Avionics Flashcards
What two methods can be used for anti-icing?
Hot air
Electrical heaters
What components can the formation of ice have serious effect on and how?
Windscreen - lose visibility
Pitot Static Systems - instrument failure
Engine and engine bay - engine malfunction
Rotor Blades/Flying controls - loss of lift/seizure
What is the prime objective of the ejection seat?
To save lives
What must you ensure is inserted in the ejection seat when the aircraft is on the ground?
Safety Pins
Who is responsible for moving some of the ejection seat safety pins during maintenance?
A qualified AE
Who is responsible for ensuring the safety of the seat prior to entry?
Everyone entering/working in the vicinity of the cockpit
What does AAES stand for?
Aircraft Assisted Escape System
What equipment does the flotation gear system consist of?
Inflatable Bags
Pressurised gas bottle - used for inflation
How is a the pressurised gas bottle in the flotation gear system operated?
Operated by an electrical valve, which can be initiated manually or by submersion actuators
What is the purpose of aircraft lighting systems?
To illuminate the cockpit, cabin, control and instrument panels
To provide navigation and external lighting
What does CWS stand for?
Centralised Warning System
Why are warning systems incorporated in an aircraft?
To indicate to the crew if there is a malfunction so that appropriate action can be taken
What is the purpose of the CWS?
To monitor certain services and systems and to advise the pilot on the state of the aircraft
What do aircraft operated by the FAA have the capability to do? (Weapon carriage and release)
Carry, and when required, release, fire or jettison various weapons in either a live or safe environment
Where are release units fitted on an aircraft?
At the weapon stations
What are the 4 basic types of armament circuit?
Firing Circuit
Release Circuit
Jettison Circuit
Arming Circuit
Explain the Firing Circuit
Operates forward firing weapons
E.G; Guided Weapons, Guns and Rockets
Explain the Release Circuit
Drops or pushes weapons away from the aircraft
E.G; Bombs, Depth Charges or Torpedoes
Explain the Arming Circuit
Enables the aircrew to decide if a weapon is fired or released in either a live or safe condition
Explain the Jettison Circuit
Used in the event of an emergency to release all stores from the aircraft in a safe condition
What does SONAR stand for?
SOund Navigation And Ranging
What is a sonar system?
An underwater pulsed radar, which detects and tracks submarines using sound waves rather than radar waves
What target information is provided by a sonar?
Range
Bearing
Relative Speed
What 2 modes of operation can sonar be used in?
Passive
Active
Explain Passive operation for a sonar system
Remains in the water to listen for any noise that might be generated by a potential target
What is an advantage of the Passive operation?
They do not transmit (or produce any noise) therefore do not alert the target that it is being tracked
Explain Active operation for a sonar system
Radiate a pulse of sound energy through the water, listen for the energy to be reflected from a submerged object and then receive a reflected echo
Which of the 2 modes of sonar operation provides range, relative speed and bearing information?
Active
What does ECM stand for?
Electronic Counter Measures
What does an ECM include?
- Any sort of electrical or electronic device designed to fool radar, sonar or other detection systems like IR and Laser
- May be used both offensively or defensively in any method to deny targeting information to an enemy
What are the 2 parts to an electrical power system?
Generation - part of the system which supplies power and controls all the voltage requirement for the aircraft.
Distribution - part of the system that feeds the supplies to the loads.
What are the 2 main power supply in an aircraft?
AC alternator which produces 115/200 V AC to the system.
DC generator which produces 28V to the system.
Whatis the purpose of aircraft imstruments?
To provide crew with essential information.
What are the 3 categories of a typical instrument panel layout? And give examples of each.
Flight instruments - airspeed indicator, altimeter, attitude indicator, and ROCDI.
Navigation instruments - main compass and standby compass.
Servicing monitoring instruments - fuel contents, oil temps and pressure.
What is a pitot static?
An instruments that provides the altitude and airspeed of the aircraft by using the properties of the atmosphere.
What is an altimeter and what is it measured in?
An altimeter indicated the height of the aircraft to the pilot and is measured in feet.
What does ROCDI stand for? And what is it?
Rate Of Climb and Descent Indicator.
