Aircraft
Military, commercial and experimental vehicles designed for flight in the Earth’s atmosphere
Are aft-facing airplane seats safer?
They may well be. But don't look for them anytime soon.
October 26, 2009 |
By Michael Klesius
The First Parachute Jump
On this day in 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the first high-altitude jump using a parachute, over Parc Monceau in Paris. Garnerin's contraption—a basket suspended from a silk parachute—was cut loose from a balloon at an altitude of 2,000 feet. An eyewitness recalled:
He made a dreadful lurch i...
October 22, 2009 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Is Winning Everything?
For an air racing legend named Rare Bear, yes.
September 29, 2009 |
By Diane Tedeschi
Reno Wrap-up
What was hot—and what was not—at the 2009 National Championship Air Races.
September 28, 2009 |
By Linda Shiner
What happens if an airliner suddenly loses cabin pressure?
Let's just say it's not like it is in the movies.
September 24, 2009 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Over the No-Fly Zone
Patrolling over northern Iraq in 2001 felt like driving through a small town with Hell's Angels.
September 22, 2009 |
By Randy Gordon
First Around the World
For balloonists Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, the end of one journey marked the beginning of another.
September 17, 2009 |
By Linda Shiner
Above It All
It took a maze of valves and venturis—and a trio
of tycoons—to whisk passengers into the stratosphere.
September 2009 |
By Nick D'Alto
Anatomy of an Airliner
Our maxim: The airlines giveth, and the airlines taketh away.
September 2009 |
By The Editors
Hot-Rod Helicopters
There’s just no way to add 100 mph to the speed of a helicopter. Or is there?
September 2009 |
By James R. Chiles
Martial Arts
Memo to bad guys: Wanna know what U.S. warplanes you’ll tangle with in the future? Visit an aerospace model shop.
September 2009 |
By Chad Slattery
Tiltrotors for the Rest of Us
An Osprey for commuters? Bring it on. Can we get a quiet car too?
September 2009 |
By Mark Wolverton
The Perfect Airplane
Fast, green, and quiet. Come on, brainiacs, you can do it.
September 2009 |
By Ed Regis
Is bracing for impact really helpful in an airline crash?
Or is it just meant to make us feel like we're doing something?
August 26, 2009 |
By Rebecca Maksel
The Electric Airplane
Quiet, smooth, dependable—shouldn’t we be flying these by now?
August 2009 |
By Peter Garrison
Into the Mushroom Cloud
Most pilots would head away from a thermonuclear explosion.
August 2009 |
By Mark Wolverton
