Aviation

Chesley Sullenberger, more famously known as Captain Sully, was known around the world as the man who made the emergency landing of a commercial plane in the Hudson River, and save all lives on the plane. Sully also served 7 years in the Air Force, and flew commercial planes for 29 years. He was also assigned to various safety committees to study plane crashes and pilot reaction. Sully also attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Industrial Psychology and Public Administration. All of this wasn’t just easily attained, as there were many different factors that tied into helping Sully land that plane. And in order for Sully to gain this worldwide success, he had to have extraordinary opportunities and hidden advantages in his early life and adulthood.

Before Sully even flew commercial planes, he was kid with a knack about planes before he could even walk. In his early life, Sully would watch jets come and go from the Perrin Air Force Base (Role Models Book). Sully would also put together model airplanes and read books about aviation, along with magazines about planes or flying (Role Models Book). When Sully was around 16 years old, he went down to his local airport and found somebody to teach him how to fly (Role Models Book). Sully eventually started to fly a lot more, and was taking needed steps into being a Pilot in his later years.

He started to fly gliders in his Sophomore Year (Role Models Book), which undoubtedly helped him in the long run with flying the plane into the Hudson without power to either engine. Sully would eventually graduate high school and move farther into his career of aviation. After applying to the Air Force Academy, Sully was accepted into it, and then went to serve the next 7 years of his life as a fighter pilot (Sully Biography). He received many awards and accolades for his flying, such as the Outstanding Cadet in Airmanship Award (Role Models Book). Sully managed to attain the rank of a Captain while serving in the Air Force, giving him is nickname, “Captain Sully” (Sully Biography).

After being honorably discharged from the US Air Force, Sully went on to become a commercial plane pilot for the next 29 years (Role Models Book). During his flying, he studied with many different boards and committees about crashes, and how pilots will react, how fast they react, and how rational their choices are (Sully Biography). By now, Sully has attained about more than 20,000 hours in the cockpit, making him an elite pilot (Sully Biography). Sully was a very active and ardent safety advocate (Sully Biography), and one of the first groups he took part in was with the Air Force. They selected him to “perform accident investigative duties for the United States Air Force” (Sully Biography). Sully looked into crashes and studied the outcome and the actions that had to be taken at the moment of the crash. Sully calculated survival rates, their reaction time, their rationale, and how long it took. These statistics helped engineers and aviation instructors create better planes, and teach more valuable lessons.

Sully soon went on to be discharged from the Air Force, and started flying commercial planes. Here, he took part and served as an Air Line Pilots Association representative (ALPA), and was a Local Air Safety Chairman (Sully Biography). Sully was also studying the crashes of the commercial airlines, and was figuring out how to prevent them. All of this studying of airline crashes granted Sully the mindset to take action in an emergency situation like the engine failure. Even with how prepared Captain Sully could be, there is no way that he could take all of the credit.

During the plane getting ready for takeoff, a passenger, Dan Norton, took his seat in the exit row, so he read the safety instructions to the door (Role Models Book). A little after the engines started to fail, Sully called in to the Air Traffic Control Tower to give them his situation. He also called in to the Emergency Services around the Hudson and called for help getting out of the Hudson. As soon as Sully landed in the Hudson, the police, the coast guard, and firefighters rushed to the plane. When Sully came out of cockpit, he yelled to everyone to evacuate. The passengers complied and quickly made it outside of the plane. This event cause the fame of Captain Sully, but his past holds all of the reasons that he could complete that landing. His knowledge of plane crashes, his experience in both the cockpit and real life situations, and the people around him all had something to do with landing that plane.

Four pm Spanish time and we were in the Reus airport waiting to go home. We had really enjoyed ourselves in the sun, compared to wet and dreary Northern Ireland but we were really looking forward to getting home and seeing our family again. We had only been there about an hour when we were asked to go to the departure lounge. I thought this was great. We would be in the air promptly and I would see my friends before nightfall. We where flying with Monarch Airlines and we could see the plane over the horizon. As it was landing all that was in my mind were thoughts of home.

