
Related Questions
- How do the blades of a jet engine start turning?
- Can helicopters fly upside down?
- Is it possible to make solar-powered airplanes?
- Can a honeybee cause a sonic boom if it travels fast enough?
- How can a person ride a motorcycle 100 mph but not stand up in a 100 mph wind?
- Why does traffic bottleneck on freeways for no apparent reason?
- Are Santa’s reindeer used for propulsion or navigation?
- Can I start my car with a voice command?
- Will cars ever be able to drive themselves?
- How does an aircraft steer while taxiing on a runway?
How does an airplane stop on a runway after landing?
When a Boeing 777 comes barrelling down the runway at 150-plus mph, it sometimes feels to its passengers like the plane is struggling mightily to stop. That’s only because it is…
By Deborah HalberWhen a Boeing 777 comes barrelling down the runway at 150-plus mph, it sometimes feels to its passengers like the plane is struggling mightily to stop. That’s only because it is, says Steven R. Hall, professor of aeronautics and astronautics and a pilot. In an emergency, brakes alone can stop a commercial jet, but the heat produced may be enough to melt the plane’s tires, he says.
Hall says small, propeller aircraft do use brakes almost exclusively to slow down. Larger turboprop aircraft have propellers that can be adjusted to produce rearward thrust after touchdown, rapidly slowing the aircraft. Commercial jet transport aircraft come to a halt through a combination of brakes, spoilers to increase wing drag and thrust reversers on the engines.
Posted: December 16, 2008