Stall Warning Device example essay topic

Aeronautical engineer falls under the category of aerospace engineers along with astronautical engineer. The jobs of an Aeronautical engineer and astronautical engineer are similar in terms of the development of air / space crafts, testing and analyzing data. An aeronautical engineer has a number of tasks and duties to carry out and a number of responsibilities to fulfill. The types of tasks an aeronautical engineer does include: study aircraft defects and recommend repairs or modifications design and approve the data needed for modifications and repairs to aircraft design equipment or tools to repair or maintain aircraft create instructions on how to use, maintain and calibrate this equipment discuss designs and data with colleagues, aircraft engineering trades people, aircraft manufacturers and airline owners create paperwork, which is to be kept on file for future reference, for approved data (drawings, technical instructions, assessments and calculations) give technical and regulatory advice to professionals within the aeronautical industry According to the Macquarie Dictionary responsibility is "a particular load of care placed on someone who is responsible".

So the definition of the responsibilities of an aeronautical engineer is to be able to complete all the tasks that are expected of him as a responsible person. Responsibilities of an aeronautical engineer include: assessing requirements agreeing budgets undertaking research producing and implementing designs and test procedures measuring and improving performance of aircraft components and systems problem solving testing evaluating modifying and re-testing product writing reports and documentation and analyzing and interpreting data A major goal in the aeronautical industry is to try and progress in the designs of planes, to make planes a little bit lighter, a little bit safer, a little bit faster and that can carry more people, always trying to improve on their previous performance. With this in the minds of the engineers there have been many innovations that have revolutionized the industry and how people perceive air travel. One of these revolutionary innovations is the stall warning device.

Leonard Michael Greene was the famous inventor of the stall warning device. As you can already assume the stall warning device warns the pilot that the air plane is about to stall. Before this invention, statistics show that over half of all aviation deaths were caused by airplanes stalling. Leonard Michael Greene was greatly affected by being an eye witness to the death of an airplane pilot caused by a stalled engine. This was the reason why Greene invented the stall warning device.

"It may be the greatest life saver since the invention of the parachute" says Saturday Evening Post October 25, 1947. The warning devices come in strips and horns. Stall strips are located on the wing because the manufacturer had determined that that is where they work best. The sharp edge of a stall strip is intended to disturb the smooth flow of air over the wing surface in the area where it is installed just before the rest of the wing begins to stall. This disturbed flow will cause the airplane to shake or shudder slightly, this being the warning to the pilot that there is a stall approaching. If the stall device is set properly, the stall strips will work at about 5 to 10 mph above the normal stall speed of the aircraft.

The stall horn device works differently. The external part of this system fastens to the leading edge of the wing by means of an adjustable slotted plate that can be adjusted up or down. Behind the adjustable plate is a scoop-like piece to which a bug screen is affixed. This, in turn, is attached to an adapter to which a plastic tube is fitted. The plastic tube, being very flexible, is easily routed up to the wing root where a plastic reed horn is stuck into the other end of the plastic tube. That is all there is to the system.

No electric wiring or power is needed. The horn activates just before the wing stalls, very much like the other type of stall warning device, 5 to 10 mph above the stalling speed. The horn sounds off when a negative air pressure is induced at the wings leading edge. This causes a reverse airflow through the horn.

The adjustable plate mentioned earlier controls the speed at which the horn blowing takes place. Moving the plate upward will cause the horn to activate at a higher airspeed. Moving the plate downward conversely causes it to blow at a slower speed. The effect the stall warning devices had on the aeronautical profession and society is enormous. It is a big step in aviation safety giving the engineers and the aeronautical profession a good name.

The device has saved a number of pilots and passengers lives. The pilots and passengers having family, the stall warning device has helped all in a positive way by keeping them alive. The device not only saves the lives of the pilot and crew, but it also saves the plane as well, in turn, saving money for businesses and individuals who own their own plane. This innovation also affects what people think about air travel. Having this feature available on flights gives people piece of mind knowing they are safer during flights. It also encourages people to fly.

In this day and age, the way people use air travel, it would be dangerous for not only people on the airplanes, but for people anywhere underneath the planes flight if the plane didn't have the stall warning device. Without this device, predicting when a plane is about to stall is almost impossible, therefore there would not be enough time to anticipate the stall, therefore endangering the lives of pilots, passengers and civilians. Could you imagine the risks of the frequent domestic flights just from Sydney to Melbourne on us? The number one reason for the large businesses success of air travel, Qantas, is because of the work the aeronautical engineers do.

They work together on planes and ways to improve them whilst providing a service to people. The aeronautical engineer is often the unsung hero when it comes to air travel. They are often placed behind the commercial industry of Qantas, not showing what goes on behind the scene to produce the product. It was thanks to the Wright brothers that in 1903 man successfully flew. Orville Wright flew the first airplane at an altitude of 10 feet, traveled 120 feet and landed 12 seconds after take off.

It was this amazing accomplishment that triggered a fast pace of airplane creations, each new plane outdoing its predecessor. Almost 100 years after first flight we can see we have come a long way and are capable of doing things that were unimaginable when we first discovered flight. Thus showing that innovations never end and leaving us to think, where are we going to be in another 100 years?