Ever wondered how an ejection seat works, or how to ride a hot air balloon? This section explores modern jet mechanics and aircraft operations and components.
It's the largest passenger jet ever built -- so huge that airports have to be redesigned to accommodate it. Find out just how big the A380 is and what this type of craft means for the future of air travel. See more »
Higher, farther, faster: NASA's X-43A plane is destined to set new speed records. What sets the X-43A apart from other rocket-powered aircraft is that it is powered by a scramjet engine. Learn all about it.
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Move over Orville and Wilbur, there’s a new flying machine in town! And this time it’s made for personal use. Imagine a flying version of the Segway and you’re on the right track . . . Check out the Springtail EFV-4B, not yet available but perhaps just around the corner . . .
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It's the largest passenger jet ever built -- so huge that airports have to be redesigned to accommodate it. Find out just how big the A380 is and what this type of craft means for the future of air travel.
See more »
Anybody who owns his or her own aircraft probably has more than enough money to buy happiness, too. That's because flying costs some serious dough. But just how much money is tied up in the world's airplanes?
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New York Yankees starting pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, died when Lidle's Cirrus SR20 hit a building in New York City in 2006.
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Rising airfare, lost luggage, packed flights and long delays have become hallmarks of air travel. But why were more than 100,000 passengers stranded in cities around the U.S. for three days?
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In November 2006, the Silent Aircraft Initiative introduced its answer to aircraft noise and air pollution: a proof-of-concept model called SAX-40.
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Your luggage gets "mishandled" by an airline and favorite pieces of your wardrobe souvenirs and toiletries disappear into a black abyss. Or do they? Actually your wardrobe is hanging out in Scottsboro Ala. and it has some interesting company.
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The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st brought a wave of new space missions and increasingly powerful military jets. Learn about the most recent developments in aviation history.
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After the end of the Cold War, aviation saw developments like the Space Shuttles and the incredible air power of the United States during the Persian Gulf War. Learn more about the history of flight in the 1980s and 1990s.
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At the end of the first century of flight, we celebrated new records for circling the globe, achieving new altitudes and new exploration of Mars. Read about the flight at the end of the century.
See more »Do commercial jets have locks on the doors and ignition keys? If not, what keeps someone from stealing them?
See more »Afterburners allow a jet plane to take off from a short runway, such as the deck of an aircraft carrier. What, exactly, is an afterburner and how do they work? Learn the answer to this question in this article from HowStuffWorks.
See more »When flushing the toilet in a passenger airplane, I'm amazed by the huge noise it makes -- like a powerful vacuum cleaner. Can you explain what makes this noise?
See more »How much fuel does an international plane use for a trip?
See more »Contrails are those long white clouds that form in the wake of an airplane flying at altitude. What causes these contrails and what are they made of? Learn the answer to this question in this article from HowStuffWorks.
See more »When an explosion occurs, the air rapidly expands around the ignition source. Why is it that in a jet engine the expanding gas doesn't force its way through the front of the engine? Find out the answer to this and other jet-related questions.
See more »How do you start a gas turbine engine? What is the mechanism to begin the rotation of the large fan blades?
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