Airplanes

The WP-3D Orion "Hurricane Hunters" are a key part of NOAA's hurricane toolkit.

Why Does NOAA Still Send Pilots Into Hurricanes?

The first “Hurricane Hunter” flight was a bet, but today they’re an essential part of risk management

On December 17, 1944 the bomber crashed into the Adriatic sea.

Bones Recovered From Wreckage of WWII Plane May Belong to Missing Airmen

If researchers can confirm their identity, the long-lost crewmembers may finally receive a proper burial

Robots Will Lead Passengers to Their Gate at Seoul's Airport

Smithsonian Curator Weighs In on Photo That Allegedly Shows Amelia Earhart in Japanese Captivity

A History Channel special claims that a National Archives photo shows the pilot sitting on a dock in the Pacific, but experts are skeptical

Marvel at the sky from the sky with a special chartered flight.

Chase August’s Solar Eclipse Aboard This Special Flight

Alaska Airlines will give away one coveted seat on the chartered flight

Paratroopers from the 1st Allied Airborne land in Holland during Operations Market Garden, September 1944.

Meet the Daredevil Parachutist Who Tested the First Nylon Parachute 75 Years Ago

Adeline Gray was just 24, but she was already an experienced parachutist and a trained pilot

How a Downed U.S. Plane Almost Caused a Nuclear War

When the Cubans accidentally shoot down a U.S. U-2 aircraft, the threat of nuclear war becomes a serious possibility

Northwest Airlines 747-200

Where Do the Largest Airplanes Go to Die?

Explore this 1,500-acre aircraft boneyard in the Sonoran Desert

Ruth Law, (circa 1915, at the controls of her Curtiss Model D Headless biplane) once said that wearing a seatbelt "was a bit cowardly."

This Ace Aviatrix Learned to Fly Even Though Orville Wright Refused to Teach Her

With flint and derring-do, the early 20th century pilot Ruth Law ruled American skies

A Plane Landing in Arctic Conditions Ends in Tragedy

It should have been a routine landing for First Air Flight 6560 at Canada's Resolute Bay Airport, despite the harsh Arctic conditions.

Fulcrum BioEnergy converts household trash into biofuel for airplanes.

Could Garbage Fuel Airplanes?

Fulcrum BioEnergy wants to divert trash from landfills and create cheap green energy

Wilson works to band waterfowl in the summer to help track the birds. Hunters that harvest banded birds will report their harvest to state wildlife officials.

This Biologist Defies Gravity (and Glass Ceilings) to Document the Effects of Climate Change

As one of five American women in this role, Heather Wilson blends aviation and birds to bolster climate change records

How to FedEx a Giant Panda

On February 21, the United States says #ByeByeBaoBao

Does This Scenario Explain JFK Jr.'s Plane Crash?

A distracting radio issue, a hazy night, and a new pilot unsure of his instruments. According to investigators, these were some of the possible factors

This paper plane could one day change the way the U.S. military handles one-way supply missions.

Why the Military Is Investing in Paper Airplanes

Disposable drones could save lives—and money

How the Crash of Flight 4590 Destroyed Concorde's Mystique

The Concorde was once the peak of cutting-edge aircraft design and a status symbol for the world's elite travelers

An illustration from "Bessie, Queen of the Sky," a forthcoming children's book about Bessie Coleman.

The 'Queen of the Sky' Is Finally Getting Her Due

On her birthday, we're remembering Bessie Coleman's incredible achievements

An early B-52.

In 1957, The U.S. Flew a Jet Around the World to Prove it Could Drop a Nuclear Bomb Anywhere

The B-52 bomber that made the flight was part of a new bomber class that was still proving its worth

The Heinkel He-280, the world's first jet fighter, was developed in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Since First Successfully Used More Than 75 Years Ago, Ejection Seats Have Saved Thousands

The faster an airplane is moving, the harder it is to get out of: that's why ejection seats are so important

A modern flight data recorder, a.k.a. a "black box." Despite the name, these recorders are typically painted orange.

On This Day, The Black Box Proved Its Worth

The Park Slope plane crash was a tragedy, but it proved the importance of the flight data recorder

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