Aircraft design has been in a state of constant evolution, with many historical and present endeavors seeking means to improve everything from flight capability and performance to the safety of operations. During the 1930s and 40s, aircraft engineering faced a massive shift as the size, speed, and complexity of many airframes quickly led to an issue of rudders, ailerons, and other critical flight controls being less feasible to manage with simple mechanical linkages and pilot strength alone. As engineers sought means to alleviate such issues, the industry rapidly witnessed the adoption and rise of hydraulic systems, which were able to provide the level of power steering and force necessary to make management nearly effortless for pilots. To help you understand how hydraulics achieve this level of support, we will take you through each of the core components found in a typical aircraft and explain how they drive reliability in operations.

When there is an aircraft incident, search workers and investigators first look for the black boxes. A black box is an umbrella term used to distinguish two integral pieces of equipment within aircraft, those of which include the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR). Together, these devices provide inflight data that can reveal why an aircraft incident occurred.