For nearly a century, Time magazine has annually selected people—man, woman, group or concept—that had the most influence on the world during the past 12 months. The criterion for the person of the year is the following: “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied [...]
While pilots typically love the freedom afforded by flying in the open skies, that wide, open space may appear to get smaller and smaller as more drones take to the air. Recently published research commissioned by the FAA finds that high-speed collision between an airliner and a drone is more damaging than bird strikes. In [...]
A Pioneering American Aviator As one of America's Early aviators, Katherine Stinson set numerous flying records, including ones for distance, endurance, and aerobatic maneuvers. In July 1912, she became the fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot’s certificate. Katherine Stinson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama, on February 14, 1891. It would be twelve [...]
Learning to Fly For those who have always believed they could fly, getting a pilot’s license doesn’t have to be a pipe dream. There are different levels of pilot licenses depending on what types of aircraft you want to fly, whether it’s a hobby or a job, your level of training, and, frankly, your skills. [...]
Picture this: you’re a pilot, cruising through the air when suddenly an unknown object appears in your peripherals. What is that?! you scream to yourself, trying your best to keep it cool. You’ve heard about pilots having close encounters with UFOs before, and you’ve even read about WWII pilots experiencing pesky gremlins. But never in [...]
The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is not to be confused with the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet—although the former was based on the latter. This hornet is super This twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather multirole fighter jet is capable of landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier. What is perhaps the most impressive feat [...]
You might say that grease is the unsung hero of the aviation world. Sure, fuels and engine oils get you up in the air (and pilot skills keep you up), but it’s the lubricants that help keep everything running smoothly. Using grease is important for keeping your plane in perfect flying order. But what exactly [...]
Papua New Guinea has seen its share of plane crashes, as well as its share of war buffs hunting for “warbird” wrecks. But of all the downed planes scattered throughout the mountainous rainforests and jungle terrain, the fabled “Swamp Ghost” remains the most legendary. For 64 years, this downed B-17 Flying Fortress rested intact among [...]
While the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar’s lifetime was incredibly short, it was not without fanfare. This medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner was the most technologically advanced commercial jet when it was finally delivered in April 1972. Six years of design work and unforeseen setbacks made sure of it. This aircraft’s development was meant to rival the Boeing [...]
Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. Navy received more than 150 airships for the war effort. The military used these blimps, produced by the Goodyear Corporation, as convoy escort vessels. The Navy used them to spot enemy submarines and drop depth charges on those they encountered. But of all the airships utilized during World War [...]
