HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Many of us take public transportation or fly in airplanes on a regular basis, but have you ever wondered how all of these things work? This collection of transportation articles help explain how people get from place to place.
Topics to Explore:
Using brain-computer interfaces, 16 University of Florida engineering students piloted drones using only their focused thoughts — and some computer programming.
What's to blame for instances of air rage? A new study suggests dividing classes on a plane increases tension and likelihood of problems.
The pilots of the sun-fueled Solar Impulse 2, halfway through its 'round-the-world trip, self-hypnotize while spending days on end in a space the size of a coffin.
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Sonic booms: so annoying! That's why the space agency and Lockheed Martin are on a 'QueSST' to science some physics and create a supersonic jet that's like so hush-hush.
Researchers devise a new anti-icing material after observing these garden pests.
Choosing your seatmates through social media? Facial recognition technology to match you and your luggage? The airline industry has the ideas... but will it adopt them?
Using low-tech solutions for high-tech problems, falconry may prove beneficial in combating all the wayward drones flying where they ought not to fly.
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This hybrid airship isn't exactly your great-grandfather's zeppelin.
There are so many tweaks we wish airlines would implement, especially if future seat configurations mean stacking passengers with butts suspended above heads.
We're not quite at floating cruise ship phase, but modern dirigibles could be rising stars for carting cargo.
By Julia Layton
Sure, flight-simulation video games and drone piloting both involve computer screens and handheld controllers, but do these similarities make gaming a useful training platform for real-life, high-stakes military operations?
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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an unmanned aerial vehicle traveling faster than the speed of sound!
By Chris Opfer
They're the stuff of headlines, often characterized as evil in the sky. But how do unmanned aerial vehicles actually get off the ground and flying?
Going through airport security is the worst part of flying for most people. Now you may be asked to turn your cell phone on in the security line. Why do you have to do that? And does it really keep us safe?
By Beth Brindle
Imagine whipping through the sky at thousands of miles per hour. This special type of jet engine can do exactly that.
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Writing a legible message on paper requires a steady hand; writing one in the sky requires a steady everything.
By Julia Layton
Why do we still lock away critical data on a box that can go down with the plane? It may be time to think differently about the black box and its contents.
Since 1948, more than 100 aircraft have gone missing while aloft and never been found. How is this possible? We'll look at some of these unsolved mysteries, as well as other bizarre airline mishaps.
It happens. And when it does, the consequences can include not only red-faced pilots, but also inconvenienced passengers, endangered planes, damaged airfields and maybe some free peanuts for everyone involved.
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Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... drone? Turns out, drones are doing all kinds of harmless -- and even heroic -- things all the time. Find out how drones are changing the way we farm, fight fires and make movies.
Ready for a fifth mode of transportation? Elon Musk is. He's sketched out a proposal for a nearly supersonic transportation system that could shoot you from San Francisco to Los Angeles faster than you can watch an episode of "Game of Thrones."
In the world of flight, it's a fine line between flying high and falling fast. Can you name 10 of the innovations that keep planes and their passengers airborne?
By William Harris
Would you risk the mother of all jet lag if you could cross the U.S. in less time than it takes to pass through airport security? After all, your time is precious, and haven't supersonic and hypersonic technologies been around for decades now?
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One of the key pieces of infrastructure that we could really use in the U.S. is a high speed, efficient, and effective train system.
The airline industry is one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, but it's possible to fly and do minimal damage to the environment.