The people were getting off the plane and they were rushing for the baggage reclaim. We could see our luggage being transported onto the plane and watched as it was being refuelled. As I took a look around I could see there were no engineers examining the plane. As we settled into our seats the Captain of the plane announced that we would be taking off within the next ten minutes. I was seated at the window, my sister next to me, my mum on the aisle and my dad in the next row. As the plane was powering up I became very nervous. The engines roared and it shot like a bullet along the runway and into the air. I looked out the window and watched.

The airport became just a speck in the distance and I knew we were finally heading home. The cabin crew came along selling headphones for the televisions and I bought a pair and waited to see what was coming on. The TV sets came down but to my surprise they went back up, All the sets were doing this, up then down again and again. The cabin lights flickered and a cold mist came out of the ceiling, I thought this was very strange. We all knew by now something wasn’t right. Then the Captain’s speakers came on and he said in a frightful manner “could the cabin crew come to the cockpit for a briefing” I knew this was not normal.

The speakers came on once more the captain saying, “I am sorry but we will have to return to Reus airport”. My heart started to pump faster. As he said that, the plane went over to the side. I looked out of the window and the ocean was like a magnet pulling the plane down. The Captain pulled back up again and the plane was going the opposite direction. I could see the airport that was just a spec and now was a safe-haven. The plane started its descent to the airport. As I peered out of the window the runway was getting closer. Then the right engine failed. I thought this was all right because we were almost on the ground.

As I turned my head further round the window I saw fire engines and ambulances rushing down beside the plane. My hands gripped onto the arm of the chair like a vice on a piece of hard metal There were children crying but I couldn’t, all I could do was watch the sky. The back wheels of the plane touched down and I held my breath for the final wheel touching the ground. As it did it was like Velcro sticking to the runway. The wheels screeched on the ground and the plane went off to the right and we came to an abrupt halt. Everyone on the plane was silent and all that could be heard were sirens.

One man on the plane started demanding his baggage. Then the Captain announced that we had to go to the departure lounge. Anybody that was a smoker had started smoking on the plane. As we waited in the departure lounge all we were given was a free sandwich and a free drink. We were in the airport for two hours when a thunderstorm occurred. All I could think of was “it could only happen to me”. Then around an hour later the Captain came into the airport and announced that when we took off we had sprayed half our fuel supply over the runway. It was due to a burst fuel pipe and that was why we had such a bad landing.

We were in the airport for a total of seven hours when we could hear a faint sound in the air. All the people came to the windows and looked out. In the distance we could see our new plane coming towards the airport through thunder and lightning. It looked like a superhero coming to our rescue as everybody cheered. As we got on the plane everyone was nervous. We went down the runway and into the air again. As this was happening you could almost hear everyone’s heart beating. As we touched down in Belfast International Airport everyone cheered once more and the pilots wished us all a safe and happy onward journey.

A quadruplet is a multiplier that is lifted by four rotors. Unlike traditional helicopters, the quadruplet use 2 sets of propellers with 2 clockwise and 2 anti- clockwise. It was first designed by Louis Brute in 1907. It lifted off the ground by using four propellers In four different directions. Although It could only go up for several feet, it was a great step for the development of quadruplets. More than a decade later, in the asses, more engineers and scientists developed their own types f oratorical.

Edmond Machine, a French engineer and helicopter designer, successfully designed a multiplier with four rotors that were installed at the ends of four arms. It provided a very high stability at that time and marked a record of 360 meters traveling distance. As time has passed, the quadruplet has changed into different styles and models. In asses-1 sass, the world was undergoing a very rapid economic development. There was a huge demand for transportation of Industrial materials. The quadruplet was a machine that people always prefer to use.

