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We seem to see a lot of basic questions, mainly about the physics of flight and how aviation and airlines work on a really basic level. And this is good, I ask a lot of those questions myself, but I'd really been hoping to see more technical stuff.

For example, we don't see a lot of questions about how to work a certain approach, or what the best taxiways might be for a certain airliner at a given airport. You know, stuff that only people who are actual airline pilots would care to ask.

I suppose I'd like to see more of those simply because I have no exposure to it, so I think I'd find the questions entertaining to read and I'd learn a lot by making an effort at understanding. But, we don't seem to see too many...

I'm not sure why this is. I've been thinking maybe there are just better places to get that information or, maybe, I just don't understand that there aren't a lot of those kinds of questions to begin with :). Anyone have any thoughts on why?

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    $\begingroup$ I think that there are a lot of technical questions and answers. Just read a lot of the ones that cover regulations or aerodynamics and the corresponding answers.... $\endgroup$
    – Lnafziger
    Jul 1, 2015 at 22:24
  • $\begingroup$ @Lnafziger I was going to note that there are a lot of regulation style questions, but eh... I suppose I'm mostly wondering why we don't see more of the sorts of questions like I'm talking about above. Ones that deal with specific operational situations for commercial pilots. $\endgroup$
    – Jay Carr
    Jul 1, 2015 at 22:26
  • $\begingroup$ my view- we have more enthusiasts than professionals... $\endgroup$
    – anshabhi
    Jul 4, 2015 at 13:56
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    $\begingroup$ Yeah, I only know of a couple of the regulars that are former airline pilots and a few more are commercial. The rest of the regulars seem to be mostly GA pilots and/or engineers with some mechanics, military pilots, and people who are generally interested in aviation mixed in also. At any rate, if there's a specific type of question you want to see more of, you could just ask it. :) $\endgroup$
    – reirab
    Jul 7, 2015 at 13:51
  • $\begingroup$ @reirab I do try... But it's one of those cases where I don't know what I don't know, ya know? It's why I like listening in on experts, they're always bringing up topics I didn't know even existed :). $\endgroup$
    – Jay Carr
    Jul 7, 2015 at 14:23
  • $\begingroup$ @reirab I'd kind of hoped this site would get to a point where there were a lot of airline pilots asking a lot of questions, but that hasn't materialized just yet. I guess that's really what I should have asked "how do we get more commercial pilots to show up?" I mean casey, Lnafziger and Terry (and a few other's who's handles escape me) have been immensely informative, I'd like to have more of them around... $\endgroup$
    – Jay Carr
    Jul 7, 2015 at 14:25

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Lets consider the questions you hypothesize about --

questions about how to work a certain approach, or

and

what the best taxiways might be for a certain airliner at a given airport.

The kind of stuff

that only people who are actual airline pilots would care to ask.

I have to disagree with the statement above. An airline pilot is going to know these answers and they will be very terse.

How to work an approach? Brief it and fly it.

Best taxiway? ATC assigns taxi routes, I just follow them.

You might have a case asking about specific difficult approaches, but aside from a few airports worldwide the generic brief and fly answer covers them all. Taxi route assignments take into account the needs of airport flow and the wingspan of airplanes. There isn't really a "best" taxiway.

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  • $\begingroup$ In some ways this answer helps prove my point. I don't even know what an intelligent question would be for a full time commercial pilot :). I'd just like to see more questions that are along the lines of what professionals ask. Then again, perhaps Lnafziger hit it on the head with his first comment. Perhaps the pros are already asking questions and I just didn't realize it... $\endgroup$
    – Jay Carr
    Jul 7, 2015 at 14:31
  • $\begingroup$ @JayCarr there is probably just a disconnect between what you find interesting and what someone else does. Here is an example technical Q I wrote because this question comes up often when you are new to an airline. aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/1321/… . If you want see more of a certain type of question, you should ask them. $\endgroup$
    – casey
    Jul 7, 2015 at 14:35
  • $\begingroup$ I do my best to ask the most difficult questions I can, but there are still a lot of very technical things I'm simply not aware of. I like having exerts around for just such a reason, they often ask about things I hadn't known existed... All the same, I could probably be doing more to seek out questions like this that already exist, so, perhaps I will focus on that. $\endgroup$
    – Jay Carr
    Jul 7, 2015 at 14:37

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