A Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed in Ethiopia over the weekend, resulting in 157 deaths. Just months earlier, 189 passengers died when the same type of plane operated by Lion Air crashed in Indonesia.
The aircraft in both fatal crashes is not some …
Category: Airplane
The future of flying is electric planes
If you’ve ever played with a carbon footprint calculator and plugged in your flight history, you’ve seen how a trip just an hour or two away ballooned your total impact on the environment
All that jet fuel takes a toll, but electric planes may swoop in and help — one day. Instead of those 176 pounds of carbon emissions for one measly roundtrip flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, an emissions-free aircraft could fly that same distance.
Tesla — and to a lesser extent Nissan, Chevy, and even Toyota with its hybrid Prius — made the masses believe in electric cars. Now, many companies want flyers to believe in electric planes. Read more…
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View More The future of flying is electric planesZunum Aero bets on hybrid electric engines for its small commuter jet
The traditional aviation industry typically moves rather slowly, but over the last few years, we’ve seen a number of upstarts that are challenging the status quo both in the general and commercial aviation business. One of those is Zunum Aero, which is looking to produce a small hybrid electric-powered commuter plane for six to 12 […]
View More Zunum Aero bets on hybrid electric engines for its small commuter jetThe future of the paper airplane is here
The ‘POWERUP DART’ is the paper airplane millennials have been waiting for. While it folds up like a classic version, the ‘DART’ attachment connects to your phoneHeads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable’s commerce team and meet ou…
View More The future of the paper airplane is hereThis flight-sharing service is like Uber Pool for private planes
No shoes were removed, no toiletries put into separate clear bags, and there was no need to arrive two hours before the flight.
As part of flight-sharing app Blackbird’s media flight, we walked right onto the tarmac to the door of our plane at the small but busy San Carlos Airport. San Francisco International is just 10 miles away, but this tiny airport would end up being much more efficient for a quick jaunt down the California coast.
We then climbed aboard a Pilatus PC-12, a pretty luxurious single-engine turboprop plane. For startup Blackbird’s newest service, dubbed Hitch, passengers fly on smaller private airplanes, splitting the cost of travel (that’s oil and fuel costs and any airport and rental fees) with the pilot and any passengers. We were flying fewer than 100 miles south and back for a day trip to show how smooth and simple this could all be, if only people could accept flying as a normal — instead of extravagant — travel option. Read more…
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View More This flight-sharing service is like Uber Pool for private planesBoeing’s 777X wingtips will fold to let it squeeze into narrow airport gates
Boeing 777X just got its folding wings approved by the FAA. The aircraft’s wings rotate upwards when the plane is on the ground so that it can fit into gates that are narrower than the length of its span. Read more…More about Mashable Video, Airplan…
View More Boeing’s 777X wingtips will fold to let it squeeze into narrow airport gatesWhat you need to know about Tammie Jo Shults, the hero pilot with ‘nerves of steel’
As we learn more about Tuesday’s deadly explosion on a Southwest plane that killed one person and injured several others, we’re also learning more about the heroes in the story, particularly the pilot who managed to land the plane despite the blown-o…
View More What you need to know about Tammie Jo Shults, the hero pilot with ‘nerves of steel’NASA is building a quiet supersonic jet prototype
NASA is leading a project to build the next generation of supersonic aircraft, which will produce very quiet sonic booms. This will allow it to be utilized as a commercial jet over populated areas. Read more…More about Nasa, Mashable Video, Airplan…
View More NASA is building a quiet supersonic jet prototypeThis artist built an entire model plane out of nothing but manila envelopes
Luca Iaconi-Stewart has been building incredible paper planes since 2008. Every wire, panel, and moveable part is all included in the super intricate paper planes. Read more…More about Art, Design, Mashable Video, Airplane, and Air Travel
View More This artist built an entire model plane out of nothing but manila envelopesNorwegian Air claims record for shortest transatlantic flight, propelled by 200 mph tailwinds
A bunch of lucky passengers may have made aviation history this week on a Norwegian Air Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from New York to London. The plane rode tailwinds of more than 200 mph on Jan. 15, allowing it to make the trip in just 5 hours and 13 minutes.
According to Norwegian Air, that’s the fastest transatlantic trip ever for a subsonic commercial aircraft.
SEE ALSO: Planes flew from New York to London at near-supersonic speeds due to powerhouse jet stream
Those tailwinds — which hit 202 mph, according to Norwegian — propelled the plane to a top speed of 776 mph relative to the ground, also known as its groundspeed. The Dreamliner is the fuel-efficient plane Boeing unveiled in 2007. It boasts more leg room and larger windows than your average commercial jetliner, smart LED lighting, and the use of lightweight composite materials. Read more…
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View More Norwegian Air claims record for shortest transatlantic flight, propelled by 200 mph tailwindsWoman gets entire airplane to herself after getting booked onto flight meant for staff
You know that delicious feeling you get when you’re on a half-empty flight and the seats next to you are free?
Well, imagine getting the whole plane to yourself.
SEE ALSO: Man jumps from emergency exit on airplane, stands on wing
This was exactly the…
Man jumps from emergency exit on airplane, stands on wing
A passenger on a Ryanair plane was arrested after he opened the emergency exit and climbed onto the wing of the aircraft.
SEE ALSO: Some jerk just diverted a flight by naming his hotspot ‘bomb on board’
A Ryanair spokesperson confirmed the “security …