When encountering freezing temperatures, it is imperative that all aircraft undergo appropriate anti-icing and deicing measures before takeoff to circumvent the buildup of ice. As different aircraft—such as commercial jets—are predisposed to accumulating more ice than others due to their shape and operational factors, certain items composing the vehicle require additional attention to detail during construction to mitigate complications caused by ice. As ice can rapidly form on all areas of an aircraft, including the engine(s), ice protection systems are critical for the following parts of a plane: wings, aerofoils, power plant(s), high lift devices, and control systems. Within this blog, we will discuss the fundamental basics of deicing and anti-icing equipment, and why they are crucial for ensuring passenger safety and vehicle stability. 


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Printed circuit boards, or PCBs, are a common element of countless electronic systems. Coming in the form of a flat substrate with various embedded electronic components and copper traces, PCBs act as a medium that collects and connects components to one another in a very controlled manner. While a majority of circuit boards perform the same roles, their exact makeup and design will differ based on the application and environment in question. For example, many modern aircraft that are highly electrified take advantage of printed circuit boards for standard system functionality, but unlike the PCBs that may be found in a home computer, these boards must be rigorously designed to withstand the demanding needs, intensive stresses, and environmental conditions present during flight.


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Aircraft are large vehicles with numerous heavy control surfaces and flight systems that are paramount to standard operations. To ensure proper control over the aircraft during flight, pilots must have a means of quickly activating and managing various airplane parts. With aircraft actuation systems, energy can be harnessed from mechanical sources to create linear or rotary motion for the means of operating landing gear, flaps, aircraft brakes, slats, and much more. While many early aircraft took advantage of cables, gears, and rods for mechanical actuation, new systems have come about over the years which are more streamlined and efficient. In this blog, we will discuss the various types of aircraft actuation systems that are commonly present in the aviation sector, allowing you to best understand their functionalities and design.


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Due to the volatile nature of electricity and the sensitivity of electronics that rely on it, it is important that there are a number of protective devices in aircraft and fail-safes present within a circuit for protection. From short circuits to ground faults, surges of electricity can easily travel through wiring and cabling unhindered due to the low resistance of such components. As such, circuit protection devices may be used to ensure that appliances and electronics are well protected, as well as those who are near them or operate them. In this blog, we will provide an overview of fuses, circuit breakers, thermal protectors, and arc fault circuit breakers, all of which are commonly used as circuit protection devices.


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With a great amount of advancements made to aircraft hardware parts, more and more systems are beginning to rely on electricity for their functions. From aircraft small to large, the aircraft battery proves to be an indispensable asset for initiating the powering of the electrical system and other electronic aircraft parts. There are many different types of batteries designed for aircraft, and each have their advantages and disadvantages for the applications that they serve. In this blog, we will discuss the uses of aircraft batteries, as well as some of the common types found within aircraft electrical systems.


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Stephen Trimble wrote an article for Flight Global discussing about how Russia is planning to add more variety in terms of scope for future transport dealing with the military, however much of the details are left to be unknown at this time. There is a state run news agency called TASS in which the Ilyushin chief executive Sergei Velmozhkin mentions that research and development will being next year for the transport. There will be a scheduled in service date of 2027 for the transport as well.


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The Associated Press released an article to The Washington Post on May 24th 2016 talking about the Canada Snowbird team is part of the Canadian Armed Forces that does aerobatics. They will be holding an event over the National Mall. The Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds team will be using the Canadair CT-114 Tutor aircraft. There will be nine of these air-crafts that will partake in the event. In terms of directions, the air crafts will be making two east to west passes at an altitude of 1000 feet above the highest point at National Mall.


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Thales Group was able to successfully fly their Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft system for the first time in controlled civil airspace.The test was conducted in the UK, and was part of Project Claire - a joint initiative featuring Thales, NATS, the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory NLR, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It is funded by the SESAR joint undertaking. The test itself involved the UAS flying side-by-side with a manned aircraft. The remote controlled aircraft flew around for approximately one hour. It was piloted by Thales staff based at West Wales Airport, with NATS controlling it path.


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