Aerospace Store Blog

Aircraft are great examples of the intricacies of modern engineering, consisting of numerous complex parts that work together to ensure safe and efficient flight. Understanding the different types of aircraft parts and their functions is essential for anyone interested in aviation, from enthusiasts to professionals in the industry. This blog will explore the main types of aircraft parts and explain how each contributes to the overall operation of an aircraft.

The internal combustion engine is a marvel of engineering that has powered our modern world for over a century. In fact, it is the heart of most vehicles, enabling them to propel forward with remarkable efficiency. As a refresher on how these assemblies function, this article will delve into the inner workings of an internal combustion engine, exploring the fascinating process involved which convert fuel into motion.

In the world of aviation, the allure of private jets and aircraft is undeniable. They offer unparalleled comfort, flexibility, and efficiency for those who have the chance to take advantage of them. However, with a multitude of aircraft types available, choosing the ideal one to suit your unique needs can be a daunting task. Whether you are considering a turboprop or propeller aircraft, or any other form of private transportation, it is essential to understand the differences and the key factors that will help you make an informed decision.

The jet engine is a marvel of modern engineering that has completely revolutionized the world of aviation since its debut and widespread acceptance. Simply put, a jet engine is a type of gas turbine engine that generates propulsion for flight by ejecting a high-speed stream of exhaust gasses that are created through combustion processes. Moreover, jet engines come in various types, each with its own unique characteristics and applications. With this in mind, we will explore the basics of jet engine assemblies while delving into their different types.

Some of the most effective valves out there are also the simplest, and ball valves are no exception. Featuring a ball with a hole running through it, ball valves are able to control the flow of liquids, gasses, and vapors in a piping system with a simple motion. Operating like a movable pathway, the ball can be turned either so that there is a clear passage running through it or a rounded blockage. This design offers a very easy way of controlling fluid flow in a system by obstructing, restricting, or giving free passage for material to pass through.

Commercial airlines prioritize maintaining quality services for customers while improving efficiency and minimizing costs. Factors impacting these objectives include increased competition, advances in technology, and changing consumer behaviors. Though many factors out of our control impact the efficiency of airlines, there are many strategies used to better improve overall operations. Five methods in particular include investing in the cloud, IT and digital technology, collecting and archiving data, communicating with employees, collaborating with partners, and investing in high-quality aircraft maintenance stands. To explore these strategies in further detail, we encourage you to read through the following blog.

As a key component in a vast array of machinery, a ball bearing offers a simple but effective way of facilitating frictionless motion between parts while adequately “bearing” a load. Though a plethora of ball bearing types exist, each of them tends to have five main components which define them: the retainer, races, lubricant, bearing balls, and shield. In this article, we will be discussing these central parts in detail so you may better understand how ball bearings function.

The aviation industry has a reputation of appealing to the extremely wealthy, but in fact, air travel becomes more accessible every year. In fact, even those looking to invest in their own private aircraft no longer need to be extremely affluent. For an estimated $21,750, those looking to invest without breaking the bank for a private jet can procure their own Beechcraft plane. With a growth potential of 11% of its value, owning any model of Beechcraft aircraft could be a very wise financial decision. If you are considering such a purchase, as many investors currently are, this blog will cover the benefits of Beechcraft aircraft models for your better knowledge.

Aircraft are often blanketed in coatings, sealants, lubricants, finishes, and various other types of substances that create thin films around internal or external components for additional protection against environmental stressors, debris, contamination, and more. For turboprop planes in particular, it is common to have propeller coatings. In fact, it is beneficial to invest in them if you own or operate this type of aircraft.

Bearing pullers are an effective tool for removing bearings, pulleys, gears, and other components from a shaft or recess. However, not just any puller can be used to fit the job. Choosing the right tool is crucial for keeping yourself safe and your machinery working at its best.

Boeing is a powerhouse in the aviation industry, long serving as the leader in commercial aircraft manufacturing. The history of Boeing is tightly linked with the history of US aviation itself as the company has been around for over one hundred years to date. In this piece, we will provide a brief overview of Boeing’s history, allowing you to have a better understanding of how they became the industry giant they are today.

