Airplanes - Page 5

X-planes are America’s experimental research aircraft. We rank the 12 that changed flight, from the X-1 and X-15 to the X-59, plus the full list.

An ekranoplan flies a few feet above the water on a cushion of air, yet US law and the IMO class it as a vessel. How ground effect works, and why.

The smallest planes in the world, ranked by wingspan: the 5-foot-6 Bumble Bee II, the Baby Bird, the Cri-Cri, the BD-5J jet and the XF-85 Goblin.

British fighter jets in 2026: the RAF’s 124 Typhoons and 47 F-35Bs, the Hawk, GCAP Tempest, and the eight best British jets ever, from Meteor to Tornado.

Japanese fighter jets in 2026, ranked: the F-35A, F-35B, F-15J and F-2, plus the T-4 trainer, the X-2 prototype and GCAP, with fleet sizes and speeds.

How does airplane weather radar work? It sees raindrops, not clouds, and can miss dry hail and frozen storm tops. Here is how pilots fill the gaps.

The coolest planes ever built, ranked by engineering audacity rather than looks, from the SR-71 and X-15 to Concorde and the An-225 Mriya.

The An-225 second airframe has sat unfinished since 1994. Here is what Antonov has actually said about completing the Mriya, and what is unclear.

Concorde explained in three questions: how fast it really flew, why it was retired in 2003, and what actually stops the 18 survivors from flying again.

The Cooper vane locks a Boeing 727’s rear airstair in flight. D.B. Cooper’s 1971 jump and five 1972 copycats pushed the FAA to seal the exit.