However, due to lack improvement of the quadruplet, it was still not adopted for industrial use. In recent years, many small scale quadruplet are widely used in many ways. As there are many advanced airplanes, quadruplets are no longer under consideration as a means to transport people or commodities. Instead, they are used in different areas, like ordnance surveying, rescue support, film taking etc. Nowadays, quadruplets are always equipped with a camera. The data recorded by a quadruplet can be directly sent to a computer or saved in a storage system.

During the Chuan earthquake In 2008, landslides blocked miles of country roads and properties. The rescuers could not enter the affected area. Also, airplanes could land or fly over some of these remote areas. The situation in the affected area remained unknown for the rescuers. The quadruplet help people to assess the damage quickly and more accurately in the remote areas. The ID robotics quadruplet, supported by a simple GAPS controlled through a computer, allowed the rescue teams to locate the affected areas.

As the quadruplet is small in size and invulnerable, it can travel to very inaccessible places. We no longer need to rely on expensive alternatives like helicopters. Another common application of the quadruplet Is video and film taking. In the old days, if we want to take some scenes in the sky, we would probably need to use an airplane to help us. However, it is very difficult for an airplane to fly between skyscrapers and along narrow streets like In Hong Kong. Yet, but using a quadruplet can help the directors to achieve this goal.

Since the quadruplet can be controlled by remote control or through computer programs, people can control their quadruplet to any direction they like. No matter whether you are standing on a cliff, or in I OFF flexibility and effectiveness of film making. The above applications are not those which are common in most people’s lives. Many people cannot afford to buy a quadruplet. Even if they could afford one, there are few ways that they could use it. However, in the future, we will have a chance to see hundreds of quadruplets flying over our heads.

The world largest online retailer Amazon introduced a new delivery system-?Prime Air. This futuristic system allows customers to get their ordered packages into their hands within half an hour via unmanned aerial vehicles. The specially designed aerial vehicle is based on a prototype of a quadruplet. There are clamps to hold a box under the copter. The aerial vehicle is equipped with and tracked by a very precise GAPS system. It can even direct the copter outside the shopper’s doorstep. In the future, the world’s population will keep increasing. Land will become more crowded.

Other than open up underground areas, the air space is expected to open p when we have better technology capabilities. As online shopping is growing in popularity, the Prime Air not only can boost the efficiency and economic growth, it can greatly reduce the demand for land transportation. To make Prime Air practicable, many weaknesses need to be considered and solved. What people discuss the most is safety. People will probably feel frightened and worried when they see a flying machine whizzing Just ten meters above their heads. People will also wonder whether the clamps strong enough to hold the box without dropping it.

Although the copter is tracked by a very accurate GAPS system, there are many physical obstacles like trees, streetlights, advertisements and even construction sites which are not shown or frequently updated in the system. The technologies nowadays may not be capable to direct the unmanned aerial vehicles to keep away from these obstacles. This puts a restriction on sending a copter to crowded and busy areas like Hong Kong or New York. In the meantime, engineers needs to consider other problems like weather, battery life, load capacity and security.

A quadruplet for goods delivery use needs some kind f design to protect the electronic components inside it and this type of service would be highly susceptible to the weather conditions. If the quadruplet could only operate on dry days, the whole concept may somewhat lose it’s meaning of effective delivery. What’s more, there is no one guard the copter. How can we ensure it can safely and accurately fly to the destination? There are still many things need to deal with in the future to make an application like this a reality. In the future, accoutered will be more commonly used in different aspects.

