Tag Archives: Airplanes
Airline Pilots: How Much Does Flight School Cost?
Training to become a commercial airline pilot is a pretty attractive career choice. Not only do you get to be in charge of some of the biggest flying machines in the world, you also get to travel the world, meet interesting people, and all while being paid potentially six-figure sums for your time. But entering this market is not always easy. The days of full scholarships for flight training are largely behind us, and most student pilots must self-fund the process.
For those who have the right skills and can afford it or are willing to take out a student loan, let’s see how much it costs to train as a pilot in 2022.
Science: Biofuels For Planes, Biodiversity In Ecosystems, Conservation
On this week’s show: Whether biofuels for planes will become a reality, mitigating climate change by working with nature, and the second installment of our book series on the science of food and agriculture.
First this week, Science Staff Writer Robert F. Service talks with producer Meagan Cantwell about sustainable aviation fuel, a story included in Science’s special issue on climate change. Researchers have been able to develop this green gas from materials such as municipal garbage and corn stalks. Will it power air travel in the future?
Also in the special issue this week, Nathalie Seddon, a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford, chats with host Sarah Crespi about the value of working with nature to support the biodiversity and resilience of our ecosystems. Seddon emphasizes that nature-based solutions alone cannot stop climate change—technological approaches and behavioral changes will also need to be implemented.
Finally, we have the second installment of our series of author interviews on the science of food and agriculture. Host and science journalist Angela Saini talks to Jessica Hernandez, an Indigenous environmental scientist and author of Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science. Hernandez’s book explores the failures of Western conservationism—and what we can learn about land management from Indigenous people.
This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.
[Image: USDA NCRS Texas; Music: Jeffrey Cook]
[alt: cows in a forest]
Authors: Meagan Cantwell; Robert Service, Sarah Crespi, Angela Saini
Alaska Views: Pilot Lands Plane On Highline Lake
Aviation: ATEA – Hybrid Electric VTOL Aircraft
Airports: How Chicago O’Hare Was Redesigned
Available space, weather and air traffic volume are key factors that go into airfield design. Robert Hoxie, who helped redesign Chicago O’Hare’s airfield, explains how runways are mapped out. Photo Illustration: Adele Morgan/The Wall Street Journal
Analysis: Boeing 787 Dreamliner Problems
Inventories of the wide-body planes are piling up, as deliveries remain halted A new defect on Boeing’s Dreamliner aircraft surfaced in July, the latest in a series of issues that arose late last summer. Deliveries of the popular plane are now halted, pressuring Boeing’s profits. WSJ’s Andrew Tangel explains how Boeing got here. Photo: Bloomberg News
Aviation: Boeing & Airbus Counter China’s Comac
Boeing and Airbus dominate global aviation, but China’s Comac wants to challenge the duopoly with new planes. WSJ’s Jon Sindreu explains how supply chains, technology and geopolitics could help the Western aircraft makers to protect key markets. Photo Composite: George Downs
Air Travel: A Veteran Pilot Explains Turbulence (WSJ)
After decades of flying, pilot Stuart Walker says turbulence isn’t entirely predictable. But there are different types of turbulence pilots watch for. Walker explains each one and what pilots do to avoid a bumpy ride. Illustration: Alex Kuzoian for The Wall Street Journal
Air Travel: The Rise Of Pilotless Planes (Video)
Over the past 100 years, the technology inside airplanes has become more and more advanced from jumbo jets to smaller Cessna’s. Some see the next step to full automation as removing the pilot completely. Reliable Robots and Xwing are two Bay Area start-ups working on doing just that. Rather than build new aircraft, both companies have retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravan’s. The planes can fly autonomously with a remote operator who monitors the flight and can take control if needed. Both companies are working with the FAA on getting approval. Xwing took CNBC for a test flight, where the pilot didn’t touch the controls once. Watch the video to learn how it works and when pilotless planes will become the norm.
Boomers Daily 