How Supersonic Flight Went From Mysterious Danger to Champagne at 56,000 Feet
The 10th anniversary of Concorde’s last flight passed recently, and while many long, flowing euologies were written about British Airway’s most famous plane, everyone seems to have forgotten that...
View ArticleRolls-Royce Is Going to 3D Print Its Airplane Engine Parts
Everyone loves talking about 3D printing, but now it’s really hitting the big time: Rolls-Royce has decided that it’s going to use the technology to help make its airplane engines. While the company...
View ArticleNow You Don’t Have to Shut off Your Electronics on European Flights
After last month’s hugely celebrated decision by the United States FAA to overturn the personal electronics ban on flights, Europe’s EASA has come to a similar decision. The Guardian reports that by...
View ArticleFolding Wings Will Let Boeing’s New 777x Squeeze Into Small Airports
Commercial planes have gotten bigger and bigger over the past few decades, but the size of the gate at most airports have stayed the same. To circumvent this little infrastructural disconnect, Boeing’s...
View ArticleThis Wacky Sci-Fi Plane-Copter Hybrid Was Totally Almost a Thing
By the end of WWII, the basics of helicopter technology as we know it had generally been worked out and we’d begun to reach the aircraft’s physical limitations. For the US Air Force, the solution to...
View ArticleWhat, People are Actually Paying Easyjet to Pre-Book Seats?
Budget flier Easyjet increased its average profit-per-passenger from £4.81 per seat to £7.03 over the last year, thanks in part to letting passengers pay a little extra for the luxury of pre-booking a...
View ArticleNew Airport Screening Method May Finally End the Absurd Liquid Ban
It looks like the days of shampoo bottles striking fear into the hearts of airport security everywhere might be numbered. Thanks to Los Alamos scientists, a new type of detection technology could give...
View ArticleThese Little Electric Wheels Will Save Airlines Big Bucks
Because they only have their main engines for propulsion, today’s massive modern jet liners can burn hundreds of kilos of fuel just taxiing from the boarding gate to the runway. That translates to...
View Article10 of the Most Ridiculous Flight Horror Stories Ever
With so many people cooped up in a tiny cabin 30,000 feet in the air, it’s inevitable that at least one flight experience in your life is going to be less-than-stellar. But some experiences are much,...
View ArticleBoing 474: The Chinese are Now Knocking Off the US’ Airplanes
Chinese manufacturers are experts at knocking off just about anything, from “Rat Ban” sunglasses and “Wee” gaming consoles to, yes, “HiPhones.” But now it looks like they’re very close to copying...
View ArticleWhat Happens When a Boeing 777 Tries to Land in a Major Crosswind
There’s a pretty harrowing video making its way around the internet today showing a Boeing 777 as it makes an attempt (and proceeds to fail miserably) at landing. But it’s no crash—thanks to an insane...
View ArticleAirports Are Kind of Awesome When They’re Not Stressing You Out
The default emotions in airports are pretty much all negative. You’re either late, exhausted, frustrated, hungry, regretting that MacDonalds, remembering all the crucial things that were in the checked...
View ArticleShould People be Allowed to Make Phone Calls on Planes?
There’s been debate for years about whether people should be allowed to use their phones on planes. And with safety concerns diminishing, we’ve collectively moved on to other grievances: namely how...
View ArticleBA OKs Passengers’ Take-Off and Landing Tech on Flights From Today
BA is to today become the first European airline to approve the use of technology including smartphones and tablets during take-off and landing, following last month’s EASA decision to green-light...
View ArticleIt’s Not Broken, The Open Rotor Turbine is Supposed to Look Like That
This is not a broken turboprop engine. It’s a new radical aircraft engine design by French engine manufacturer Snecma, one that will forgo the traditional bypass system and remove the engine ducting...
View ArticleAfghanistan Gets Spooky Ghostriders as the AC-130H Retires
For more than 40 years, American ground forces have relied on the AC-130 gunship for protection and close air support. However, the venerable AC-130H Specter variant, which has been deployed in every...
View ArticleGyaaaah! This DC-3 Is Flying WAY Too Low
You know you’ve been watching too much Top Gun when you find yourself skimming a few feet above the ground and mere inches above your camera in an antiquated aeroplane from the 1940′s. Who exactly...
View ArticlePassenger Jet Pilot Panicked by UFO Over Heathrow
The pilot of an Airbus A320 was thrown into a panic while flying 20 miles west of Heathrow, telling authorities he saw a metallic “cigar/rugby ball like” object and “was fully expecting to experience...
View ArticleThink Our Weather is Bad? In Saudi Arabia it’s Raining Human Body Parts
So, things are a little wet here in the UK at the moment. But that’s nothing. You’ve heard the expression “raining cats and dogs”, right? Well, in Saudi Arabia it’s raining human body parts. Terrified...
View ArticleThe US Navy Almost Built a “Flying Dorito” it Couldn’t Afford to Fly
While U.S. military has had its fair share of bungled development programmes—just look at the V-22 Osprey or the littoral combat ship—the ill-fated A-12 Avenger II is a strong candidate for the worst....
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