Purchasing Management 360 Blog

On any fighter type jet, a circuit breaker panel is found on the underbelly or side of the cockpit, right below where the pilot would sit. Much like a circuit breaker you would find at home, the aircraft circuit breaker would be like a box or panel that acts like a protective device for opening a circuit automatically when excessive current is flowing through it. A circuit breaker may be reset to restore the circuit after a fault causing excessive current has been corrected. Essentially the circuit breaker panel is an electrical protecting safety device which is why most homes, helicopters, airplanes, and other facilities must have a circuit breaker.

Precision shims are useful aircraft mating components, allowing for the gaps between mating components to be filled in order to provide a precise fit for assemblies. As a result, utilizing precision shims can save a great amount of manufacturing costs as individual parts do not need to be precisely machined in order to operate efficiently in the assembly. Additionally, precision shims can protect the surfaces of mating components, extending their service lives and further decreasing the amount of assembly time and money it takes to maintain a system. In general, the two main types of precision shims that are commonly used include laminated shims and edge bonded shims, each providing their unique benefits to assemblies.

Within the realm of aviation, there are many types of vehicles that fall under the Federal Aviation Administration’s official definition of aircraft. These include airplanes, rotorcraft, airships, gliders, paramotors, and hot air balloons. In regards to airplanes in particular, they are described by the FAA as a fixed-wing aircraft that are heavier-than-air and engine driven. While a plethora of fixed-wing aircraft types exist for various civil, military, and government applications, most share common major components that allow them to perform flight operations with ease. Across all fixed-wing aircraft types, the common major components include the fuselage, wings, empennage, and landing gear.

The Fixed Base Operator (or FBO) is a commonly used term in the business aviation industry. However, despite this, few people really know what a Fixed Base Operator is. The term originated in the United States after World War I, a time when the aviation industry was essentially completely unregulated. The majority of pilots were either stunt performers (called barnstormers) or very short-distance commuter pilots in retired military aircraft. These pilots would often land in open fields on farms where they would make camp. These temporary bases were the original civilian airfields.

Bearings of all types, despite being small parts, play a crucial role in the reliable, long-lasting performance of any aircraft. Sufficient care and maintenance of bearings will extend their lifespan, minimize downtime, and allow them to withstand harsh conditions. All of these factors will inevitably lead to lower costs of ownership for your aircraft. This blog will explain eight tips you can use to ensure the reliable performance of your bearings for a long time.

The average age of a commercial aircraft in the United States is over 15 years old, with many more private and general aviation aircraft much older than that. While that may be surprising, proper check-up, aircraft maintenance, and repairs can keep a plane virtually as good as new for a very long time. However, over time, all aircraft can fall victim to corrosion. Aircraft are most vulnerable to two types of corrosion, galvanic and concentrated cell.

When dealing with the complexity of aircraft parts both electrical and hardware, it’s easy to overlook something like your aviation headset. Even easier to forget is the headset plug. However, the headset plug you choose is an important decision every aviator should take seriously, like you would any other connector in your aircraft.

In the realm of aviation, stalls are caused when lift is quickly replaced by turbulent drag. Aviation stalls are not to be confused with a mechanical problem such as a stalling aircraft engine as aircraft stalls are caused by too high of an attack angle at a slow speed. When the angle is exceeded, airflow from the upper surface of a wing separates, causing a loss of lift and thus a loss of altitude. While pilots are trained on stall situations and how to pull out of them, there are also many technologies that have been designed over the years to help prevent stalling, give warning to the pilot, as well as provide characteristics of the stall that are easier to pull out of. In this blog, we will give an overview of a few of the more common types of devices that provide favorable stall characteristics.

According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), people may not legally operate an aircraft that has not been deemed airworthy. From required annual inspections to approval of parts for maintenance, aircraft and their parts undergo many certifications and inspections to ensure that they are airworthy and legal for use. While it may be simple to understand the reasons we demand that aircraft are airworthy, the details in what qualifies a part as “airworthy” can be complicated. With many set regulations in place, what makes an aircraft part considered airworthy?

Aircraft inspections, maintenance, and overhauls are by necessity a lengthy and involved process. Even the simplest procedures must be inspected and verified to ensure that the aircraft is airworthy before being returned to the owner, a process that can last weeks or months if done inefficiently. To avoid costly delays, here are five tips for when you’re planning an aircraft repair, inspection, or overhaul job.