An aircraft engine or aero-engine is the powerplant of a vehicle that works by igniting fuel with air in a combustion chamber to produce immense amounts of energy for powering systems and achieving flight. During operation, excess heat from an overheated engine can set fire to lubricants and cause major damage, such as warping engine surfaces, creating cracks, vaporizing oil, etc. Although most excess heat generated is removed through the exhaust system, that is not enough to ensure safety. To prevent temperature fluctuations, at least 33% of heat needs to be removed by the cooling system. Hence, proper cooling arrangements are necessary for the reliability and longevity of engine parts. Air and liquid cooling systems are assemblies that are often present on aircraft for the means of managing temperatures. Though liquid-cooled engines were regularly used in the early days of aviation, air-cooled engines became dominant in aircraft because of their lower weight and efficient designs. Nevertheless, some aircraft still use a liquid cooling system to dissipate heat from their engine or rely on a combination of both. Therefore, it largely depends on the type of engine one is using. Furthermore, various additional solutions can be used for cooling, including devices such as cowl flaps and radiators. In this blog, we will briefly discuss the types and functions of aircraft engine cooling systems.

When an aircraft has an accident and crashes, it is crucial that investigators are able to piece together the sequence of events that led to the incident, allowing for research to be done for the means of increasing safety and preventing further hazards. With a device known as a flight data recorder (FDR), flight data such as speed, position, and altitude can be stored and analyzed for accident investigation. In the present, flight data recorder equipment will often be paired alongside a cockpit voice recorder (CVR), forming an assembly that is commonly referred to as a black box. As one of the most important devices for the continuous goal of improving aircraft safety, it can be very useful to have a general understanding of how black boxes work and their various features.

Computers are useful devices that allow for countless applications and projects to be carried out, and they are often compatible with a wide number of systems and accessories to extend their use. Whether one wants to transfer files from a device to a computer, connect a peripheral to enhance control over a program, or charge a device, all are made possible through wired connections with the computer. Much of this occurs with the use of a USB port, that of which is a common cable connection interface for many consumer devices. In this blog, we will discuss the USB port in more detail, allowing you to understand how it works and what its benefits are.

Connectors are essential components for any electronic device or system, serving to join connectors together for the means of establishing and managing an electrical circuit. As connectors are often sensitive components that can be damaged as a result of physical force or other stressors, it is crucial that they are well protected. Connector backshells are the answer to this issue, coming in the form of accessories that are threaded onto a circular or Rectangular Connectror. While the main objective of backshell is to guard connectors, they can also serve other various roles such as promoting aesthetics or ensuring optimal connections.

When dealing with wires that one wishes to interconnect, it is important to understand the basics of wire stripping and crimping. Through proper stripping and crimping, one is able to prepare and attach wires together with ease, ensuring that an optimal electrical connection is established and upheld. When dealing with wires that are to be used in an aircraft, it is crucial that the proper tools and methods are utilized for the means of preventing dangerous repercussions. In this blog, we will discuss the basics of such procedures, allowing you to best guarantee optimal conductor connections and wire assemblies.

Circular connectors are commonplace components, regularly paired alongside round cabling for the means of interconnecting different system elements. Benefiting high-speed digital, analog, and power system cabling alike, circular connectors find implementation within aerospace, defense, and medical system applications. Depending on the assembly in question and its particular needs, there are a number of common circular connectors and electrical plugs that one may use. To help you find the perfect fit for your particular requirements, we will provide a brief overview of the most common circular connector variations.

Engineers are constantly looking for innovative ways to protect wiring and other sensitive electrical components. Unprotected wiring can be exposed to heat, moisture, and external electrical charges, easily damaging a circuit. While there are various solutions to electrical wire protection, one of the most popular and reliable is heat shrink tubing. This blog will discuss how heat shrink tubing works and why it is favorable for electrical wiring insulation.

When measuring current in a conductor, there can often be times in which one may not want to make physical contact with the conductor or may not desire to disconnect components. In such instances, an electrical device known as a current clamp meter or current probe meter may be used. Combining a basic digital multimeter with a current sensor, the clamp meter utilizes a hinged jaw to allow a technician toquickly conduct a reading for wires, cables, or other various conductor types.

A drive shaft, also known as a prop or propeller shaft, is a component of a vehicle's drive train which is responsible for transferring torque from the transmission to the wheels. Supplying motion to the differential and creating movement of the vehicle, drive shafts are commonly found in various types of vehicles ranging from motorcycles to locomotives, marine vessels, cars, and other similar vehicles. In motor vehicles, as drive shafts are often used to connect components separated by distance which are needed for the transfer of torque, they routinely come in the form of front-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, and front-engine rear-wheel drive configured cars. To better understand the need for drive shafts and their diverse applications among various vehicle types, we will discuss the premise of these components alongside the primary components necessary to successfully get a vehicle moving.

