Curiosities
2,003 news found
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "Airfoil"<b>
Rome, Italy - It is the shape of a wing or blade, of a propeller, rotor or turbine
An Airfoil is the shape of a wing or blade (of a propeller, rotor or turbine) or sail as seen in cross-section. An airfoil shaped body moved through a fluid produces a force perpendicular to the motion... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "Angle of Attack"<b>
Rome, Italy - Also called ?
Angle of Attack (AoA, ?, Greek letter alpha) is a term used in aerodynamics to describe the angle between the airfoil's chord line and the relative airflow, wind, effectively the direction in which the... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>R as "Roll"<b>
Rome, Italy - The rotation around the longitudinal axis
Roll is rotation around the longitudinal axis, an axis drawn through the body of the vehicle from tail to nose in the normal direction of flight, or the direction the pilot faces. The roll angle is... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>Y as "Yaw"<b>
Rome, Italy - The rolling of a naval vehicle or an aircraft
The Yaw, to rotate about a vertical axis; used in naval architecture, navigation, aeronautics and flight dynamics. Rotation about horizontal axes are called pitch and roll. Yaw angle, the angle about... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>P as "Prandtl's Vortical Theory"<b>
Rome, Italy - The aerodynamic behaviour's study of the real world wings interested several fluid mechanics scientists, among which Lanchester, Kutta, Joukowsky and Prandtl
Following earlier leads by Frederick Lanchester, Prandtl worked with Albert Betz and Max Munk on the problem of a useful mathematical tool for examining lift from real world wings. The results are known... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs ... <b> S as Sesquiplane <b>
Rome, Italy - Equipped of particular aerodynamic solution in the wing airframe
The sesquiplane is a biplane in which the lower wing has a span inferior compared to that of the upper one: in some cases the length is sufficient only to accommodate the structures that support the superior... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b> T as Triplane <b>
Rome, Italy - For the writer, among the most fascinating planes in aviation history
The triplane is an aircraft equipped with six semi-wings, each of the same dimension and mounted one on the other. Usually the lower wing is mounted in correspondence with the inferior edge of the fuselage,... more
CuriositiesAerospace terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>C as "COSMO-SkyMed"<b>
Rome, Italy - The second satellite will be launched this night
The COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation is a low-orbit dual-use Earth observation satellite system operating in the X-band. Funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and Ministry of Defence the programme... more
CuriositiesSanta Claus lands in the airport of Orio al Serio
Bergamo, Italy - Arrival scheduled for Saturday morning
"Santa Claus lands in the airport of Bergamo-Orio al Serio together with his elves. The arrival of the popular character is scheduled at 9:30 am of Saturday, December 8th with a flight coming from Rovaniemi,... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>P as "Polecat"<b>
Rome, Italy - Project funded internally by Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Polecat is an UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed and funded internally by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs division in Palmdale, California. The Polecat, designated... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "NATO Phonetic Alphabet"<b> (2)
Rome, Italy - The writer of some letters can change in some published versions, because this alphabet has been created to be spoken
A - Alpha B - Bravo C - Charlie D - Delta E - Echo F - Foxtrot G - Golf H - Hotel I - India J - Juliet K - Kilo L - Lima M - Mike N - November O - Oscar P -... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "NATO Phonetic Alphabet"<b>
Rome, Italy - Developed in the 1950s by ICAO
The Phonetic Radiotelegraph Alphabet, often called also NATO Phonetic Alphabet, was developed in the 1950s by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to be understandable (and pronounceable)... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs...<b> P as "English Aeronautic Phraseology"<b>
Rome, Italy - Some of the standard terms that pilots exchange between plane and plane and plane and control tower
Acknowdlege = Give me roger, let me know if you have received and understood the message. Affirm = Affirmative, yes. Approved = Permission granted. Break: word used to separate different parts... more
CuriositiesHow to load a Mangusta on a C-130J
Orio al Serio, Italy - It is a quick substitution for another one used in Afghanistan
In the last days, for the the first time in Italy, an A-129C "Mangusta" helicopter, of the Italian Aero Brigade "Friulia" has been loaded inside an Italian Air Force C-130J airplane for a quick deployment... more
CuriositiesOfficial aircraft of Real Madrid is no longer welcomed by players
Madrid, Spain - The "Saeta" would be too noisy for some airports
According to Spain's Real Madrid football club players, the new McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft, (see AVIONEWS), named "Saeta" (arrow) taken for three years by the Club organization with an agreement... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>M as "Mach"<b>
Rome, Italy - It is named after Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach
Mach number (Ma) (pronounced: [m??k], [m?x], [mæk], see IPA) is a dimensionless measure of relative speed. It is defined as the speed of an object relative to a fluid medium, divided by the speed of sound... more
