Air Transportation

Turning Dragonflies Into Drones

The DragonflEye project equips the insects with solar-powered backpacks that control their flight

February 10, 2017

Australia Wants to Streamline Its Border Control Using Biometrics

The country envisions a system that would eliminate the need for paper passports or identity cards for a number of the 35 million who visit each year

February 6, 2017

A Picture History of One of the World’s Greatest Hot Air Balloons

Designed by Charles Green, the Great Nassau was big enough to capture the imaginations of an entire country

January 31, 2017

Trending Today

Japan Tries (and Fails) to Launch a Tiny Rocket

Sending teensy satellites into space isn’t just an experiment in cute—it’s an effort to reduce the cost of sending tech into space

January 16, 2017

New Research

Think Your Job Is Depressing? Try Being an Airline Pilot

New study suggests pilots are more depressed than the average American

December 16, 2016

Take to the Skies in One of These Restored Vintage WWII Airplanes

Earn your wings and experience a slice of aviation history from the cockpit of a historic aircraft

December 15, 2016

Cool Finds

What to Make of Renewed Claims That Amelia Earhart Died as a Castaway

Reexamination of data from a 1940 skeleton, suggests that the long forearms may match those of the missing aviator

November 2, 2016

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Can This App Cure Your Fear of Flying?

No, you’re not plummeting from the sky. But the SkyGuru app can help explain why it might feel that way, using real-time flight data

September 15, 2016

IBM’s Watson Takes On Yet Another Job, as a Weather Forecaster

The integration of the supercomputer and weather stations around the world could have a huge impact on global industry

August 26, 2016

Catch the Spiffy New Look for the Hall that Houses The Spirit of St. Louis, Bell X-1 and Other Famous Flyers

Just in time for its 40th birthday, the museum revamps its main exhibition hall and Star Trek “Enterprise” debuts

June 29, 2016

Cool Finds

During the Cold War, the Air Force Dropped an Unarmed Nuke on South Carolina

Amazingly, none of the Gregg family of Mars Bluff were seriously hurt, not even the cat

May 12, 2016

Cool Finds

The First Delivery Drone in the United States Lands a Spot at the Smithsonian

The Flirtey F3.0 hexacopter touches ground at the National Air and Space Museum

May 2, 2016

The Future of Cars Is Already Here

Even before the “Jetsons,” people dreamed of flying cars. Now breakthroughs in technology are helping all kinds of vehicles get off the ground

May 2016

Journey to the Center of Earth

What Are You Flying Over? This App Will Tell You

Flyover Country uses maps and geology databases to identify features of the landscape as a plane flies over them, no Wifi necessary

March 10, 2016

Trending Today

The Sky Might Soon Be Flush With Self-Cleaning Bathrooms

A new Boeing prototype lavatory zaps germs with UV rays

March 8, 2016

A New Way to Trick the Brain and Beat Jet Lag

For all its complexity, the human brain is not hard to deceive. Here are four studies where scientists have learned more about duping it

March 3, 2016

A Detachable Airplane Cabin and Other Strange Aviation Ideas

A recently unveiled concept for a removable, parachute-equipped airplane cabin is only the latest in a long line of far-out designs

January 21, 2016

Is This Machine the Future of Airport Security?

The Qylatron, used daily at San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium, promises better, faster security screening

November 30, 2015

Cool Finds

Air Force One is Getting a Makeover

The best presidential perk is about to get even better

October 20, 2015

Cool Finds

JetBlue Goes Green with a Farm at JFK Airport

The airline hopes to produce herbs and around 1,000 pounds of blue potatoes each season

October 14, 2015