The "Flying Pancake" Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but it's got nothing on the "sweet factor" of experimental aircraft. In other words: in a world of cold breakfast cereals, be a pancake. Charles H. Zimmerman believed in pancakes, or at least it appears that way. As a researcher at Langley Memorial Aeronautic Laboratory, [...]
Fatigue Testing How do you stress test an airplane? Well, you don’t make it run on a treadmill, that’s for sure. Fatigue testing aircraft is important in determining the structural integrity and quality of the airframe before they actually take flight (you know, with people travelling in them). This simulation testing allows [...]
Teaching Dogs to Fly You might be familiar with the adynaton, “when pigs fly,” but how familiar are you with the notion of flying dogs? While Fido may not be sprouting wings any time soon, a select group of dogs in the UK have shed their limitations of four paws on the ground in exchange [...]
You might have heard that there’s a professional pilot shortage in the aviation industry. You also might have heard there is no shortage. Huh? There’s a bit of ambiguity on the subject, and even the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confesses that there is “mixed evidence regarding the extent of a shortage of airline pilots,” [...]
Boeing B-17E. (U.S. Air Force photo) Top speed: 287 mph Length: 74’ Wingspan: 104’0’ First flight: 28 July 1935 Introduction: April 1938 Production: 1936-1945 Retired: 1968 (Brazilian Air Force) "Flying Fortress" The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a four-engine heavy bomber, was built in response to a competition put forth by the U.S. Army [...]
The recent hype and mind-blowing preorders for Tesla’s newly-announced Model 3 proves that the general public continues to be interested in alternative fuels and innovation that lessens environmental impact as well as reliance on "big oil". But while electric vehicles like Tesla trend on social media and are hailed as the solution for reducing carbon [...]
3D printing is taking the world by storm. From prosthetics to accessories to food, 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) seems to be giving the internet the motto “if it can be printed, it will be printed.” This new wave of industry is proving to be practical (and fun) for both the individual consumer [...]
Aviation history is being remade in Bridgewater, Virginia. While images of Air Force One landing in Cuba have taken social media by storm (it’s the first president to visit Cuba since the days of Coolidge, therefore the first time Air Force One has ever been on Cuban soil), the Boeing 747-200B isn’t the only presidential [...]
While the next big thing in aviation might look like the butt of a joke, its potential is anything but. The Airlander 10 has been introduced to the world as the largest aircraft currently flying. CNN affectionately refers to this beast of a hybrid air vehicle as “part airship, part helicopter, part plane”—and its looks [...]
“CAUTION: Children (and adults) at play” Spruce Creek is a community like no other. Located in Port Orange, Florida, Spruce Creek is a residential airpark (or fly-in community) considered the most famous of its kind. With almost 5,000 residents, 1,300 hones, and 700 hangars (and a few plots still available), Spruce Creek is the largest [...]