Strengths

• Low cost operations
• Fewer management level, effective, focused and aggressive management
• Simple proven business model that consistently delivers that lowest fares
• Penetrate and stimulate to potential markets
• Multi-skilled staffs means efficient and incentive workforce
• Single type fleet minimize maintenance fee and easy for pilot dispatch

Opportunities

• Long haul flight is an trial to get undeveloped market share
• Differentiation from traditional LLC model by adding customer services or operation as full service airline tit low fare
• Ongoing industry consolidation has opened up prospects for new routes and airport deals
• High fuel prices will squeeze out unprofitable competitors

Weaknesses

• Service resource is limited by lower costs
• Limited human resources could not handle irregular situation
• Government interference and regulation on airport deals and passenger compensation
• Non- central location of secondary airports
• Brand is vital for market position and developing it is always a challenge
• Heavy reliance on outsourcing
• New entrants to provide the price-sensitive services

Threats

• Full service airlines start cut costs to compete Entrance of other Laces
• High fuel price decreases yield Accident, terrorist attack, and disaster and affect customer confidence
• Aviation regulation and government policy
• Increase in operation cost in producing value-added services
• System disruption due to heavily reliance on online sales

Current Situation

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U. S. Aviation during World War I American aviation was in its infancy when the United States entered WWI in 1917. Most U. S. pilots were untrained in air combat and using aircraft that were less sophisticated than their enemies. When the U. S. joined the allied forces in April of 1917, it had 56 pilots and less than 250 aircraft, which were all obsolete. In July of 1917, congress appropriated $640 million to form 354 combat squadrons. There were no industries in the U. S. at this time manufacturing aircraft.

With a few trial and errors supported by the government, the Bureau of Aircraft Production and a separate Division of Military Aeronautics were established. The new industry produced 11,754 aircraft and the Army set up 27 primary flying schools in the United States. American pilots would not be able to utilize these resources until the end of the war. Many of the sorties flown by U. S. aviators were in foreign aircraft. Some of the airframes used were the Salmson observation airplanes, Spad XIII pursuits, Havilland DH-4’s, Breguet 14’s, and some French balloons.

Although many of these airframes helped win decisive air battles, they were no comparison to the German Fokker. Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that began producing planes in Germany. The “Fokker Scourge” had revolutionary armament and was the most feared airframe during WWI. An American pilot by the name of Eddie Rickenbacker recalls in his book “Fighting The Flying Circus” an opportunity to trade a German pilot his life for his Fokker aircraft.

Although the United States aviation units lacked training and sufficient aircraft, they were still able to make a difference in WWI and go on to have air superiority almost one hundred years later. This could be accredited to winning decisive battles and the U. S. being a “learning organization. ” With the employment of balloons and fixed wing aircraft for trench warfare {text:soft-page-break} reconnaissance, the U. S. was able to save thousands of soldiers while delivering bombs and bullets from the sky. American military leadership saw the importance of this resource and has budgeted in reconnaissance aircraft ever since.

With trench warfare, a stalemate would often develop with both sides having neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. Having air reconnaissance would prove to be valuable in collecting intelligence on enemy positions. These same aircraft would be fitted with bombs to clear forward enemy trench lines and to destroy their rear supply. Air recon planes were outfitted with an observer who would map out enemy strongholds while documenting the size and weapons of the enemy. Aerial reconnaissance later on becomes one the main focuses of the U. S. military.

Reconnaissance aircraft during WWI were large, bulky, and slow. This made it easier for enemy ground troops to shoot down and smaller, faster aircraft to destroy. The Allied and Axis powers both began to send out fighter aircraft to protect these recon planes and to destroy any enemies they came in contact with. This use of smaller, faster, well armed aircraft helped usher in the age of supersonic fighters in modern day warfare. WWI demonstrated the importance of fighters and the U. S. has invested a lot of resources and research into their improvement.

The United States was involved in various amounts of strategic battles during the last two years of the war. Some of these battles would mark the beginning of America’s race for air superiority and the need for heavily-armed aircraft. At the Battle of St. Mihiel, Billy Mitchell was given control of 1, 4821 aircraft, only 40% being American. “It was the largest air force ever assembled for a single operation, consisting of 366 observation airplanes, 323 day bombers, 91 night bombers, and 701 pursuits. ” Pilots reported the destruction of roads and balloons and {text:soft-page-break} aircraft shot down.

