Typically pertains to the study of aircraft. Can relate to the theories, design, construction, behavior and use of such craft.
Questions tagged [aviation]
118 questions
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Did Winston Churchill praise Rolls-Royce engines?
In 1919, the world's first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight happened, and Rolls-Royce engines provided the power to make it happen. Marking the 100th anniversary of the 20th-century milestone, Rolls-Royce crafted a limited-edition line of Wraith…
Barry Harrison
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Does having one fewer child reduce my carbon footprint as much as 71+ people going vegan?
In July 2017, ScienceMag reported on a study:
Eating no meat cuts an individual’s carbon footprint by 820 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year [...] by choosing to have one fewer child in their family, a person would trim their carbon…
Gnubie
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Can you eliminate La Guardia Airport and still move same amount of NYC passengers by air, but faster?
Joel Spolsky (I think) made this claim on latest Stack Exchange Overflow podcast that you can eliminate La Guardia airport in NYC, and even if 100% of La Guardia flyers started using the remaining two airports (JFK/Newark), that would allow to fly…
user5341
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Is the Kabul evacuation "the largest airlift of people in history"?
As quoted here in an August 21 news piece:
“The President noted that this is the largest airlift of people in history and that it would not have been possible without the early support from Qatar to facilitate the transfer of thousands of people…
Fizz
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Have more people "been to space than have flown in a B-2?"
According to Popular Mechanics (emphasis added):
More people have been to space than have flown in a B-2.
... A B-2 pilot at Whiteman [Air Force Base] told me that the number of astronauts who've been to space is larger than the number of people…
Barry Harrison
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Does skip-lagging/hidden city travel make flights more expensive?
From a recent MarketWatch article, This airline sued a passenger for skipping his flight — why we should all take note, George Hobica claims that
“Hidden city cheaters make airfares more expensive for everyone who plays by the…
user41350
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Has president Trump been "very strict on Commercial Aviation"?
President Trump seems to be implying that him being strict on commercial aviation led to 2017 having been "the best and safest year on record". When reading carefully, he does not claim that outright; it's merely a juxtaposition of two…
SQB
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Did an Indian man make an airplane or flying device in 1895?
I've come across a lot of Indian sources claiming that an Indian man named Shivkar Bāpuji Talpade made an airplane or flying device in 1895.
Shivkar Bāpuji Talpade (1864 – 1916) was an Indian scholar who is said to have constructed and flown an…
Dudey
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Are plane cabins particularly unhealthy environments?
Obviously, the risk of airborne transmission of disease increases based on proximity, but are airplane cabins particularly more unhealthy than, say, train cabins? Is there something (e.g., air recirculation) that justifies greater than normal…
Larry OBrien
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Was the video about MH17 done the day before it crashed?
Was the video implicating rebels in the shooting down of MH17 created the day before the crash?
Example claim
donwload SBU video of recording of rebels talking of downing #MH17 and
check the creation date: 16/07 the day before!
#pt try…
Andrew Grimm
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Can radar from low-flying planes kill small animals?
I have heard this claim in the past, and have found a few references to it (Example 1, Example 2). Supposedly military avionic radar units are so powerful that they are capable of killing small animals, or even humans, simply by being powered up in…
Beofett
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Did two people in jetpacks fly with an A380?
This video has been doing the rounds of the internet - An Airbus A380 flying in formation with 2 jetpack - and news sites have raised an uproar of critics calling "fake".
"Jet(pack) pilots keep pace as the Airbus flies 1200 metres above the UAE…
Coomie
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Are movies with aircraft incidents not shown on planes?
CinemaSins (a YouTube channel of movie critiques) often points out movies that 'instantly make themselves unavailable for in-flight viewing due to plane-crash sequence' (e.g. their review of Fight Club).
Is this true; are there guidelines that…
Nick T
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Can lightning bring down a plane?
Some early reports by witnesses to the Air Algérie Flight 5017 crash claim that lightning caused the plane to crash:
A GROUP of herders who say they saw Air Algerie flight AH5017 crash claim it went down after being struck by lightning, local…
BigBohrs
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Did one Avro Arrow (CF-105) avoid being scrapped?
June Callwood claimed in a 1997 Macleans Magazine article:
Someone has flown an Arrow to safety.
CTV news says:
The discovery of an intact ejection seat from Canada's legendary Avro Arrow is fuelling[sic] a half-century-old conspiracy theory that…
user5582