#aviation
51 episodes
#5558: Landing on the Edge: Cork Fog to Carrier Decks
What does it actually take to land a heavy jet when the margin between calculated and flown is razor thin?
#5547: 53 Bird Strikes a Day: What Actually Happens
Bird strikes happen about 53 times a day in the U.S. — and the real story is far stranger than the flaming-engine footage.
#5472: Can Anyone Scan a QR Code From a Landing Plane?
A New York printing startup wants to tow a QR code behind a plane on the airport approach path. We rate the idea.
#5413: Who Actually Picks Your In-Flight Movie?
Eight in ten passengers use seatback screens — but at Southwest, one person picks everything. Inside the tiny teams behind airline entertainment.
#5367: Circling the ER: Driving When You Can't Stop
What do you do when the destination has no parking and a sick passenger in the seat? A holding pattern for city streets.
#5303: Do Airline Safety Demos Actually Save Lives?
Everyone ignores the safety demo — especially frequent flyers. But when a plane catches fire, does that ritual actually get people out alive?
#5302: Grass, Road, or Water: Where Does a Crippled Jet Land?
An A320 is in trouble with three options left: a grass runway, a road with traffic, or open water. The data on which one crews actually pick.
#5293: Air Koryo and the ICAO Alignment Problem
What flying North Korea's flag carrier actually feels like — and why a cut-off state still shows up to ICAO meetings.
#5239: What Happens When a Plane Dumps Fuel Over a City
Fifteen fuel dumps a year over US airspace — and nobody tracks where the fuel lands or what it does to the ocean.
#5192: Why Flying Fear Starts in Your Late Twenties
Sudden fear of flying in adulthood is common — and it's usually not about the plane at all. What the research says, and what actually helps.
#5092: Pelican Cases vs. Neoprene: The Real Tool Travel Trade-Off
Weighing hard cases like Pelican Air against neoprene sleeves and padded inserts for carrying tools on flights.
#5088: What Does a Pilot's Gray Hair Actually Buy You?
Is flight seniority about skill or something harder to measure? We dig into what experience really buys in the cockpit.
#4988: Building the Ultimate Misery Tour of Air Travel
What routes, airlines, and airports would you string together to maximize flying suffering in 2026?
#4915: Did El Al Price Gouge During the War?
El Al raised fares 16% after foreign carriers fled. Was it profiteering or survival pricing?
#4912: How Airlines Stock 80,000 Parts for a Single Fleet
Inside the staggering scale of aircraft parts logistics — from 450,000 part numbers to 12-hour global delivery.
#4910: Why Wide-Body Flying Isn't Actually Harder
Why bigger planes don't need more experienced pilots — and how ACMI operators let pilots leapfrog the seniority queue.
#4880: Who Really Flies Your Flight? Inside Wet Leases
When an airline's crew doesn't actually work for the airline whose name is on the plane.
#4875: The Invisible Border: Where Are You Between Flights?
You're on the tarmac but not in the country. Where does the law place you?
#4861: Which Long-Haul Aircraft Earns Its Keep?
Comparing the A330, A340, 777, and 787 on daily utilization, profitability, and real-world performance.
#4845: What Aviation Teaches Us About Attention
How pilots manage hours of boredom without burning out — and what we can steal from their approach.
#4695: The Unfenced Runway: When Airfields Blend Into Town Life
What happens when a working airfield has no fence, no guards, and a grandmother using the runway as a shortcut?
#4628: Living Airside: Can You Make an Airport Your Home?
We explore whether you can actually live in airports, hopping between airside hotels without ever entering a country.
#4435: How 30 Meal Codes Feed 300 Passengers
The hidden supply chain behind your in-flight meal — from IATA codes to RFID-tracked carts.
#4267: The World's Most Dangerous Airline and Airspace
Yeti Airlines tops the fatal accident rate. But the real hazard may be the airspace it flies through.