The American Air Service being inexperienced in air warfare were undertaking an ambitious air campaign that was unheard of at that time. Although St. Mihiel was not a complete success, Col. Mitchell helped create an independent American Air Force that believes that whatever the opposition is, no mission would ever be turned back. Billy Mitchell took intensive courses on aeronautics taught by allied pilots. “What they had to say and even more, what they were doing, converted him to a theory of air power still unappreciated in the United States. Billy Mitchell understood the importance of air power and how vital it would be to win future wars. He believed this so much that in 1925, he accused Army and Navy leaders of an almost “treasonable act of national security” when he did not receive the funds asked for. Mitchell was court-martialed and retired shortly afterwards. He has been considered the father of the U. S. Air Force and B-25 Mitchell was named in his honor. During WWI, Germany had established air superiority with its flying command “The Flying Circus” led by the German Ace, Baron Manfred von Richtofen. The “Red Baron”, hich he was commonly known, had eighty aerial victories. The Baron and his fleet of Fokker’s would be America’s biggest challenge in getting the upper hand in aerial warfare. Captain Edward Rickenbacker, of the American 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron, was just the man to take on such a powerful foe and make a difference. “Eddie” Rickenbacker was America’s “Ace of Aces” who accounted for twenty-six aircraft shot down. Twenty-two of airframes were airplanes and four of them were balloons. On September 25th, 1918, Rickenbacker downed two planes on his lone attack on seven German planes.

Rickenbacker received the Congressional Medal of Honor for this in 1931. {text:soft-page-break} Captain Rickenbacker was not only an exceptional pilot, but he understood the importance of having a great airframe in the U. S. Army’s arsenal. Rickenbacker, and many other U. S. pilots, only had access to substandard aircraft and in many cases, had to borrow from other countries. During a raid in September of 1918, Captain Rickenbacker and Lt. Coolidge (son of Calvin Coolidge) encountered several German enemies over Grand Pre. Lt. Coolidge, one of the best pilots in the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron, was shot down.

Rickenbacker went on to shoot down several German planes before heading back to Allied territory. Rickenbacker noticed a German Fokker on his way back who’s engine had apparently stalled. Rickenbacker found himself in a curious position and decided that instead of shooting him down, he would bring his “prize” back intact. As the German Fokker began to sail down in the direction Rickenbacker had guided him, another aircraft (Rickenbacker was not sure if it was French or American) came out of nowhere and destroyed the plane. “So nearly had I succeeded in capturing intact a most valuable Fokker from Germany’s most famous Squadron! Captain Rickenbacker and many other American pilots understood the importance of having the upper hand in air warfare. They understood that wars can be won from the sky and great aircraft were needed for this to happen. More pilots lives were lost due to aircraft malfunction than to enemy artillery. Life was short during World War I and American pilots lived it valiantly. This brought the need for safer, reliable aircraft in the U. S. military. With the military’s purchase of 11,754 aircraft near the end of the war, the U. S. was on its way to air superiority.

Some of these planes were cut from the budget after WWI, but soon became a focus during World War II. {text:soft-page-break} Aeronautical achievement by the end of World War I, had won favor not only by the American military, but with the American public. H. G. Wells writes “Every aviator who goes up to fight, will fight all the more gladly with two kindred alternatives in his mind, a knighthood or the prompt payment of a generous life assurance policy to his people. Every man who goes up and destroys either an aeroplane or a Zeppelin in the air should, I hold, have a knighthood if he gets down alive. World War I battles involving aviation helped spark America’s race for air superiority. Military leadership recognized the role aviation would play in future wars and protecting our homeland. More funds and resources were generated to acquire the best aircraft and the best pilots. Without American involvement in such battles as the “Battle of St. Mihiel”, America might have joined the aerospace race even later and met with defeat. Billy Mitchell and Eddie Rickenbacker were also very important players to bring about the new dawn of American aviation, Aerospace Expeditionary Forces.

