The Jet Engine

Posted By on Apr 26, 2011

The jet engine is one of the coolest, most amazing inventions ever designed. It is reliable, converts fuel into huge amounts of thrust, and can be REALLY loud. It is the jet engine which allows HIGH SPEED, HIGH ALTITUDE flight, getting you to your destination within hours rather than days. The jet engine take air in the front, burns some fuel, and sends air and exhaust out the back at high speed. The engine actually PUSHES this air...

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What Do Airline Pilots Do?

Posted By on Apr 26, 2011

You might enjoy this documentary… please don’t ask me if it is...

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What is Air Traffic Control?

Posted By on Apr 25, 2011

Hi there, I’m Victor. I am an air traffic controller and my job is to help you get to your destination safely. There are so many planes flying around these days that we need to ORGANISE when and where they fly, so that they do not fly too close to other planes. Sometimes the sky seems to be filled with planes… The skies can be a busy place… Air Traffic Controllers talk to the pilots of these planes, to arrange...

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What is Turbulence?

Posted By on Apr 25, 2011

Some people think turbulence is related to diet… Turbulence is “Bumpy Air”… This bumpy air can make for a bumpy ride! There are many causes of turbulence… Turbulence, or “bumpy air” can be caused by many things. Here are some examples… Gusty Winds Sometimes the winds are gusty. You know what I mean… you go outside and one minute the wind is howling and the next minute it is calm....

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How Cold is it Outside?

Posted By on Apr 25, 2011

You may have heard a pilot tell you how cold it is outside. Why do they tell you this? Because it is SO AMAZINGLY COLD that they just have to tell someone! So how cold are we talking here?   Cold enough to keep your peas frozen. Yep, but colder than this.   Typically, the temperature outside a jet plane at cruise level could be as cold as -65 degrees Celcius! That would keep anybody’s peas frozen. Why is it so cold out...

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How Fast is a Jet Plane?

Posted By on Apr 25, 2011

A passenger jet plane travels though the air at approximately 900 kilometres per hour (about 550 miles per hour, or 490 knots). This varies a little bit depending on the type of aircraft, but they are all around about this speed. The pilots might choose to fly a little faster if the flight is running late, but this burns extra fuel and will only reduce your flight time by a few minutes. This high speed can only be achieved at high...

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