At 10:35 on the morning of December 17, 1903, on a cold, windswept beach in North Carolina, a 32-year-old bicycle mechanic from Dayton, Ohio climbed onto a wooden biplane, opened the throttle of a 12-horsepower engine, and flew. Orville Wright stayed aloft for 12...
Quick Facts Navigation LightsRed (left/port wingtip), Green (right/starboard wingtip), White (tail) — required from sunset to sunrise and in reduced visibility Anti-Collision LightsRed rotating beacon (top and bottom of fuselage) — on whenever engines are running...
Quick Facts Cruise AltitudeMost airliners cruise between 35,000 and 42,000 feet — where the outside air pressure is roughly one-quarter of sea level Cabin AltitudeTypically maintained at 6,000–8,000 feet equivalent — NOT sea level Why Not Sea Level?Maintaining...
Quick Facts AwardDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) — one of the highest U.S. military honours for aerial achievement RecipientsKC-135 Stratotanker crews — specific names and units not yet publicly released CampaignOperation Epic Fury — combat aerial refueling missions...
Quick Facts OrganisationIFALPA — International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (represents over 100,000 pilots worldwide) DemandPilots must have “final and non-negotiable” authority to refuse routes through conflict zones — no exceptions...
Nel pomeriggio del 9 agosto 1896, Otto Lilienthal decollò da una collina vicino a Stölln, in Germania, a bordo del suo aliante monoplano standard, lo stesso velivolo che aveva pilotato centinaia di volte. Una raffica improvvisa lo colse di sorpresa. L'aliante andò in stallo. Precipitò da un'altezza di circa 15 metri...
Share this story Quick Facts What Happened An incorrect traffic pattern entry at a non-towered airport led to a near mid-air collision Where Non-towered (uncontrolled) airport — the most common type of airport in the United States Standard Pattern Left-hand traffic...
Share this story Quick Facts What It Is An instrument approach followed by a visual manoeuvre to land on a different runway than the one aligned with the approach Why It Exists Many airports have instrument approaches to only one runway — when wind favours the...
Share this story Quick Facts Company Vertical Aerospace (Bristol, UK) Aircraft Full-scale VX4 demonstrator (piloted) Milestone First piloted thrustborne-to-wingborne transition flight Test Pilot Paul Stone Location Cotswold Airport, southwest England Date April 2,...
Share this story Quick Facts Airport San Francisco International Airport (SFO) What Changed FAA permanently banned simultaneous side-by-side landings on parallel runways 28L and 28R Runway Separation 750 feet — closer than any other major U.S. hub Capacity Impact...
Share this story In 1799, a 26-year-old Yorkshire baronet engraved a small silver disc with two drawings — one on each side. On one face: a diagram of the forces acting on a wing in flight, showing lift, drag, and thrust as separate vectors. On the other: a sketch of...
Recent Comments