It’s that time of year again! The weather is cooling, our car windows are frosted over and so are the windows on our airplanes. Have you ever seen de-icing fluid? It’s kind of crazy looking, and the stuff is amazing. Today, we’re diving into the world of airport deicing fluid. It’s pretty fascinating stuff. The [...]
This is one burning question, people. What events led to witches riding around on brooms? Why didn’t they switch to airplanes and use their magic to make them fly faster and last longer? I mean, if I were a witch—and I’m not, despite what my other half says—I would probably want to keep the wind [...]
Designed by Burt Rutan, the Rutan Model 202 Boomerang’s appearance is downright unforgettable. But why the unique design? There’s a reason behind every rhyme. Design and Development The Boomerang was modeled after one of the most well-known twin-engine civilian aircrafts: the Beechcraft Baron 58. The plane made its debut at the 1996 Oshkosh, Wisconsin AirVenture. [...]
Louis Blériot is famous for being the first to fly between continental Europe and Great Britain. We recently featured his Blériot XI in our Plane of the Week series! But this man’s life started out as an inventor. Blériot’s Early Years Born in France on July 1, 1872, his career in aviation was funded by [...]
We haven’t always been sky-bound, but I don’t have to tell you this. Flying is a relevantly recent thing for us. Being suspended in a big metal tube-thing about 40,000 feet in the air is something that only our generation has experienced, so we haven’t really adapted to it quite yet. This is where spatial [...]
The China Clipper, the Philippine Clipper, and the Hawaii Clipper are the names of three flying boats—Martin M-130s—designed by Glenn L. Martin Company in the 1930s. In fact, it’s the first of the three to have been built. With a complex and tragic story behind them, this boat-plane hybrid introduced the reality of scheduled, international [...]
Sometimes, it’s unavoidable to avoid bringing your pet along for your travels. Maybe you’re moving across the country? Or, maybe you can’t find a dog sitter during a peak-vacation time and you’ve already booked a pet-friendly hotel, so why not? While the decision to bring along your furry friend might be stressful in a number [...]
I was driving through Virginia recently and noticed a sign on the side of the highway that read “Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft.” I’ve seen them in my home state too, but never really thought much of them until recently. I always thought, “Yeah, right. How would they do that?” But now I have more [...]
Design-wise, this plane was one to look at. It became one of the most copied and iconic aviation designs of all time. Famous pilots made history in their planes, and they opened the doors to many opportunities for England, this being more desirable to some than the Wright biplanes. Flying for the first time on January [...]
While troops were fighting in the air and on the land of foreign countries, groups of women worked on farmlands to replace them. These women played an important role during the war, and so many things might have been different if it weren’t for their hard work and service. Upon discovering the BBC show Land Girls, [...]
