airplanes

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Indonesia Crash Toll Hits 141; Plane Was Ancient

Air force chief: Some may have flown without permission

(Newser) - The death toll has skyrocketed to 141 after an Indonesian military transport plane slammed into houses and a hotel in Medan yesterday. Though it initially wasn't clear how many people were on board the C-130B Hercules, officials now say it was carrying 122 passengers—including "maybe five to...

Planes on Collision Course Avoid Near Disaster

Chicago Midway Airport controller cries out desperate warning

(Newser) - Two commercial planes flirted with disaster tonight after beginning their takeoffs on intersecting runways at Chicago Midway International Airport, the Chicago Tribune reports. "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" an air controller can be heard shouting on a recording of the incident posted at LiveATC.net . The two pilots—one...

Invention May Make Air Travel Much Quieter

Membrane could block 1K times more sound energy than plane alone

(Newser) - Does the buzzing of a plane's engines drive you bonkers? Researchers have come up with a product that could save you some grief. They've developed a thin membrane capable of blocking low-frequency noise that tends to bounce around the cabin. The honeycomb-like material typically used on a plane'...

Report: Hackers Could Use Plane WiFi to Hijack Controls

FAA says it is working with experts on necessary changes

(Newser) - That in-flight WiFi we've all become so fond of could be breached by hackers to take control of the plane, according to a worrying GAO report out yesterday. Passengers, or even people on the ground, could break down firewalls guarding communications and navigation systems, Reuters reports, meaning a hacker...

Why We Fart More on Airplanes

Danish physician probes the science of flatulence

(Newser) - When someone passes gas at 35,000 feet, there's nowhere to hide—so a Danish doctor has come up with ways to fart less on airplanes and better disguise the odor when we do, the BBC reports. The doctor, Jacob Rosenberg, says the topic grabbed him on a long...

Pilots May Have to Fly Jetliners All Alone

NASA funds study to consider historic change

(Newser) - Imagine peeking into a jetliner cockpit and seeing a single pilot in there, responsible for flying all of those people. Well, NASA wants to seriously consider that option with a new $4 million study, the Wall Street Journal reports. Contract winner Rockwell Collins Inc. will look at whether a second...

Spooked NATO Intercepts Sudden Slew of Russia Jets

NATO countries intercept 19 planes in 24 hours

(Newser) - It's not clear what Vladimir Putin might be up to, but reports of a possible Russian sub spotted off Sweden are now followed by those of NATO, which says it yesterday intercepted at least 19 Russian fighter jets and bombers flying in three separate directions outside Russian airspace. Eight...

Maps of Alaska Are So Old It's Dangerous

Incorrect elevation data may contribute to plane crashes

(Newser) - The US has highly sophisticated maps of Afghanistan, and the government constantly updates its terrain data in the contiguous US. But up north, it's a very different story. "Mars is better mapped than the state of Alaska," says the head of one mapping company. And that is...

Why Planes Could Someday Get 'Human-Like' Skin

BAE is developing microsensors that act like skin to detect trouble

(Newser) - Good news for those who are terrified of flying. Aircraft may be a whole lot smarter soon, thanks to a human-like skin developed by BAE Systems in the UK. The smart skin is really a layer of microsensors capable of detecting, the way human skin can, things like external temperatures,...

'Mystery' Planes Seen Streaking Over Texas

Enthusiast says military may be showing wares to Russia

(Newser) - Aviation enthusiasts spotted three mystery planes over Amarillo, Texas, earlier this month, and buzzed online about what they had seen, Fox News reports. Initially they thought B-2 Bombers had flown by on the afternoon of March 10, but the aircraft lacked the B-2's W-shaped back. They "loosely resembled"...

How a Plane Can Just Vanish
 How a Plane Can Just Vanish 
Mar 11, 2014 12:32 PM CDT

How a Plane Can Just Vanish

Experts answer questions after Malaysian Airlines disappearance

(Newser) - The disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight is raising plenty of questions beyond "where is it"? For instance, how, in an age of constant tracking, could it have vanished? And how could it have fallen from the sky? A look around at some of the answers being offered...

Airlines Should Charge Cell Talkers $100 Per Minute

Let's stop loud conversations before they start: Spud Hilton

(Newser) - Air travel is bad enough with other passengers barging to the front of the line at the gate, greedily taking up luggage-rack space, and getting in each other's way at the carousel; do we really want to add loud cell-phone chatter to the mix, as the FCC is considering...

FCC May Allow Cell Phone Calls During Flights

Agency will consider lifting ban next month

(Newser) - This is either great or horrible news for air travelers, depending on perspective: The FCC might soon allow passengers to talk on their cell phones all throughout their flights, reports the Washington Post . The agency will consider lifting its ban on airborne calls next month. Under the proposed change, the...

Longest Flight You Can Take: 9.5K Miles, 19 Hours

But hurry, because it's set to be canceled

(Newser) - If, for some reason, you have a desire to take the longest commercial nonstop flight you possibly can, book a ticket on Singapore Airlines flight 21 or 22. It'll take you from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey, a distance of 9,500 miles, in 19 hours. It's the...

You're Not the Only One Who Cries on Planes

Why do we shed tears, especially when airborne?

(Newser) - If you've ever flown alone, you may have felt it. High above the earth, a yawning emptiness might creep over you, along with—perhaps—a tear. It's certainly happened to Elijah Wolfson at the Atlantic , and he's not the only one—a Virgin Atlantic survey once found...

We're Fighting Fires With Antique Planes

US Forest Service also uses parts pulled from museums

(Newser) - When the US Forest Service battled wildfires near Yosemite National Park in August, it did so with a fleet of restored tankers first built in the 1950s. The planes help firefighters on the ground by dropping thousands of gallons of retardant ahead of blazes, but critics say the tankers are...

Don't Hate on Airplane Food —It's 'a Minor Miracle'

Considering how planes mess with our senses of taste and smell, writes Matt Goulding

(Newser) - Airplane food may be the butt of many, many jokes, but Matt Goulding admits to craving "the plastic tray of overcooked veggies, insipid sauces, and industrial condiments." And no, he's not joking. But he's quick to point out that context matters. "I've only eaten...

Another Terrifying Plane Landing
 Another Terrifying 
 Plane Landing 
UPDATED
Jul 23, 2013 7:52 AM CDT

Another Terrifying Plane Landing

At least 10 injured as Southwest plane's landing gear collapses at LaGuardia

(Newser) - There was another too-dramatic plane landing last night, this time at New York's LaGuardia Airport, where the landing gear on a Southwest plane collapsed. Injury reports vary—the Wall Street Journal puts the figure at "more than 10", and says six passengers and three crew members have been...

10-Hour United Flight Runs Out of Toilet Paper

Passengers told to use cocktail napkins instead

(Newser) - United Airlines forgot to stock a London to San Francisco flight last week with a crucial amenity. No, not the Sky Mall catalog, but something almost as important: toilet paper. Instead, the airline offered passengers on the non-stop 10-hour flight cocktail napkins, reports ABC Local . The napkins, unfortunately, had a...

2 Planes Barely Miss Each Other Over New York

They reportedly came within 200 feet of each other in June incident

(Newser) - The FAA is investigating an incident in which two planes came frighteningly close to one another in the air over New York City, NBC 4 reports. The June 13 incident occurred when a Delta 747 missed its approach at JFK airport and circled around again—in the process running afoul...

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