Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-144 (Image: Christian Volpati/GFDL/Wikimedia CC)
Airline news

Concordski: The history of Tupolev Tu-144 SST

It is not uncommon for people to recognise the Concorde, that divisive but ground-breaking piece of aviation engineering; yet few can name its supersonic rival. Breaking both records the Concorde seemingly claims, the Soviet Tupolev 144 was the first supersonic commercial design aircraft to break the sound barrier and the [read more]

Concorde with its nose drooped partially in flight (Image: British Airways)
Airline news

Concorde: History & Development

The collective ingenuity of the Anglo-French aircraft manufacturing collaboration set in motion a wave of unlimited potential. Instigated in the context of the necessary development of aviation in post-war Europe, the harnessing of supersonic power in flight began. World War II unsurprisingly limited commercial flights around the globe but despite [read more]

M1 Air Crash (Image: AAIB)
Aviation safety news

32 Years On: Remembering the M1 Plane Crash

At 19:52 on the evening of 8th January 1989 British Midland flight 92 took off from London Heathrow bound for Belfast International Airport. 42 minutes later 47 people on board would be dead due in part to confusion. The Boeing 737-400 (G-OBME) took off from Heathrow as normal and the [read more]

PUBBLICITA' _SPACE_FOR_LIFE_ENG-A4.indd
Features

Interview: Thales Alenia Space Team

The number of off-world projects currently in development is staggering.Earlier this month China’s Chang-E 5 landed on the moon to collect up to 2kg of regolith samples and return them to Earth. This is a short mission – Get up, Get rocks, Get home – but even this takes years [read more]

Features

How to care for your Jumbo Jet

So you’ve done it. Well done. You’ve gone ahead, raised your £300k and somehow convinced an airline to sell you one of their retired 747s. Now what. Where do you put it? It’s not exactly small enough to fit in your backyard like that Harrier you bought on eBay or [read more]

Features

Mars 2020: Perseverance and Ingenuity

Our solar neighbour is a popular subject of science-fiction. Martians have been the topic of countless stories over the last century. The prospect of humanity exploring and prospering beyond the thinly veiled blue planet is our ultimate goal. After all, we only stepped outside the caves to see what was [read more]

The new digital tower control room at NATS Swanwick control centre for London City Airport is due to enter full operations service in 2019.
Features

Digital Air Traffic Control Towers

So what exactly is a “Digital Air Traffic Control Tower”? Basically it is a manned Air Traffic Controller facility that may or may not be on the airport,. It will utilise cameras, radar, radio/telephonephone communication equipment and aircraft data to enable control of airport movements. It will in essence perform [read more]

British European Airways Trident G-ARPE (Image: Piergiuliano Chesi/Wikimedia/CC BY-SA3.0)
Aviation safety news

Deadliest Air Accident in UK History: 48 Years On

It has been just over 48 years since the crash of British European Airways Flight 548 which devastatingly cost the lives of all 118 people on board a BEA Hawker Siddeley Trident. The aircraft suffered a deep stall shortly after takeoff, eventually coming down just south of the busy A30 [read more]