Passengers on flights across the US are now free to use their gadgets during both take-off and landing, and that FAA-granted courtesy could soon be extended across Europe too. The relevant governing bodies, including the UK's Civil Aviation Authority and the European Aviation Safety Agency, are also considering the change, putting an army of "Flight Mode" devs on the dole. [Guardian] Read More >>

We were promised supersonic flights. Today, we stay well below the speed of sound. We were promised transatlantic flights from New York to London in three and a half hours. Today, that flight takes us seven hours. We were promised the future of flying. That future hasn't existed for 10 years. The last flight of the Concorde was on October 24, 2003, we've been flying on slow-haul planes since. Read More >>

In what must have felt like living through a scene from a Die Hard movie, an airplane passenger without any flight experience early yesterday morning had to make a daring emergency landing when the pilot fell fatally ill. Read More >>

As expected, the FAA advisory committee has recommended that airline passengers should be "allowed to use smartphones, tablets, e-readers and other personal electronic devices during takeoffs and landings". That means, yes, we can finally use our damn (innocent) electronic devices while on an airplane in the US, without looking like a criminal. Read More >>

It's not news that the Pentagon's fated F-35 program is riddled with dilemmas. For more than a decade, it's bumped into roadblock after roadblock. When the planes aren't grounded, they're forbidden to fly in bad weather, combat missions or at night. Vanity Fair just published a lengthy look at just how bad a mess it is. Read More >>

This last year has not been kind to Boeing's fledgling 787 Dreamliner class airplanes, what with the repeated electrical fires, fleet groundings, and bad publicity. But Boeing is confident that it's worked the kinks out in its newest Dreamliner iteration, the 787-9, which rolled out of the factory earlier today and is eagerly awaiting its first test flight. Read More >>

Remember those awesome polystyrene toy planes that used to come in paper sleeves? They were the coolest, right? Well, now you're all grown up, how about a grown-up equivalent—in the shapes of these gorgeous wooden gliders. Read More >>

We've been hearing for years now unmanned aerial vehicles (a.k.a. drones) are the war machines of tomorrow, the weapons of a new age, the way of the future. There's only one problem: no one wants to fly the damn things. Read More >>

Rough weather caused by clouds and storms is easy for pilots and ground crews to spot and avoid when planning a flight route. But even perfectly clear skies can be full of invisible pockets of CAT—or clear-air turbulence—that are now easier to spot and predict thanks to a European laser-based detection system known as DELICAT. Read More >>

This timelapse video shows the controlled chaos that is airplanes taking off and landing. If you ever played Flight Control on your phone, it's pretty much as impossible as that. It's incredible how nerve-wrackingly efficient the whole process is. I promise to shut my mouth next time I wonder why my plane's stuck on a runway, honest. [Craigiest via Laughing Squid] Read More >>

Though most of us know that lightning bolts striking planes aren't too much to worry about these days, seeing the actual bolt go through the plane is always a frightening sight. There are hundreds of people in that flying tube! And they're getting zapped by lightning! Of course, there probably unaware of it and it's only us on the ground who see the terrifying image. Read More >>

YouTube user Carl Vause recently uploaded a side-by-side shot of two identical aircraft carrier landings—one during the light of day and one in pitch black. The result is absolutely stunning. Read More >>

An international team of investigators has concluded that the battery inside the emergency locator transmitter is the likely cause of the fire aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner parked on the tarmac at London Heathrow last week. The plot thickens. Read More >>

Looks like yet another Dreamliner is on fire—this time, it's on the tarmac at our very own London Heathrow Airport. (Luckily, it appears the jet is empty.) You'll remember that the Boeing 787 was initially grounded back in January after one of the aircraft caught fire on the ground at Boston airport in the US of A. This new fire comes just months after a revised design of the Dreamliner with a new battery system was cleared for take off by international flight organisations. Uh oh. Read More >>

Crack out your flight sims: this arcade cabinet has to be the ultimate way to dogfight, resembling as it does the iconic MiG-23 fighter jet. Read More >>