Why Some Contrails Stretch Across the Entire Sky

Why Some Contrails Stretch Across the Entire Sky

Look up on a clear day and you will see them: white lines drawn across the sky by aircraft cruising at 30,000 feet and above. Some vanish almost instantly, dissolving into nothing within seconds of forming. Others stretch from horizon to horizon, lingering for hours,...
The Five Most Dangerous Minutes of Every Flight

The Five Most Dangerous Minutes of Every Flight

The flight is one hour long. For 55 minutes of it, practically nothing bad can happen. The aircraft is at cruise altitude, the autopilot is engaged, and the most dangerous object in the cockpit is probably the coffee. But the first two and a half minutes after takeoff...
Iraq Reopens Airspace After 40 Days of War

Iraq Reopens Airspace After 40 Days of War

For forty days, Iraq’s skies were empty. No airliners climbed out of Baghdad. No cargo flights departed Basra. No pilgrims flew into Najaf. The entire country’s airspace — closed since February 28, when the first American and Israeli strikes hit Iran —...