Classic Aviation
From the Wright Brothers to the Boeing 747, explore the classic planes that helped forge an industry and alter the face of human transportation in the 20th century.
- Top 10 Bungled Attempts at One-person Flight
- Classic Airplanes
- Chronicle of Flight
- The Wright Flyers: 1903, 1905, and 1908
- The Dawn of Flight
- Dawn of Flight Timeline
- Conquering Air and Space
- Conquering Air and Space Timeline
- Jets and Rocket Flight
- Jets and Rocket Flight Timeline
- Revolution in Flight
- Revolution in Flight Timeline
- Flight in the Depression
- Flight in the Depression Timeline
- The Heart of the Golden Age of Flight
- Golden Age of Flight Timeline
- World War I Flight
- World War I Flight Timeline
- Post-World War II Flight
- Post-World War II Flight Timeline
- B-17: Flying Fortress (Video)
Aviation Questions
- What went wrong with the MD-80 aircraft?
- What's the Silent Aircraft Initiative?
- Where does your unclaimed luggage end up?
- Do commercial jets have locks on the doors and ignition keys?
- How does an afterburner work?
- How does the toilet in a commercial airliner work?
- Why do those long, white clouds form behind jets flying high overhead?
- Why doesn't the exhaust in a jet engine come out the front?
- How do they start jet engines on airplanes?
- How does an oxygen canister on an airplane work? How can heat generate oxygen?
- When an aerobatic plane flies upside down, how does the fuel get to the engine?
- How did this airplane avoid crasing? (Video)
Modern Aviation
Ever wondered how an ejection seat works, or how to ride a hot air balloon? This section explores modern jet mechanics and aircraft operations and components. See Full List
- How Air Taxis Will Work Air taxis could make a trip to the beach or a visit with friends and relatives go from taking six hours on the highway to a quick, no-hassles plane ride. Find out how the air-taxi system will operate.
- How Air Traffic Control Works There are about 5,000 planes in U.S. airspace every hour. How do these aircraft keep from colliding with each other? Learn about the intricate system that guides a plane from takeoff to landing.
- How Airline Crews Work In an office that cruises a mile or more above the ground, being an airline crew member can be tiring, but rarely boring. Find out how pilots and flight attendants get you from gate to gate.
- How Airline Freight Works Like trade ships of old, air-freight planes move anything that can be bought or sold. See how goods are shipped worldwide.
- How Airlines Work How did the guy in the next seat pay less for a ticket than you did? Explore how airlines work, how ticket prices are set and more.
- How Airplanes Work One hundred years ago the Wright brothers made their historic first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Learn all about lift, drag, props and more, and see how planes get off the ground!
- How Airport Security Works According to the Department of Homeland Security 730 million people travel on passenger jets every year. Are these folks safe? Find out how high-tech solutions are being used to make flying as safe as possible.
- How Airports Work Traveling for the holidays? This article will give you insight into the inner-workings of the hubs from which you may be flying to see friends and family.
- How Autopilot Works For some in-flight routines and procedures, autopilots are even better than a pair of human hands. They don't just make flights smoother -- they make them safer and more efficient.
- How Becoming an Airline Pilot Works Airline pilots have an amazing job with huge responsibilities. Learn what it's like to be a pilot and what it takes to make it in this highly competitive profession.
- How Black Boxes Work Often the only "survivor" among the wreckage, black boxes help investigators determine what happened in an airplane accident. Find out what's inside a black box.
- How Blimps Work Blimps combine the simple buoyancy of a hot air balloon with the technology of an airplane. Learn all about these lighter-than-air vehicles.
- How Concordes Work The only passenger plane that flies faster than the speed of sound, and can get from New York to London in less than four hours, is calling it quits. Learn how this amazing plane works.
- How Customs Works To most people a trip through customs is just another stop in an airport or a country's borders. But customs agencies to much more for their countries' governments. In fact U.S. Customs raises more revenue than any agency except the IRS.
- How Ejection Seats Work When a military aircraft is in trouble, the pilot may have to eject to save his life. Find out how this crucial escape system separates pilot from plane.
- How Gas Turbine Engines Work Ever wonder what's happening inside that huge jet engine as you're cruising along at 30,000 feet? Jets, helicopters and even some power plants use a class of engine called gas turbines...
- How Gliders Work Flying in a glider is about as close as you can get to soaring like a bird. Amazingly, these graceful machines manage their maneuvers without an engine. Learn how gliders fly without power.
- How Helicopters Work Helicopters are the most versatile flying machines in existence today -- they have the amazing ability to fly in 3-D moving forward and backward up and down and side to side not to mention hovering in place.
- How Hot Air Balloons Work Hot air balloons are about as simple as flying can get -- no engine, no moving parts really, and very little the pilot can do to control the vehicle. Find out what it's like to fly a hot air balloon!
- How Hypersonic Planes Work Higher, farther, faster: NASA's X-43A plane is destined to set new speed records. What sets the X-43A apart from other rocket-powered aircraft is that it is powered by a scramjet engine. Learn all about it.
- How Personal Air Vehicles Work Move over Orville and Wilbur, there’s a new flying machine in town! And this time it’s made for personal use. Imagine a flying version of the Segway and you’re on the right track . . .
- How the Airbus A380 Works It's the largest passenger jet ever built -- so huge that airports have to be redesigned to accommodate it. Find out just how big the A380 is and what this type of craft means for the future of air travel.
- What are the Odds: Plane Crashes? (Video) What are the odds you will die in a plane crash? Learn more about odds in this video.
- Speed Freaks: SR-71 Blackbird (Video) Discovery Turbo's "Speed Freaks" looks at the Blackbird, a high tech jet that expands around pilots at high speeds.
- Greatest Ever: Porsche (Video) Known as a super car for the masses, the Porsche 911 ranks #1 as the world's greatest sports car. Check out this video to learn more about the world's greatest sports cars.
- Helicopters Explained (Video) Watch this video about helicopters on HowStuffWorks. This NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment is describing how helicopters work and the different types of helicopters in use. Learn how helicopters works in this video from NASA Destination Tomorrow.
- How Air Traffic Control Works (Video) Watch this video about air traffic controllers on HowStuffWorks. In this video, air traffic controllers explain their jobs and what they do to keep the air traffic control system working efficiently and safely.
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Kristiana BurkContact Info:
Atlanta, GA
Channel Director, HowStuffWorks
I am a former librarian and teacher.
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Atlanta, GA
Channel Director, HowStuffWorks
I am a former librarian and teacher.
Send Email
Future Aviation
Take a journey into the future of aviation. Switchblade planes and sonic aircraft may soon be taking people around the world faster than ever.
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