How Airlines Know If It's Safe to Fly
As a Nor'easter heads towards the east coast just in time for the busiest travel day of the year, you're probably wondering how bad it has to get before your plane gets grounded. Well, as a new...
View ArticleSex 'n Spas: The Future (And Not So Future) of In-Flight Entertainment
Careening through the air 30,000 feet above the ground can be a brutal experience. To help us cope, airlines have evolved some pretty sophisticated on-demand entertainment in the form of games,...
View ArticleNewly captured photo shows Russia's new badass shark stealth fighter
A new photo captured by Artyom Anikeev shows Russia's new Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter—the F-22 Raptor's nemesis. According to The Aviationist, its new camouflage—inspired by a typical white tip Red...
View ArticleWhat it's like to fly a fighter jet—strapped to its wing
No music. No flashy moves. No missile launches. And yet this video is still incredible. It's just flying sequence after flying sequence of Russian Air Force MiG-31s cruising through the sky. Filmed by...
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 of a Boeing 777 as it makes an attempt (and fails miserably) at landing. But it's no crash—thanks to an insane crosswind, it...
View ArticleAirports Are Pretty 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 Panda Express, remembering all the crucial things that were in the checked...
View ArticleJuly's San Francisco Airplane Crash Caused By Computer Inexperience
Back in July, Asiana Flight 214 crashed at San Francisco International Airport. Now, he National Transportation Safety Board has explained that the accident occurred because the pilot didn't understand...
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 cellphones on planes. And with safety concerns diminishing, we've collectively moved on to other grievances: namely how...
View ArticleBritish Airways the First European Airline to Allow Gadgets at Takeoff
Last month, the European Aviation Safety Agency announced that it was going to join step with the FAA and allow electronic devices to be used during takeoff and landing. Now, British Airways is the...
View ArticleThis Wacky Forward Wing Jet Flew Faster Than the Speed of Sound
The 1980s ushered in more than a few aeronautical revolutions thanks to the emergence of both composite manufacturing techniques and rapidly advancing digital technology. This uniquely designed...
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 new aircraft engine design by French engine manufacturer Snecma, one that will forgo the traditional bypass system and remove the engine...
View ArticleThis swarming horde of black stealth fighter jets is not a movie scene
We're not preparing to fight the aliens. This isn't a scene from Independence Day 2. It's just a throwback photo of 25—yes, twenty five—Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk black stealth fighter jets celebrating...
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 cameraman in an antiquated airplane from the 1940's. Who exactly...
View ArticleSuspicious USB Drive That Diverted Flight Was Actually a Perv Cam
American Airlines Flight 24 from JFK to SFO landed in Kansas City this weekend after a suspicious package found in the lavatory instigated a bomb scare. Turns out that the suspicious package was...
View ArticleThese Doomsday Planes Protect Heads of State When Disaster Strikes
In the event of a nuclear strike on American soil, we're going to be in a little bit of trouble. But at least we'll die safe in the knowledge that the valiant leaders of our nation—or any yahoos lucky...
View ArticleDid Another Boeing Dreamliner Battery Really Just Catch On Fire?
Reuters reports that smoke was seen coming from a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner early Wednesday morning. You might remember that almost exactly a year ago, a Dreamliner caught on fire in...
View ArticleFlying inside the cockpit of a fighter jet is the best roller coaster
Strap yourself in your chair. Put down the coffee mug. And make sure you have an empty stomach because you're about to take a ride in a flying roller coaster. Or well, the closest thing there is to a...
View ArticleThe Navy Almost Built a "Flying Dorito" It Couldn't Afford to Fly
While U.S. military has had its fair share of bungled development programs—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. It...
View ArticleGenius man used one first class airplane ticket to eat free for a year
Airports are often terrible places to be. There are too many people rushing somewhere combined with too many cranky folks leaving somewhere mixed with annoying obstacles in the form of TSA security and...
View Article