CuriositiesA furry crocodile on board, the plane stays put
Rome, Italy - Two-hour delay for the passengers of the Ryanair flight from Rome-Ciampino to Bergamo-Orio al Serio
A strange event was happened this morning in the Rome-Ciampino airport. A Ryanair flight bound for Bergamo-Orio al Serio left with a delay of two hours since a flight attendant saw a big furry crocodile... more
CuriositiesSixth report on practical preparations for the EURO
Brussels, Belgium - Countdown for Cyprus and Malta
"With only five weeks to go before the adoption of the euro by Cyprus and Malta, the Commission made a final assessment of the state of practical preparations for the currency changeover in both countries.... more
CuriositiesAerospace terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>G as "GLONASS"<b>
Rome, Italy - Managed by the Russia Army is counterpart of GPS and Galileo
GLONASS (Russian: ??????? - ?????????? ????????????? ??????????? ???????; tr.: GLObal'naya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema; English: Global Navigation Satellite System) is a radio-based satellite... more
CuriositiesAerospace terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>N as "NOTAM"<b>
Rome, Italy - The quasi-acronym for a "Notice To Airmen"
NOTAM is the quasi-acronym for a "Notice To Airmen". NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the Convention... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "Alphabet"<b>
Rome, Italy - Used in the radio communications
The ICAO alphabet, more formally the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet, assigns words to letters of the alphabet for clearer enunciation. The paramount reason is to ensure intelligibility... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>F as "FADEC"<b>
Rome, Italy - It functions during all engine operations
FADEC (Full-Authority Digital Electronic Control) is a digital electronic fuel control for a gas turbine engine that functions during all engine operations, hence "Full-Authority". It includes the electronic... more
CuriositiesAerospace terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>E as "EGNOS"<b>
Rome, Italy - A precursor to Galileo
EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) is Europe’s first venture into satellite navigation. It augments the capabilities of the two military satellite navigation systems now operating, t... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>L as "LAHSO"<b>
Rome, Italy - Land And Hold Short Operations
LAHSO - Land And Hold Short Operations, operations which include simultaneous takeoff and landings and/or simultaneous landings when a landing aircraft is able and is instructed by the controller to hold... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>L as "LOAM"<b>
Rome, Italy - Laser Obstacle Avoidance System
The LOAM is a state-of-the-art navigational aid system for rotary wing platforms specifically designed by SELEX Communications (a Finmeccanica Group) to detect potentially dangerous obstacles placed in... more
CuriositiesAirAsia, renewed contract with Manchester United
Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia - The low-cost airline signed the partnership also for 2008
Manchester United renewed its partnership with the Asian low-cost carrier AirAsia and Malaysia Tourism Board for 2008. On the airline plane reserved for the legendary "Red Devils" have drawn the images... more
CuriositiesAerospace terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>G as "Galileo"<b>
Rome, Italy - The Europe's major programme for satellite navigation
Galileo is the Europe's major programme for satellite navigation, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service under civilian control with multi-mode coverage. The first experimental... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>F as "FMS"<b>
Rome, Italy - Flight Management System
FMS (Flight Management System) - A computer system that uses a large data base to allow routes to be programmed and fed into the system by means of a data loader. The system is constantly updated with... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "Aster"<b>
Rome, Italy - In the field of Franco-Italian FSAF programme
The ASTER family of vertically launched missiles is being developed by MBDA within the Franco-Italian FSAF (Future Surface-to-Air Family) programme. Aster 30 will feature in a family of air defence... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>P as "PAR P-2090CM"<b>
Rome, Italy - Particularly useful for emergency applications
P.A.R. 2090C, designed by Galileo Avionica, is an X band, state-of-the-art ground controlled precision approach radar, particularly useful for emergency applications to allow the landing and taking off... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>M as "Mars Express"<b>
Rome, Italy - Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the satellite integration and testing
Mars Express is the European scientific probe to study the atmosphere of Mars and map the geology of its surface. Thales Alenia Space was responsible for the satellite integration and testing, and... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>G as "GAAA"<b>
Rome, Italy - Problems found in specific models of aircraft
General Aviation Airworthiness Alerts (Gaaa). Documents furnished by the FAA - Federal Aviation Administration - to technicians alerting them of problems that have been found in specific models of aircraft,... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>G as "GOCE"<b>
Rome, Italy - An ESA programme
The GOCE, Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer is a ESA (European Space Agency) programme dedicated to measuring the Earth's gravity field and modelling the geoid with extremely high... more
CuriositiesCanada: a new astounding Winter sport, the HangBoard
Montreal, Canada - A sport that embraces three different activities
