Airplanes | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/airplanes/RSS feed for AirplanesenWed, 22 Jul 2026 15:02:37 +0000This 1950s Airplane Disaster Prompted the Flight Safety Demonstrations Passengers Know Today. Searchers Just Found the Wreckage in the Atlantic Oceanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1950s-airplane-disaster-prompted-the-flight-safety-demonstrations-passengers-know-today-seachers-just-found-the-wreckage-in-the-atlantic-ocean-180989170/A team of explorers used an autonomous underwater vehicle to locate the remains of the Pan American ‘Clipper Endeavor’ about five miles off the coast of Puerto RicoWed, 22 Jul 2026 15:02:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1950s-airplane-disaster-prompted-the-flight-safety-demonstrations-passengers-know-today-seachers-just-found-the-wreckage-in-the-atlantic-ocean-180989170/When a Team of Meteorologists and Combat Pilots Set Out to Understand Thunderstorms, They Made Flying Safer for Everyonehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-team-meteorologists-combat-pilots-set-out-understand-thunderstorms-made-flying-safer-everyone-180988841/The sky was a very dangerous place in the early days of commercial aviation. By flying into storms to learn how they worked, these experts made air travel and weather forecasting much more predictableMon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-team-meteorologists-combat-pilots-set-out-understand-thunderstorms-made-flying-safer-everyone-180988841/In a First, NASA's Experimental X-59 Plane Flew Faster Than the Speed of Sound, Setting the Stage for 'Quiet' Supersonic Aircrafthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-nasas-experimental-x-59-plane-flew-faster-than-the-speed-of-sound-setting-the-stage-for-quiet-supersonic-aircraft-180988916/The United States banned supersonic flights over its land in 1973 due to their ear-splitting sonic booms. Experts are building a plane that should travel at those speeds but create only gentle thumpsMon, 08 Jun 2026 20:00:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-nasas-experimental-x-59-plane-flew-faster-than-the-speed-of-sound-setting-the-stage-for-quiet-supersonic-aircraft-180988916/