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Difference between revisions of "Common Questions and Answers"
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→Other Questions: Add What does "sloshed/suitable for aromatic fuel(s)" mean? Section
(→Other Questions: Add Why is piloting a tail wheel airplane so difficult? Section) |
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For the reasons above, most modern aircraft use tricycle or nose landing gear configuration. This transition began during World War II and was apparently significant enough of an problem for pilots that the Army Air Force issued a technical order explaining the differences between the two different configurations.<ref>{{cite book |title=General: Operation and Technique of Nose Wheel Airplanes |date=19 April 1943 |publisher=Headquarters of the Army Air Forces, War Department |location=Washington |page=1-6 |url=http://app.aircorpslibrary.com/document/viewer/j14genjw34 |access-date=5 August 2024}}</ref>{{efn|This technical order is particularly interesting due to the very basic level of explanation and use of casual, non-technical language. It almost reads as though it was written for an amateur.}} | For the reasons above, most modern aircraft use tricycle or nose landing gear configuration. This transition began during World War II and was apparently significant enough of an problem for pilots that the Army Air Force issued a technical order explaining the differences between the two different configurations.<ref>{{cite book |title=General: Operation and Technique of Nose Wheel Airplanes |date=19 April 1943 |publisher=Headquarters of the Army Air Forces, War Department |location=Washington |page=1-6 |url=http://app.aircorpslibrary.com/document/viewer/j14genjw34 |access-date=5 August 2024}}</ref>{{efn|This technical order is particularly interesting due to the very basic level of explanation and use of casual, non-technical language. It almost reads as though it was written for an amateur.}} | ||
=== What does "sloshed/suitable for aromatic fuel(s)" mean? === | |||
A substance is "aromatic" if it has a "noticeable and pleasant smell".<ref>{{cite web |title=Aromatic |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aromatic |website=Merriam-Webster |access-date=5 August 2024}}</ref> When used in context of fuels, it refers to a category of chemical compounds related to benzene that were historically grouped together due to the fact they had a common smell.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aromaticity |url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromaticity |website=Wikipedia |access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Aromatic Compound |url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromatic_compound |website=Wikipedia |access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref> | |||
These types of compounds were added to aviation fuels during the war because they increased engine performance.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Graff |first1=Cory |title=Mustang Was 'Suitable for Aromatic Fuels' |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/life/mustang-was-suitable-for-aromatic-fuels |website=HeraldNet |access-date=6 August 2024 |date=30 April 2014}}</ref> However, they were also highly corrosive and if certain parts of the fuel system of an aircraft were not specially treated, specifically the rubber used in seals and self-sealing fuel tanks, it could cause damage.<ref>{{cite book |title=Aviation Fuels and Their Effects on Engine Performance |date=1945 |page=37 |url=http://app.aircorpslibrary.com/document/viewer/s15fsjwis79 |access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 1946 |title=The Story of the Self Sealing Fuel Tank |url=http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1946/february/story-self-sealing-tank |magazine=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref> | |||
The aircraft that had this treatment therefore had a note added to the technical data block on the side of the fuselage that it was safe to use these type of fuels in them. | |||
== References == | == References == | ||