The Hangar

Jay Carr

02:39

@Farhan I think you've hit it square on the head. My only question is if Wonder Woman could beat Superman under the ocean. Sure his jets were fancy space ready ones, but I bet they don't work under water like Wonder Woman's propellors do!

falstro

09:00

@Farhan You assume his powers are natural, as opposed to super natural. Anything is possible once you leave the natural (i.e. real...) world. ;)

SMSvonderTann

12:06

@Federico One of those people that I was talking about some weeks ago actually appeared on this site! 😅

Federico

12:39

should we merge these two tags? http://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/electrics http://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/electronics
IF YES, please, could you let me do it?

also, another case of 2 tags with same wiki: aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/trim aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/trim-tab (to me the first needs updating)

falstro

@Federico how are the first two remotely related, except both refer to electricity?

the second is obviously incorrectly used though, so you might have point there

Federico

because, if one does not look at the "Electronic devices including cell phones, iPads and laptops. " for electronics, it seems to be used for all electronic equipment on board, thus I do not see the need for "electrics" (that at first I assumed being a typo)
Also, we have "electrical-system" that I think covers what "electrics" should be

falstro

yes, I recall a discussion on this, maybe on meta? the electronics should be just that (which is where the tag description comes from)

Federico

12:55

yes, meta

2

Q: Why do we need electronics?

From Wikipedia: Avionics are the electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites, and spacecraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to perform individual func...

2

Q: Usage of "electrics" tag

First of all I'm not used to hearing the term "electrics." I'm willing to accept it as valid, but what should the usage be? Is it a synonym of "electronics", or "electricity", or something different?

discussion tags tag-synonyms

falstro

13:17

ah yes, thanks

heh, two years ago? damn... I'm getting old.

rbp

13:38

"electrics" -> "electrical"?

Jay Carr

@rbp Isn't "electrics" the British equivalent for "electrical"? @DanHulme Isn't that correct?

At least on Top Gear it seems that I hear the presenters say "the electrics" where I would have said "the electrical system".

rbp

even if so, is there any other terminology where we've used the British term over the Colonial one?

Jay Carr

@rbp SE is supposed to be American English by default so..... Not so much. I mean, we don't edit for things like colour v. color. But on common terms I think the American spelling/usage has been preferred because SE is an American company (or something), so that's how we're defaulting.

Dan Hulme

In an aviation context I think I've only ever heard it called "the electrical system". "Electrics" sounds a bit old-fashioned to me.

Jay Carr

It's not about right or wrong, btw, just about picking a system and sticking with it.

rbp

13:41

Agreed.

Dan Hulme

General Electric is a US company.

Jay Carr

@DanHulme It's what they often say on Top Gear in regard to cars. Thanks for clarifying though, as has been pointed out, Top Gear isn't necessarily the best representation for British English usage...

GE is a pretty old company though...and there's no s on the end... Anyway, I think what we're concluding is that "electrical system" is the correct term.

Dan Hulme

but I don't think you can say "electrics" and "electrical" are equivalent: one is a noun, the other a verb

Jay Carr

@DanHulme Hey, it's your BBC's crazy (former) hosts who made me think this. Don't blame me!

;)

Federico

@JayCarr I am going to edit away then.

Jay Carr

13:45

@DanHulme (Basically, I'll take your word for it. You live in England, I assume you know better)

@Federico Do that thing good sir!

Dan Hulme

books.google.com/ngrams/…

@JayCarr well, they are pretty old-fashioned too

Federico

@DanHulme you got a typo there: books.google.com/ngrams/…

Dan Hulme

ah, that looks better

Federico

there, "electrics" has been edited away

Jay Carr

@DanHulme You're from the south of England, right? (memory is a bit hazy on this)

I'm wondering if "electrics" is maybe some sort of northern thing, since all of Top Gears former presenters where from that direction... Though I'm starting to suspect it was some peculiar part of those three's vocabulary.

falstro

13:53

@DanHulme how is "electrical" a verb?? I electrical you? :) Looks more like an adjective to me

Dan Hulme

sorry, s/verb/adjective/

@JayCarr I'm from the north but I live in the south now

Jay Carr

@DanHulme lol, then it just must be something they kinda made up.

Dan Hulme

no, it's definitely a word in use, just uncommon

Jay Carr

@DanHulme Hmm, well, to be fair, it's not like Jeremy is young.

Dan Hulme

I mean, if you had your house's electrics rewired, you wouldn't call it "the electrical system"

Jay Carr

13:59

@DanHulme ahhh, there in lies my confusion. It's contextual. Depends on how you're talking about it.

I just remember all three of them referencing an old car and saying, "The electrics are good at least." (Which, they invariably weren't, but never mind that.)

Is that more how it's used then?

