The above photos were illegally taken during flight by pilots employed in commercial airlines. These photos, obtained from David Yanovski's article on the subject, were taken from (now defunct) Instagram accounts of several pilots some of whom -- between the breathtaking cockpit photos -- also took "selfies" in their pilot uniforms while on duty. If [...]
Smoky: the Little Dog that Could Wynne and Smoky (William A. Wynne via National Geographic) Corporal Bill Wynne first met Smoky in the beginning of 1944 when he was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Nadzab, New Guinea. She was a small thing—a little Yorkshire Terrier weighing only 4 pounds and standing [...]
Technically, the application and color of paint on an aircraft goes beyond mere aesthetics. A plane's paint job affects the weight of the aircraft and protects the integrity of the airframe. A topcoat finish is applied to protect the exposed surfaces and prevent corrosion and deterioration. A properly painted aircraft is also much easier to clean and maintain [...]
There’s nothing very spectacular about the appearance of Saturn’s moon, Titan. However, the view from the ground might just be absolutely breathtaking: the massive rings of our solar system’s sixth planet would loom impossibly close in the atmosphere (this is what makes Titan so special – more on that later), and the deepest, reddest sunsets [...]
Flying, for some of us, is unnerving. While we admire the science and sheer beauty of aircraft and have a great respect for the many pilots that go up in the clouds every day, some of us can’t shake that subtle (or completely debilitating) fear. Many of us who take commercial flights have varying degrees [...]
In 2013, ICAO was mandated to present a proposal for a global market-based measure to manage aviation’s carbon footprint. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of The Convention on International Civil Aviation. Today, ICAO works with the 191 [...]
Military aircraft are a bit like fashion models: as soon as they show even the slightest signs of age, they are pulled from the runway. Understandably so. Putting our nation’s military pilots at risk for the sake of a few extra miles is not something the United States is keen on doing. In spite of [...]
We can’t get enough of aviation movies over here at the Flight Blog. Seriously, what’s the best alternative to being a pilot? Watching some great movies with some even greater pilots. It’s a surefire way to feel some secondhand awesomeness-by-proxy. Clint Eastwood’s Sully has recently hit theaters. The film stars Tom Hanks as Chesley ‘Sully’ [...]
Airline ads really took off during the Golden Age of Aviation, but now seem to have fallen rather flat. I’m nearly a decade late to the party, but I‘ve recently started watching Mad Men, and suffice it to say I'm rather hooked. This is a spoiler-free post (in the event that I’m not the only [...]
Elon Musk is no stranger to The Flight Blog. However, amid all of the commotion regarding his involvement in SpaceX, the Hyperloop, Tesla Motors, OpenAI, and the Death Star, we’ve somehow managed to overlook Musk’s subtle plan to change the way we travel by air. Musk has already developed an automobile company that has changed [...]