This paper evaluates the scale of configuration between the JetBlue’s published values and; a) the treatment of internal stakeholders by managers, b) the internal stakeholders ‘ treatment of one another, c) the organization ‘s treatment of external stakeholders, d) the short-term plans of JetBlue, and e) JetBlue’s long-term plans . a) Alignment/configuration between managers’ treatment of internal stakeholders and organization’s values: The internal stakeholders of JetBlue are the owners, the employees as well as the management.

With regard to owners, the underlying strategy for JetBlue is to maximize the value of their wealth which is reflected in profitability as well as high share prices. JetBlue, by pursuing a tactic of employing low-cost operations, which has been attained through operating a single mode fleet (Airbus A320, though Embraer 190 jets that are smaller have been added to the fleet), and by offering single-class services as well as establishment of a ticketless reservation system, has managed to keep operations cost low; a strategy which has enabled the company to continue posting good profits even during turbulent times.

This strategy maps well onto the strategy by the management of offering high dividends as well as high stock prices to shareholders (Carter et al. 2002). However, with regard to employee relationships, some instance have come up that raises questions about fair treatment of workers at JetBlue, especially by their supervisors. For instance, discrimination of workers against age has been recorded as proven by the case of Diane GORZYNSKI v. JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORPORATION (2010).

The issue of workplace discrimination need be curbed by the management since it could have huge negative implications especially on financials (legal settlements) as well as brand image for the corporation. b) Alignment between internal stakeholders’ treatment of one another and JetBlue’s values. JetBlue Airways has a policy in place which desires to create a friendly environment for all of its workers. One effective method by which the airline has maintained high motivation amongst its workers is purchase and maintenance or brand new aircrafts.

The desired outcomes of a high degree of motivation amongst workers are reproduced across the organization in terms of worker productivity (which in the case of JetBlue is degree of customer satisfaction). c) Alignment between organization’s treatment of external stakeholders and JetBlue’s values. The external stakeholders of the company includes customers, suppliers, government agencies, the media, strategic partners, professional organizations and associations, interest groups, communities, among others. The value of JetBlue Airline with regard to its customers is to make their flying experience as simple as well as pleasant as possible.

In line with this, the company has created a Customer Bill of Rights, which is meant to be subjected to the highest safety and security level for the sake of customers as well as the crew members(www. jetblue. com). Further, JetBlue always notifies its customers of flight cancellation, delays or diversion on time to reduce the inconveniences such actions causes to customers. At the option of the customers, JetBlue will either refund them fully or offer re-accommodation in the next scheduled flight at no additional cost.

If a flight is cancelled within four hours of scheduled flight, the customers are provided with fifty dollars credit redeemable at future travel with the airline. This is perfectly in line with the airlines values of providing the customers with services that derive maximum customer satisfaction. d) Configuration between JetBlue’s short-term plans and its values. JetBlue has set out short-term plans such strategic partnership with other airlines in line with providing satisfactory flight services to its customers.

The partnerships are aimed at enabling the clients of both partners to make flight connections faster and easily to destinations one partner has no route to. Regarding this, South Africa Airways, Aer Lingus, Cape Air, and Lufthansa have been brought on board (www. jetblue. com). However, this partnership may not auger very well with the low-cost value of the company as the partners most probably than not stick to their operations strategies, which could have high operation costs and hence higher air fares. e) Alignment between the company’s long-term plans and its values;

The long term goals of the airline is expansion which will see addition of more planes and flight destinations, hence bringing the benefits of high-quality low-cost airline services to many middle-sized cities who are hungry for the same, expand customer base, grow market share and in addition increase JetBlue brand awareness. In this regard, the airline company has entered into purchase contracts with Airbus and Embraer that would see it acquire more low capacity planes, a move that will push the airline’s fleet close to three hundred planes by the year 2015 (www.

jetblue. com). This move fits the airline values of offering their customers low-cost yet high-quality and memorable flight experience, maximizing the value of shareholders wealth as well as keeping the employees highly satisfied with their jobs. But the airline must reckon the fact that expansion does not always translate into success. As a matter of fact, it serves to multiply the risks of doing business. It thus has to set forth appropriate risk mitigation mechanisms that would check the expansion programme from turning into a flop. Conclusion;

