Articles tagged as Planes | Smithsonian Magazine

A picture of the XF8F-1 Bearcat. David L. Mandt was flying the same model when he crashed into the Chesapeake Bay.

Cool Finds

Traces of WWII Veteran’s Doomed Final Flight May Have Been Located in the Chesapeake Bay

Few definitive traces of either the pilot or his plane have materialized since the 1945 crash

July 29, 2019

All you'll need to see Jupiter is a pair of binoculars

Tonight Is the Best Time of the Year to See Jupiter and Its Many Moons

Jupiter will reach opposition the night of June 10, forming a straight line with Earth and the sun

June 10, 2019

Vancouver-based Harbour Air will soon outfit its classic seaplanes with battery-powered aviation motors

May 29, 2019

Visitors can still see iconic aircraft, like the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis (right) and Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis in the centralized “Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.”

National Air and Space Museum Says Pardon Our Renovation, but Come Anyway

In need of a new facade, the museum undergoes top-to-bottom change, bringing state-of-the-art technology and 21st century stories into its exhibitions

February 7, 2019

In July 1942, the "Lost Squadron," a unit consisting of two B-17 bomber planes and six P-38 fighters, landed on a remote Greenlandic glacier

Cool Finds

The Wreck of a WWII Fighter Plane Will Be Unearthed from a Greenland Glacier

The P-38 fighter is a member of the famed Lost Squadron, which landed on ice caps after running afoul of poor weather in July 1942

August 28, 2018

Researchers and archaeologists have recovered the remains of distinguished flyer Lawrence E. Dickson whose plane crashed during a mission in 1944

July 31, 2018

Flight Attendants May Face Increased Risk for Many Cancers, Study Finds

Flight attendants are exposed to a number of possible or probable cancer-causing factors

June 27, 2018

Shipwrecks discovered off the coast of Western Australia.

Two 19th-Century Shipwrecks Discovered During Search for Flight MH370

The Western Australian Museum has put forth several suggestions for the identities of the sunken vessels

May 10, 2018

Emotional Support Peacock Barred From Flying on United Airlines

The incident comes as airlines have implementing stricter rules for emotional support animals

February 1, 2018

Sleek new entranceways will grace the refurbished museum.

Here’s Why Washington’s Beloved Air and Space Museum Is Facing a Sweeping Seven-Year Upgrade

The museum will remain open as it works to enhance the visitor’s experience

November 7, 2017

Doctors Once Prescribed Terrifying Plane Flights to “Cure” Deafness

Stunt pilots, including a young Charles Lindbergh, took willing participants to the skies for (sometimes) death-defying rides

September 26, 2017

Wilson works to band waterfowl in the summer to help track the birds. Hunters that harvest banded birds will report their harvest to state wildlife officials.

Age of Humans

This Biologist Defies Gravity (and Glass Ceilings) to Document the Effects of Climate Change

As one of five American women in this role, Heather Wilson blends aviation and birds to bolster climate change records

February 16, 2017

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

Artist sketches of D.B. Cooper, who vanished in 1971 with $200,000 in stolen cash.

The mysterious skyjacker got away clean

July 13, 2016

Cool Finds

Air Force One is Getting a Makeover

The best presidential perk is about to get even better

October 20, 2015

14 people died in the accident

July 30, 2015

Cool Finds

This Film Shows a Glimpse of Amelia Earhart Before Her Final Flight

After 70 years in storage, the footage shows the pilot posing for press photographs

June 10, 2015

The familiar SkyMall magazine on planes is now unfortunately bankrupt.

How SkyMall Captured a Moment of Technological and American History

The now-bankrupt catalog had a meteoric rise and fall

January 27, 2015

Ten years ago this week, the Huygens probe gave scientists a first look at the icy surface beneath the haze of Saturn's moon Titan.

Best Space Photos of the Week

Best Space Photos of the Week: From Solar Flares to Saturn’s Moons

A spitting sun, a well-loved lake and a happy accident on Mars star in this week’s best space images

January 16, 2015

The Enola Gay crew (Van Kirk is standing, second from left).

Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk said he never regretted his involvement in the bombing

July 30, 2014