Flying Machines
Vehicles designed for air and space flightExplore Air & Space articles about types of air and spacecraft.
Bait and Switch in Libya
Naval aviators push Qaddafi's buttons in a 1981 exercise.
July 2012 |
By Commander Thompson S. Sanders U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Short Strips and Flying Pigs
When flying in Papua, be prepared for surprises.
July 2012 |
By Nate Gordon
Gyroplanes Swarm in Florida
The Annual Bensen Days fly-in welcomes rotorheads.
July 2012 |
By Bill Wilson
Summer at the Smithsonian
Planning a visit to the Museum? We provide some helpful hints.
July 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Making a Smoother (and Speedier) Airplane
Within months of its first flight, August Bellanca's Skyrocket II set five world speed records.
July 2012 |
By George C. Larson, Member, NAA
Hurry-Up Satellites
These Pentagon mavericks want to launch spacecraft within a week of taking the order. Wish them luck.
July 2012 |
By Todd Neff
Cancelled: Vertical Flyer
The Coléoptère was one weird-looking aircraft.
July 2012 |
By Jeremy Davis
My Other Vehicle Was a Spacecraft
Now that the space shuttle has retired, astronauts are rediscovering the joys of flying airplanes.
July 2012 |
By Phil Scott
The Inquisitive Astronaut
Don Pettit turns his curiosity—and his camera—loose on board the International Space Station.
May 23, 2012 |
By The Editors
Rod Hightower: Build, Volunteer, Fly
An interview with the President and CEO of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
May 2012 |
By Linda Shiner
Under the Eurofighter’s Hood
Europe’s frontline fighter is a marvel of technology.
May 21, 2012 |
By Carl Posey
The Flight of the Dragon
If things go according to plan Saturday, the world will witness SpaceX launch its first Dragon cargo supply mission to the International Space Station.
May 15, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Titanic’s Wireless Operators: The Original Texters
Text messaging, from 1912 to 2012.
May 14, 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Raptor in the Doghouse
The Air Force's most sophisticated fighter, the F-22, has a problem with its oxygen system, and increasingly, with its image.
May 11, 2012 |
By George Larson
The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers*
The legal status and ownership of resources harvested from space are unclear. How does such uncertainty affect our plans to exploit them?
May 01, 2012 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Second Life for Hangar One
The Moffett Field landmark may yet house aircraft again.
May 2012 |
By Kara Platoni