Dan Hulme

I've just never heard "electrics" in an aviation context.

falstro

isn't electronics diminutive of electrics?

Dan Hulme

no

electronics is about circuits with electronic components (i.e. transistors)

electrics is circuits without electronic components

Jay Carr

@DanHulme So, wires, basic switches, etc?

falstro

ah no, electron-ics something to do with electrons

Dan Hulme

14:01

so radios, computers, etc. are electronics, but lights, motors, etc. are electrics

but on an aircraft you'd say the avionics is part of the electrical system, because they're all connected to the main power

Federico

14:14

now I'm curious: in which book were the words electric and electrical used in 1512? books.google.com/ngrams/…

uhm, I'm a bit suspicious that a book on "electrical engineering" was written in 1540 books.google.de/…

Google, go home, you're drunk

Dan Hulme

14:46

OED records the first use of "electric" as 1626, and "electrical" as 1616

Jay Carr

14:58

@DanHulme Pff! Going around touting the Oxford English Dictionary like it's some sort of authority on the matter! (co-incidentally, I wish they had a modern version that was like the original. Basically a book on the etymology of words rather than definitions...)

Dan Hulme

@JayCarr that's exactly what the online version is

they do sell a printed dictionary of etymology but why would anyone use that rather than the website?

Jay Carr

15:15

@DanHulme Oh, I studied history in college, I think I'll always have a romantic attachment to physical, dusty tomes. A big 'ol thick copy of a full Oxford Engligh Etymology book would fit that role quite well.

rbp

15:45

in a home, we don't really have anything that would be considered part of an electrical system, except wiring and circuit breakers. we call those 'the wiring' and 'the circuit breakers'

@JayCarr i'm also a history undergrad & grad

Jay Carr

@rbp Oh, what area of history?

rbp

@JayCarr primarily antebellum legal

Jay Carr

@rbp Were you going to turn that into a law degree? Or just really interested in pre civil war legal?

rbp

i wanted to teach, but i have always been intrested in the law

i thought about law school, too, but i never really had a deep enough desire

Jay Carr

@rbp Did you end up teaching?

rbp

15:54

@JayCarr i ended up dropping out of the phd program

the department was super political, and it made my life miserable

Jay Carr

@rbp Yikes! That's...really far a long to feel the need to drop out. Not that I blame you, I've heard similar stories... That just doesn't sound terribly fun.

What did you end up doing after that then?

rbp

17:20

@JayCarr went back to my career in tech

Jay Carr

@rbp Oh, so you went back for a doctorate later in your career then and decided it wasn't worth it? (Feel free to ignore my questions, btw, I'm just the curious sort and I never seem to know when to stop.)

rbp

that's OK

@JayCarr yes, i had a career in tech. went back to undergrad @30

@JayCarr then ma/phd grad school. i left after the master's program

Jay Carr

@rbp Oh, was it a combined MA/PhD? And after finish the MA part you figured, "Good enough" because of the politics and went back to tech?

rbp

@JayCarr pretty much... i'd had enough

Jay Carr

@rbp Huh, I guess I kind of ended up the same way. Kind of... I didn't turn out to be quite good enough as an academic and ended up out of college with an undergrad in Asian History and really no idea what to do with it. Fortunately I'd take a few classes in programing and somehow spun that into a career as a developer.

StackExchange

17:56

0

Q: Could we reopen this question?

I edit this question some time ago and it got some 4 reopen votes, but never got the last one it needed to reopen. Could we reopen it?

discussion

rbp

i'm sorry, but its just a stupid question, and I have the #1 answer to it

Jay Carr

18:29

@rbp I like how your answer is humorous and technically correct though ;). I have to admit though, outside of a warzone I've never heard on engine falling off. And usually by that time, there are much bigger problems.

fooot

19:15

25

Q: Have jet engines ever "Sheared" off?

I have read that jet engines, at least the under-wing ones, are attached to the airplane by shear nuts and bolts so that in case of unstable forces in or on the engine, the engine would fall off to prevent further damage to the airframe. Have there been any incidents and or accidents where the en...

jet-engine aviation-history

falstro

19:33

@JayCarr The fork lift incident comes to mind

AAL 191 I think it was

didn't the cargo plane crash in amsterdam also lose an engine?

ah yes, el al 1862

Jay Carr

@falstro Ah yes, I've read about that one before, guess my memory is being faulty :). Still, it's not what you'd call a common occurence.

falstro

@JayCarr well no, airliner crashes in general are not a common occurrence :)

Jay Carr

21:00

@falstro Right, which just kind of goes to server the point as to why we don't build instrumentation to specific crashes....

Oops: azfamily.com/story/31606314/…

Shalvenay

22:10

@JayCarr besides, on a non-FBW plane, you'd get a flight deck indication of the engine coming off -- the thrust lever would get yanked back to idle as the engine departs

Transcript for