MetaFilter posts tagged with Plane

Artifact of Early Antarctic Aviation Found

filthy light thief — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:32:53 -0800

Early in the days of exploration of Antarctica, Australian geologist Douglas Mawson turned down an invitation to join Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition in 1910 (Cool Antarctica previously). Instead, Mawson lead his own expedition, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (December 1911 to December 1913), an expedition to chart the 2000-mile coastline directly south of Australia, one of the least-visited parts of the continent throughout the early years of Antarctic exploration. The group's efforts and activities are well documented, and many remnants of the expedition remain on Antarctica. The conservation of Mawson's Huts is now an ongoing effort from Association of Australasian Palaeontologists (AAP) Mawson's Huts Foundation. While most efforts were focused on the recovery and treatment of artifacts inside the main hut, the group also searched for the Vickers (Aviation) monoplane that was modified to become an "air tractor", or motorized sledge. The remains of the plane were last seen in 1975. Now the plane has been found, thanks to an exceptionally low tide and a bit of luck. According to the Sydney Morning Herald:

It was found by a heritage carpenter, Mark Farrell of Hobart, who was looking for a suitable landing spot for a cruise ship to bring visitors to the historic huts at the site in January, he said.

Though the Mawson's Huts Foundation Latest News page doesn't include reference to the find, it does provide more details about the known history of the plane, as well as earlier finds. Bonus bits: * Photos of the original expedition, courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales (mentioned previously) * Mawson's Huts Conservation Programme Part 1 and Part 2

What an RC plane sees when you shoot fireworks at it.

shockingbluamp — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:14:07 -0800

Planes, fireworks, and....AC/DC! An expensive RC plane and a crapload of fireworks is a great way to spend a late afternoon. (SLGM)

787 First Flight

joshwa — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:47:05 -0800

After many many delays, Boeing's newest widebody jet, the 787 "Dreamliner", will fly for the first time today. Watch a live webcast starting at 9:40AM PT.

Kalinin K-7: the giant plane that might have been

Joe in Australia — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:58:54 -0800

The Kalinin K-7 was a giant flying fortress that might have redefined aerial combat in the 1930s. The hugely expensive and trouble-prone prototype was scrapped by Stalin and its designer was later executed. Here are some renderings of the planes that might have been, with spacious lounges, battleship-sized cannons, and the ability to defend us from UFOs.

non-flight of the unPhoenix

Artw — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:00:56 -0800

Abandoned PBY-5A Catalina Flying Boat in Saudi Arabia. More images. (via)

Has There Ever Been a Good Air Force One Photo Op?

stagewhisper — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:09:05 -0800

A Presidential Boeing 747 along with two fighter planes continuously circled jarringly close to the tops of buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City this morning. From the ground it looked as though a plane had been hijacked again, and the Air Force was attempting to force it down. Panic ensued. Another terrorist attack? No, just a top secret photo op. The White House apologizes .

twittering disaster

sdn — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:29:44 -0800

Mike Wilson, on a continental 737 flight, twittered his plane crash almost as it happened. See his feed starting here.

Girl with No Arms pilots plane

jwakawaka — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:31:03 -0800

A woman with no arms has conquered flying It's not all sensible, though. As she says at the end, she literally has her life in her "own feet." Flying a plane never looked so comfortable.

Panoramic view of the Airbus A380 cockpit

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:40:53 -0800

It's a small cubicle you have toshare, but the view is pretty good.

This is how we roll

roofus — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:15:29 -0800

This is how we roll in India
This is how we slide in Saudi
This is how we fly in Sweden
Some people are a little bit casual about road safety.

Look Out Below

netbros — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:12:10 -0800

Airphoto North America ― Jim Wark is an aerial photographer who specializes in capturing unusual landscape and cultural images of North and Central America. The plane used is a small high-wing, bush type (an Aviat Husky) with a large side opening for unobstructed shooting, and with the capability of operating out of small rough areas. A full complement of camping gear and provisions are always on board so that remote sites can be used as operating bases.