A new astounding Winter sport arrives from Canada and it is being global successfuls. We are talking about HangBoard, a sport that embraces three different activities like snowboard, hang-gliding and mountainbike. For... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>E as "Elettra Twin Flyers"<b>
Rome, Italy - Suitable for border and maritime surveillance missions
By being an unmanned platform, able to stand with the adverse weather conditions and to operate with low-cost, makes the ELETTRA Twin Flyers a very versatile product suitable for border and maritime surveillance... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>R as "Rosetta"<b>
Rome, Italy - Launched in 2004, it will reach the target in 2014
Rosetta is a probe designed to reach and study the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during one of its periodic visits to the inner Solar System. Thales Alenia Space, a Finmeccanica company,... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>R as "RAN-40L"<b>
Rome, Italy - It ensures instrumental detection of aircraft up to 400 Km in range and up to 30 Km in height
RAN-40L, produced by SELEX Sistemi Integrati, is an advanced D-band, fully Solid State Phased Array, 3D Air Surveillance Radar that ensures instrumental detection of aircraft up to 400 Km in range and... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>M as "Meteor"<b>
Rome, Italy - It will fit out Eurofighter Typhoon, SAAB Gripen and Rafale multirole fighters
Meteor, produced by MBDA, a Finmeccanica company, will meet the requirements of six European Nations for a superior Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile system to excel in all future combat scenarios... more
Curiosities"Cambia e vola a New York" contest
Rome, Italy - Announced by American Airlines and Travelex foreign exchange company
Those who, from November 15 to next January 15, will change money in the aireports of Rome-Ciampino or Rome-Fiumicino, might win one of the five air tickets provided by American Airlines in cooperation... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>M as "Marte"<b>
Rome, Italy - For ASUW helicopters
Marte, produced by MBDA, Finmeccanica Group, is a medium-range anti-ship missile designed for the new generation of naval anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare (ASUW) helicopters employed to support... more
CuriositiesWhat a joy travelling as a King
Berlin, Germany - The airplanes of Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, sovereign of Saudi Arabia
After last Wednesday's Roman visit and his meeting with the Pope, king Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, sovereign of Saudi Arabia, took off headed to Berlin, where he landed with its personal aircraft, a B-747.... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "ALE-9"<b>
Rome, Italy - Designed by SELEX Sistemi Integrati
ALE-9 or MSSR ( Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar) Antenna is a Planar Antenna for Secondary Surveillance Radar (Monopulse or S* Mode), used in systems for controlling enroute or approaching aircraft,... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>M as "MCS - Mission Core System"<b>
Rome, Italy - For the M-346 advanced trainers
The MCS - Mission Core System is a state-of-the-art, open architecture, highly flexible avionic suite developed by Galileo Avionica for the Aermacchi M-346 advanced trainers. The Mission Core System... more
CuriositiesAeronautical terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>F as "FALCO"<b>
Rome, Italy - A unique system for optronic and electronic surveillance roles
The FALCO UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) System is a Medium Altitude Endurance & Tactical UAV designed by Galileo Avionica for optronic and electronic surveillance roles. The basic mission is target detection,... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>M come "Mirach 100/5"<b>
Rome, Italy - Defense Electronics
MIRACH 100/5 is a high subsonic aerial target, used for advanced training of surface-to-air missile battery groups and weapon system qualification, designed by Galileo Avionica. The Mirach 100/5 System... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>A as "Autogyro"<b>
Rome, Italy - From the idea to create an aircraft that could never stall
An Autogyro is a type of rotorcraft invented by Juan de la Cierva in 1919, making its first successful flight on January 9, 1923 at Cuatro Vientos Airfield in Madrid, Spain. The lift for an autogyro is... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>S come "Sicral"<b>
Rome, Italy - In service since May 2001
Sicral is the first Italian system for secure military communications. The system operates in the UHF, SHF and EHF/Ka bands and has been in service since May 2001. Sicral is based on innovative technologies... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>I as INS<b>
Rome, Italy - A long-range navigation system
INS (Inertial Navigation System) a form of computerized long-range navigation system that is entirely independent of outside signals. The exact latitude and longitude of the aircraft is entered into the... more
CuriositiesWar plane recovery (2): the work began about two years ago
Udine, Italy - The pilot's remains stay currently in the mortuary chapel of the Portogruaro cemetery, near Venice
Among these there was also Kurt Niederhagen, who after has been hit and after a rapid nosedive fell to the ground. It was a terrible impact, the plane wreckage and remains pilot have been found even in... more
CuriositiesAeronautic terminology in dribs and drabs... <b>C as "Cassini-Huygens"<b>
Rome, Italy - An international joint programme
Cassini-Huygens is a joint-programme among NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and ASI (Italian Space Agency) to study Saturn and its nine major moon. The spacecraft, launched into orbit on October 15th,... more