Also known as VSI ( Vertical Speed indicator).
Indicates to the pilot the rate of climb or descent of air raft during flight
What is an airspeed indicator and what is it measured in?
It measure the speed of the aircraft relative to the surrounding air, and it’s measured in knotts.
How does amagnetic detector unit work?
It works by detecting the earth’s magnetic field. The direction of the field is displayed on a compass indicator to show the aircraft direction (when compared to the earths magnetic field.
What is a gyroscope?
A gyro is an alternative method of indicating the direction and movement of the aircraft. They are classified as horizontal or vertical which form the basic part of instruments and systems that indicates the attitude of the aircraft.
What electrical services are required to ensure a safe and efficient operation of an aircraft engine?
1) fire protection
2) fire detection
3) engine temperature and pressure
4) fuel supply and control
5) starting and ignition
What is an autopilot system?
A device which automatically maintains the aircraft in a desired flight conditions.
What are the 3 autopilot system channels that are used to control the aircraft, including helicopter?
Pitch - controlled by the elevators ( up and down)
Yaw -controlled by the rudders (left and right)
Roll - controlled by the ailerons (wing tips up pr down)
Collective - change of height in helicopter.
What is an example of how an ECM works?
To make many separate targets appear to the enemy, or make the real target appear to disappear or move about randomly
What does EPM stand for?
Electronic Protective Measures
What does an EPM include?
Equipment and techniques to allow electronic systems (radar and communications) to operate effectively while attempts are being made to disrupt or jam their operation
What does the use of radar provide for aircraft?
Accurate navigational information in all weather conditions
How does the Doppler system work?
- Transmits radio signals at angles towards the earth’s surface from an aerial on the underside of the aircraft
- Reflected Radio signals are changed slightly due to the A/C’s movement over the ground
- Doppler system compares the transmitted signals to the received signals
- Calculates the A/C speed across the ground
How is radar range determined?
- Radar signal transmitted and travels from the scanner
- Signal is reflected back from the object it is trying to locate
- Primary radar system uses time taken from pulse out to back in to calculate range of target
Besides the range, what other information does the radar provide?
Bearing
How is the bearing determined in a radar system?
Bearing of a target is read from the angle between the A/Cs heading and the position of the scanner
Transmitted radar signal is concentrated into a very narrow beam which is made to move across a defined area
The radar energy will only be reflected back when the beam encounters the target
**THE DIRECTION THE SCANNER IS POINTING, IN RELATION TO THE AIRCRAFTS HEADING, WILL GIVE THE BEARING OF THE TARGET
What information do secondary radars provide?
- Detects and measures the position of aircraft
- requests additional information from the A/C such as identity and altitude
What do secondary radar systems rely on?
The aircraft being equipped with a radar TRANSPONDER
What does a radar transponder do?
reply to each received radar signal by transmitting the required (encoded) data
What does RADAR mean?
Radio Aid to Detection And Ranging
What two types of radars can you have?
Primary
Secondary
Explain what a Primary Radar is
Systems that do not rely on the willing co-operation of the target to produce a reply
Explain what a Secondary Radar is
Systems which willingly produce and transmit a strong reply when interrogated by a primary radar system
How do Primary Radars work?
Detect aircraft and other targets using radar waves where the pulses are very high-powered
They are radiated from an aerial (scanner)
If the energy encounters a target, a small portion is reflected back to the scanner
What are the two primary information that radars are designed to provide?
Range and Bearing
some systems can also provide height information
What is used as the primary method of verbal communication from the A/C to ground, A/C TO A/C or A/C to ship
A/C radio system
What does a basic radio system consist of?
Transmitter
Receiver
What does a transmitter do?
Converts the message into the form of radio waves
What does a receiver do?
Picks up radio waves from the transmitter and converts it back to its original message
What provides aircraft crew members with an intercom facility between all crew members?
CCS (Communication Control System)
What does CCS stand for?
Communication Control System
When would a CCS be available?
When the aircraft has more than one crew member
What else does a CCS provide other than an intercom facility between all crew members?
Gives all crew members the ability to select any of the connected radio systems and control the volume of that system