Archangel, the CIA's Supersonic A-12 Reconnaissance Aircraft

cog_nate — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:22:06 -0800

Quick, identify this plane. SR-71 Blackbird, right? Wrong. It's the A-12. Hundreds of documents pertaining to the A-12 program (codenamed OXCART) were declassified last September, and the CIA has rolled out a series of historical articles dedicated to development of the plane and its derivatives, including the SR-71 (Blackbird on left). There are some really cool photos, too, including this one of an engine test.

Тхундербирдс являются дороге!

Artw — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 08:28:50 -0800

Russian cold war bombers - The Tu 95 Bear and Tu 160 Blackjack, based in central Russia, which resumed long range patrols in August.

Nellis AFB Air Show.

saladin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:16:13 -0800

Wednesday morning plane pr0n.

Wet landing

eye of newt — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:04:57 -0800

On Nov 22, 1968, exactly 39 years ago, on a reasonably clear, uneventful day, a new JAL DC-8 descended toward the SFO airport. The landing was so well executed that no one was hurt when the pilot landed the plane into the San Francisco Bay, several miles from the airport. What explanation did 15 year veteran pilot Captain Kohei Asoh give for his botched landing? It was so unusual (especially in this day and age), so refreshingly honest, that it came to be known as the Asoh Defense. Amazingly, the plane was recovered, refurbished, and was in service for another 35 years.

Physics 101 stumper

zardoz — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:47:21 -0800

Here's a seemingly simple physics problem: an airplane taxis in one direction on a moving conveyor belt going the opposite direction. Can the plane take off? The debate rages on and on and on....

Solar planes making progress

stbalbach — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:53:13 -0800

The Zephyr, a solar powered plane, has smashed the record for the longest duration un-manned flight, staying aloft with engines running for 54 hours. This was just a test run at the US military White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, according to the UK developers, "You ain't seen nothing yet". Meanwhile in Switzerland, development continues on the Solar Impulse, which has a goal of flying around the world, manned(!), by 2010.

We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

ThePinkSuperhero — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:19:42 -0800

I now know what to do in case I ever got stuck on an airplane that's not going anywhere- organize and stage a revolt, like the passengers of Continental flight 1669.

The ground effect effect

sien — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:44:00 -0800

Many Mefi members have wondered about how they should get from their private island to friends' private islands. Finally, SeaFalcon provides an answer. They have a built a wonderful vehicle that exploits ground effects to provide a rapid, efficient way to island hop. via

Periscoop Op

tellurian — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 19:16:56 -0800

Dutch Submarines has mystery pictures of submarines and/or their doings with some great answers. For example, there is the story of the use of submarines as seaplane carriers yes, really.

Oh, I wish we had the image tag again...

bitter-girl.com — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 08:29:02 -0800

Bare naked travel? (Previously on MeFi: here, except now they're actually doing it, and here). The TSA wants to see you naked. Just don't paint "Kip Hawley Is An Idiot" on your torso in Pepto-Bismol before you go to the airport.

Plane crashes into building in New York on 10/11

craniac — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 12:07:53 -0800

Plane/Helicopter Crashes into NYC high rise. ???

Get these mother f&$*in snakes off my movie theater!

allkindsoftime — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:28:52 -0800

This was bound to happen.

The SoaP drops

XQUZYPHYR — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 07:14:25 -0800

New Line drops the SOAP today. After months of gags, comments, and speculation, the most-talked-about movie of the year, and one of the largest epidemics of viral marketing in film history, opens in theatres. So is the movie actually good? AICN says so. Rotten Tomatoes says so. And Samuel L. Jackson... let's let him speak for himself. And if you don't like it, go make your own.

Google Maps Flight Sim

Jimbob — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 03:40:41 -0800

Google Maps flight simulator. Well, not a simulator so much. But surprisingly good fun. Flash.