Airplanes

Wind plays an important role in flying. But what exactly is the relationship between wind and wings? Is it a happy marriage or are take-offs into wind dangerous? Do Planes Take Off Into The Wind? Aircraft don’t have to take off into wind, but it does help! Taking off into wind gives aircraft an extra […]

Japan is a leading force in the cause of peace today, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an impressive array of fighter jets. As one of the best in the world when it comes to aeronautical engineering, Japan has been able to develop, adapt, and buy some of the world’s best jets. Here are […]

Have you ever sat on an airliner and wondered where the power comes from? Everything is electric, from the reading lights to the entertainment screens. It’s relatively easy to see how the enormous turbine engines produce thrust. But the power and hot air produced by those Jet-A guzzling monsters are used to power many onboard […]

For years fighter jets were required to have two engines. That recently changed with the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The most advanced fighter jet in the world is a single engine plane again. Is one engine better after all? The first fighter jets were powered by single engines designed for air-to-air combat […]

If there is one name that’s been dominating military aircraft development the last few decades, it is Lockheed Martin. Surprisingly though, the list of fighter jets made by the company is not all that long. Only 9 aircraft made it onto this list. Lockheed Martin is an aerospace, military support, security, and advanced technologies company […]

With so many commercial jets flying routes all over the world, there probably isn’t a person on Earth who hasn’t noticed the white smoke coming from airliners. But why do these streaks only occur behind some planes? Are they dumping fuel? Is it hazardous? What exactly are these vapor trails? Why Planes Leave Trails When […]

After having fought multiple wars European nations were finally able to unite as a union. A logical next step was to collaborate on military research and development. A number of military projects have since come out of the EU. These are the 6 best European fighter jets. Fighter aircraft are a critical part of any […]

We are so used to many of the conventions of modern airplanes that we often don’t give them a second thought. That said, the moment someone stops to ask you “why do airplanes have round windows instead of square ones?” you start to wonder why you didn’t wonder that yourself. In retrospect, it seems like […]

Hey, who are you calling heavy? While all pilots like to treat their aircraft like the ladies they are, thankfully planes are much more accepting of bluntly descriptive language. What Does “Heavy” Mean? Aircraft are classified based on their maximum takeoff weights (MTOW). A “heavy” aircraft is one whose takeoff weight is more than 300,000 […]

No one really likes going to the bathroom on an airplane, and no one really wants to think about what happens when you unleash that tremendous suctioned flush. Where Does Airplane Waste Go? They store it onboard for the duration of the flight. Once landed, a special truck comes and sucks out the contents of […]