CURRENT ISSUE
September 2009
Features
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Above It All
It took a maze of valves and venturis—and a trio of tycoons—to whisk passengers into the stratosphere.
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Anatomy of an Airliner
Our maxim: The airlines giveth, and the airlines taketh away.
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Spin Doctors
For that satellite dish on your roof and the phone calls you make to Japan, you can thank Harold Rosen.
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The Road to the Future… Is Paved With Good Inventions
We bring you 10 great ideas that made flying safer, easier, or just a whole lot more fun.
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Hot-Rod Helicopters
There’s just no way to add 100 mph to the speed of a helicopter. Or is there?
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Batplane
Even around other X-planes, the X-48B looks weird.
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Martial Arts
Memo to bad guys: Wanna know what U.S. warplanes you’ll tangle with in the future? Visit an aerospace model shop.
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The Department of Never Mind
A collection of six inventions that prompt a single question: What the…?
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Mars, and Step on It
When it’s not the journey but the destination that counts.
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Tiltrotors for the Rest of Us
An Osprey for commuters? Bring it on. Can we get a quiet car too?
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Block That Star!
How can we find other Earths if their suns keep blinding us?
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The Perfect Airplane
Fast, green, and quiet. Come on, brainiacs, you can do it.
Departments
Oldies and Oddities: Where Do Ailerons Come From?
Oldies and Oddities: Where Do Ailerons Come From?
Moments and Milestones: Unknown Unknowns
Moments and Milestones: Unknown Unknowns