 , had another minor engine issue prompting the pilots to return back to Melbourne. (Cross, 2023)   What happens when an engine fails in flight? Typically, in flight, both engines generate the same amount of thrust. If one engine malfunctions, there is an imbalance in the t

  Aviation Flu   Most of us understand how aircraft fly. Thrust, drag, lift, and weight. The engines must create enough force to move the aircraft against the opposing drag force, and enough lift must be generated to overcome the mass of the vehicle and achieve liftoff. (Neistein, M. 2022). There is however, one variable that can’t be controlled: air density. In hotter temperatures, air is less dense, making it more difficult for aircraft to takeoff.   The issue at hand is the overall climate and the temperatures becoming hotter. There have been a few instances in recent years where airliners had to alter the weight of the aircraft by decreasing the amount of passengers on certain flights. Alternate methods have been outright canceling flights in Las Vegas last year, and Phoenix in 2017 because the temperatures have been too hot. Let’s also be aware of the impact it has on the runways when temperatures basically cause