Aviation

Do they fill airplane tires with nitrogen?

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/tiny-crew-delivers-first-set-of-massive-777-landing-gear/

Do they fill airplane tires with nitrogen? : Aircraft tires are filled with nitrogen because nitrogen gas is mostly inert, meaning that it requires more energy to react with other substances. This is important because at elevated temperatures, oxygen can react with rubber. Oxidized rubber is weaker than non-oxidized rubber, and weaker tires are not preferred.

Oxygen diffuses through rubber much faster than nitrogen. This means that tires filled with 95% nitrogen (the standard percentage of nitrogen gas for inflation purposes) will maintain pressure longer. This leads to less maintenance, which lowers costs.

Tires operating with correct pressure are less prone to premature wear. Less wear means less tires (lower operating costs) and less heat generation during ground operations. Higher tire temperatures increase the risk of tire tread delamination or blowout. Apart from the safety concerns (which really aren’t that bad, blowouts happen quite frequently), tire fragments can cause damage to the aircraft structure, get sucked into the engine, and almost definitely cause undo stress on the landing gear due to uneven loading. Loss of a tire can even cause excess loading on the other tires of the landing gear (meaning just the nose gear, or one of the main gear) and require the other tires to be replaced regardless of condition.

Courtesy : Quora / Author : Rob DeCosta

Related Topics:aicraft tyres Aircraft Tyres

Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.