A breakout box is a specific type of electrical test equipment device, commonly used for integration testing, maintenance endeavors, and various troubleshooting processes. As a device that can test at the system, subsystem, and component level alike, breakout boxes can simplify the means in which the testing of signals is conducted. In this blog, we will discuss the breakout box more in detail, allowing you to better understand the applications and uses that they serve.

Electrical connectors are devices that serve to join together conductors to establish circuits. To serve the vast array of electronics featuring different operating characteristics and requirements, a plethora of connector types have been developed over the years. The pin header is a specific type of connector that is typically used on PCBs, enabling the means of connecting accessories and other boards. As a widely used connector type that serves many printed circuit boards of electronics, understanding the functionality of the device and its design can be beneficial when searching for connectors.

Whether there is an electrical circuit present in a home, commercial building, or an aircraft, it is very important to implement organizational tools and equipment to ensure that circuits and other electrical components are well managed. An electrical junction box is the solution for such needs, and they come in the form of enclosures that may be used to house various electrical connections. Beyond serving organizational needs, a junction box may also be used to protect electrical connections from weather and may guard individuals from shock.

A jack screw, sometimes called a screw jack, is a type of jack utilized by turning a leadscrew. Jack screws are used to do many things, including lift moderately heavy weights such as vehicles, raise and lower the horizontal stabilizer of aircraft, and as adjustable supports for heavy loads such as the foundations of houses. In this blog, we will discuss jack screws in detail.

A circuit breaker is a switch installed in a breaker box to protect your home’s electrical components from overheating or catching fire. During an electrical short or overload, the circuit breaker helps neutralize the problem by interrupting the flow of electricity to the device.

There are three main types of circuit breakers:

Film capacitors, also known as film caps, are electrical capacitors that feature an insulating plastic film as a dielectric, sometimes combined with paper as a carrier of the electrodes. Depending on the desired dielectric strength, the dielectric films are drawn in a special process to an extremely thin thickness and are then provided with electrodes. Film capacitor electrodes can be metallized aluminum or zinc applied directly to the film’s surface, or a separate metallic foil. Two conductive layers are wound into a cylindrical winding, typically flattened to reduce mounting space requirements on a printed circuit board, or layered to form a capacitor body.

The cockpit, or flight deck, is the area in an aircraft from which the pilot controls the aircraft. It contains the flight instruments on an instrument panel, as well as the controls that allow the pilot to fly the aircraft. While every cockpit features dozens of instruments, there are a few that are more important than others. These instruments are the airspeed indicator, altitude indicator, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, heading indicator, and turn coordinator. Together, these instruments are known as the ‘six pack’ and make up the most basic instruments found in virtually all aircraft cockpits. The six pack was first established by the Royal Air Force in 1937, but has since been adopted worldwide. This blog will explain each of the six pack instruments and their functions.

A spring is a device used to store energy. When exposed to a load, energy transfers from the load to the spring. However, not all types of springs use this method of mechanical operation. Some springs, known as gas springs, use compressed gas. Springs of this type feature a gas-filled cylinder that moves a rod up and down in response to a load. Gas springs are definable as hydro-pneumatic, energy storage elements. Nitrogen gas or oil are used to provide compressible and motion control (damping) mediums. Gas springs are highly versatile and can be configured to suit a wide range of applications. This blog will cover what gas springs are, how they work, and how they differ from traditional mechanical springs.

When operating on electronic devices and assemblies, a number of tools are commonly used to conduct jobs efficiently and safely. Without the right tools, parts can be damaged, workers can be harmed, and in some instances, areas may not even be able to be reached. Over the years, more tools have come about, allowing for electricians to have many options at their disposal. In this blog, we will discuss some of the main tools that serve electricians across various applications, allowing you to know what is best for your “must have” kit.

A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine used to drive an aircraft propeller. The basic components of a turboprop engine are the intake, compressor, combustor, turbine, and propelling nozzle. Air is funneled in through the intake and compressed by the compressor. From here, fuel is added to the compressed air in the combustor, where the fuel-air mixture ignites. The hot gases resulting from this combustion then expand through the turbine. Thrust is obtained by the combustion gases pushing towards a vectored surface in front of the expanding gas. The remaining gas is transmitted through the reduction gearing to the propeller. Here, in the propeller nozzle, further expansion of these gases occurs, where they exhaust to atmospheric pressure.