JetBlue has a fairly good strategy alignment between the various stakeholders as well as the goals of the organization, both short-term and long-term with regards to its set values. The airliner however needs to keep revaluating the alignment of the various multiple relationships involving people as well as plans that exists in its organizational structure so as to ensure maximum and continuously productive configuration is attained. REFERENCES: Carter, G. , DiSciullo, W. , & Kalmans, A. (2002). Strategy Final: Is JetBlue’s strategy conducive to sustaining profitability?.

Retrieved August 9, 2010, from http://www. mcafee. cc/Classes/BEM106/Papers/UTexas/2002/jetblue. pdf GORZYNSKI v. JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORPORATION (2010). Docket No. 07-4618-cv. . Retrieved August 9, 2010, from http://caselaw. findlaw. com/us-2nd-circuit/1508597. html Weiss, T. (20 February 2007). JetBlue’s Survival School. Forbes. Retrieved August 9, 2010, from http://www. forbes. com/2007/02/20/neeleman-jet-blue-lead-cx_tw_0220jetblueceo. html JetBlue Airways Inc. (2010). Airline partners. Retrieved August 9, 2010, from http://www. jetblue. com/about/airlinepartners. html

We know the four basic forces that act on an aircraft that make it fly. There are however a combination of physical and aerodynamic forces that contribute to a left-turning tendency in propeller driven airplanes. The forces of P-factor, torque, slipstream, and gyroscopic precession all work to create a left-turning tendency during high-power, low-airspeed flight. P-Factor is a force from the propeller. It is also known as Asymmetrical Thrust.

When you are flying an airplane at high angles of attack, the descending blade (right side) of the propeller takes a greater ”bite” of air than the ascending blade(left side). This then causes the airplane to yaw to the left about the vertical axis. P-Factor is most pronounced when the engine is operating at a high power setting, and when the airplane is flown at a high angle of attack. In level flight, P-Factor is not apparent, since both the ascending and descending blades have almost the same AoA and are approximately creating the same thrust.

Torque is greatest at low airspeeds, high power settings, and high angels of attack. Torque is better remembered by knowing Newton’s third law of motion. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reacion. ” Most single engine aircraft where the motor is mounted on the front, the propeller rotates clockwise when viewed form the cockpit. When the engine puts a force on the propeller turning it to the right, the airplane reacts and rolls in the opposite direction about the longitudinal axis.

As the propeller creates thrust and produces a backwards flow of air, or slipstream, the air “wraps” around the airplane. Since there is a clockwise rotation of the propeller, the resultant slipstream flows over the top of the fuselage back around and underneath, then comes around to strike the left side of the vertical stabilizer. Which then yaws the aircraft to the left. As airspeed is increased, the slipstream tends to “stretch” out and the left turning force is less apparent. The propeller on an airplane can be compared to a gyroscope – rigidity in space and precession.

The characteristic that produces a left-turning tendency is precession. Gyroscopic Precession can be defined as the resultant reaction when a force is applied to a rotating disc. When a force is applied to say the top of the disc, the reaction then is moved in the direction of rotation and approximately 90 degrees ahead of the point where the force is applied. Clockwise turning propellers, when this force is in effect, will yaw the airplane to the left. The effects will be experienced when the aircrafts attitude is changed.

This force is not so apparent on tricycle landing gear aircraft, but on tail wheel airplanes, when on takeoff roll as the tail is raised the precession is greatest. Remember that these four left-turning tendencies in propeller driven aircraft, torque, gyroscopic precession, asymmetrical thrust (p-factor), and spiraling slipstream, have their greatest effect during high power, low-airspeed flight conditions. A good and thorough understanding of the effects can help you anticipate and correct for their effects. ———————– [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic]