September 2005
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
White Rocket
How all U.S. Air Force pilots since 1968 have met their Mach.
The Rainmakers
Once a fire starts, these airplanes are the fastest way to slow it down. So why are they endangered?
John Young, Spaceman
Sometimes an entire era is represented by a single career.
Planes, Trains, and Waterfalls
A South African company revives a 1950s airliner and the lost art of elegant travel.
The Short, Happy Life of the Prop-fan
Meet the engine that became embroiled in round one of Boeing v. Airbus, a fight fueled by the cost of oil
When Stars Collide
Enter Einstein's grand construct of gravitational wonders, and do not attempt to adjust your television set.
A Bell That Didn't Ring
Turns out that jets are like waffles: The U.S. Army Air Forces was tempted to throw its first one away.
The French-Russian Connection
With Russian Yaks, a small group of French pilots fought like hell to drive the Germans out of the Soviet Union.