Airplanes

Watch a pair of incredible scale models of the iconic Concorde supersonic airliner take to the skies. While neither of these remote-controlled flyers can actually break the speed of sound, they still have jet engines, and look and sound absolutely insane.

Back in 2015, Virgin Australia repainted all of its airplanes with a fresh new look. It took 18 painters, about 69 gallons of paint, and 11 days to complete each jet. The most fascinating part of the time-lapse footage is watching the old paint melt off after it’s bathed in thinner.

Josh and Josh of FliteTest check out an incredible build from fans at Flite Fest West ’17 – a gigantic version of their Super Bee plane, packing 10 engines. It took some trial and error, but the behemoth eventually got airborne. The plane takes flight at 3:09.

Real Engineering looks at the economic and physical challenges of supersonic flight, and how Boom, a high tech startup hoping to bring back these faster-than-sound planes as a method of rapid, luxury transcontinental flight.

Return to the grand days of air travel with a meal aboard a replica Boeing 747 jumbo jet. $300+ for dinner isn’t cheap, but it’s less than a First Class ticket just about anywhere. This LA hotspot sells out months in advance, and they’re considering a Las Vegas location.

While it’s won’t push out the kind of air it would on an plane, there’s no denying that Phighter Images latest design is looks cool. It’s made from the nose cowling of a vintage Boeing 707, and fitted with a modern carbon-look blade. Available with an authentic or replica cowl.

Real Engineering presents the first in a series of videos which look at future airplanes which could disrupt the commercial airline industry which has been locked up tight by Boeing and Airbus for years. First up, the Aurora D8, an unusual jet with a “double-bubble” fuselage.

Henk Hesselink of the Netherlands Aerospace Centre presents a conceptual runway design, designed so airplanes can land from a variety of vectors to avoid dangerous crosswinds, as well as reducing concerns about wake turbulence caused by jets flying one behind the other.

After exploring cost as a limiting factor in the speed of commercial airplanes, Wendover Productions looks at how despite us all arriving at the same place at the same time, the bigger seats, drinks and meals of premium classes are big moneymakers for airlines.

Wendover Productions explores the speeds at which passenger airplanes get us around these days, and why they’re really no faster than planes were 50 years ago. In fact, between the cost of operation, safety limitations, and congestion, we’re actually slower these days.

Phighter Images’ aviation-themed tables are custom built from the ribs of airplane wings integrated with a sturdy metal base. Sizes range from a 4 ft coffee table ($5500+) or 6 ft desk ($7700+) to a massive 28 ft conference table, and can be embellished with custom artwork.

After tremendous response to their jet engine ceiling fan, Phighter Images came up with a lower priced model that looks just as cool. We love the carbon-fiber look on the blades. They’ve also got a smaller version in the works for kid’s rooms that will go for under $500.

YouTuber Papierfliegerei made a significantly better version of his playful gun. The portable paper plane factory now has a modular construction for easier repair, and is more durable and more powerful. It can make and fire up to 120 paper planes in a minute.

This massive remote-controlled aircraft based on the Airbus A-320 jumbo jet was built by Airstage.de. The airplane-shaped dirigible has a 15.7 foot wingspan, but weighs less than a pound. It might officially be an airplane, but it’s still incredible.

For his latest formation flight, original Jetman Yves Rossy and his two padawans flew alongside the French Air Force’s aerobatic team Patrouille Acrobatique de France. Definitely one of the sickest things we’ve seen this year.

(PG-13: Language) Australian comedy duo Theo and Nathan Saidden aka Superwog are known for their bad attitudes and short fuses, so who better to staff a jumbo jet than these two guys with a unique perspective on “customer service?” They’re no better as doctors.

It’s rare that a single image is as satisfying as this one, showing off the interior of a Boeing 787 jumbo jet without any of the seats installed. We like to imagine spreading out some sleeping bags on the floor when we’re not skateboarding around the cabin.

TopFelya captured this incredible footage at a runway at London’s Gatwick Airport, as a series of jumbo jets each manages to successfully land or take off in a dense fog that seems to swallow up the planes. The mist coming off the wings of the planes is especially eerie.

Another of the many cool recycled aeronautical items from the Boeing Custom Hangar, this desk hutch is bookended by authentic instrument panels from a 707-320 flight deck. The sturdy shelf on top is made from a 1/8″ sheet of hot-rolled steel, then black lacquered.

The Boeing Store’s Custom Hangar features custom furniture and accessories made from components of the company’s retired aircraft. One of our faves? This anodized aluminum table with the engine exhaust cone off an F-4 Phantom II fighter jet as its centerpiece.

The 560th Flying Training Squadron invited SmarterEveryDay for a test flight in the trusty Northrop T-38 Talon, a supersonic trainer jet used by the US Air Force and NASA. It gives us a thrilling glimpse of just how hard it is to handle such powerful birds.

In 2014, pilot Mark Penell encountered a problem that would have caused lesser men to panic. His single-seat Rans S-10 airplane lost its propeller mid-flight. But Mark kept his cool, and brought the plane in for a safe landing without its primary means of propulsion.

Photographer Blair Bunting and his assistant wondered if Goose’s upside down Polaroid shot in Top Gun could actually be done – and done well – in real life. They managed to convince the Patriots Jet Team to help them recreate the stunt. Behind-the-scenes here.

A highly abridged walkthrough of the many cryptic buttons and knobs pilots must use to start up a Boeing 737 jet. You’d think that with today’s tech, they could just punch in a destination, but these complex machines require significant manual input to fly.

If ajw61185’s flying scale model of an A-10 Warthog fighter wasn’t awesome enough, it’s got a cool trick up its sleeve – there’s a modded NERF Rival Zeus blaster inside, which can launch a dozen foam balls on command. You can see it fire at 1:02.