Luftfahrt
11 cards from across every topic, each citing a source. Tap one to open it in the feed.
- A city supplied from the air for 11 months.
On 24 June 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all land and water routes into West Berlin. Until the blockade was lifted on …
- A jet ran dry because someone mixed up pounds and kilos.
On 23 July 1983 the crew of Air Canada Flight 143 used 1.77 pounds per litre instead of 0.803 kg per litre; the new …
- Contrails are clouds made of exhaust water.
Burning kerosene produces water vapour. At 10 kilometres altitude it is about minus 50 degrees; the hot vapour cools …
- How thousands of aircraft manage not to collide at once.
Airspace is divided into sectors, each handled by one controller. On the ground, the tower directs take-off and …
- How to land a plane every three minutes.
At first there was chaos: on 13 August 1948 aircraft stacked up over Tempelhof. General William Tunner then imposed …
- One disaster ended the airship era in 34 seconds.
On 6 May 1937, the airship "Hindenburg" caught fire while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, and burned in about half a …
- Planes fly because their wings shove air downward.
A wing is tilted slightly and curved on top. The oncoming air follows the surface and is deflected downward behind the …
- Why Chicago is ORD and not CHI.
The three letters on your bag tag are assigned by the airline body IATA. Many date from early days: Chicago O'Hare was …
- Why airliners cruise at 11 km instead of 3 km.
At 11 km the air has only about a quarter of its density at ground level. Less air means less drag, so the aircraft …
- Why the flight back from New York is an hour shorter.
At around 10 km altitude, jet streams blow from west to east, often at 150 to over 300 km/h. Flying east, the wind …
- Why your flight to Tokyo goes over Siberia.
On a sphere, the shortest path is a great circle, a circle centred on Earth's core. On a flat map it looks like an arc …