Curious Questions :)

[Guest fyrestrtr]

Just somethings I have always wondered:1. How long does it take to fill all the fuel in an empty 747? How much do the wings flex with all the fuel weight?2. Does the yoke and throttle move as the autopilot corrects in real life like it does in the simulator? If so, how do pilots avoid disconnecting the autopilot when touching against the flight controls?3. Is it possible to land a 747 with only one operational engine?4. On some planes, there is a wire going from about the enter of the fuselage to the tip of the tail, what is this wire for?Thanks for any hints! :)

[Guest airbus2]

Hey.Cant answer all your questions but i'll have a shot at question 1 and 4.1) As far as i know, boeings are fitted with devices in the throttles which moves them to the correct settings. As far as the yoke, im not too sure.4) This can be seen on older aircraft, such as the old world war 2 fighters and some planes built afterward, it is simply a radio antenna.I hope this helps, im pretty sure i am correct on most areas.David

[Cessnaflyer 56]

2. It depends on the type of control system. Servos that move the controls or fly by wire. The bonanza I fly has servos that move the flight controls and yoke and you are supposed to out muscle them if they ever get locked on the controls.3. It is possible to land a 747 with no engines. 4. This is the ADF aerial wires. To use a ADF system you need a straight ADF antenna and a loop antenna. On older aircraft the loop is usually separate from the straight antenna. Now on most airplanes the whole setup is contained in a flat pack about 6 inches by 3 inches on the bottom of the fuselage.

[Guest christianholmes]

From what I understand:2. Yes, the flight controls move. The autopilot does not disconnect if you press the controls.3. The 747 experts are over at http://www.aerowinx.com/ I used to own PS1, but it was just way over my head. I sold it on Ebay.

[michal 44]

>If so, how do>pilots avoid disconnecting the autopilot when touching against>the flight controls?They simply don't touch them (not that difficult) because otherwise autopilot will indeed disconnect (some minimum force required). But it actually depends on what autopilot you have and in some smaller airplanes there is no automatic disconnection.Michael J.