I am buying a plane ticket with my credit card and someone else has access to my credit card statements. How much information about my flight will that person be able to get? [more inside]
posted by thewestinggame on Oct 25, 2009 - 21 answers

What should we be prepared with if a friend and I want to go plane spotting at O'Hare? [more inside]
posted by bryanzera on Aug 3, 2009 - 5 answers

What's the best WWII movies for air battle scenes (domestic or foreign)? [more inside]
posted by keith0718 on Jul 12, 2009 - 20 answers

I've heard that there are twice-daily commuter flights to/from Charlottesville, VA and DC. I can't find any online... everything seems to be typical big-airliner, normal-expensive flights. Am I looking in the wrong place, and what's the best option for traveling between those two places minus a car? [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Jun 6, 2009 - 13 answers

Where can I find a list of all the Wright Company planes on public display (originals, not reproductions)? [more inside]
posted by rikschell on Apr 22, 2009 - 3 answers

In a little over two weeks, I'll be vacationing in the Italian Riviera with a group of friends. There's just one problem: my debilitating fear of flying. [more inside]
posted by zembla3 on Mar 2, 2009 - 22 answers

What is the name of this 1980's television series? [more inside]
posted by clamato on Feb 15, 2009 - 14 answers

What's the largest size that an airplane could theoretically be and still fly? Let's assume real-world materials that exist currently (ie, no carbon nanotubes or anything like that). I'm interested in the 'why' as much as I'm interested in the actual answer.
posted by empath on Dec 11, 2008 - 19 answers

Does eliminating assigned seating reduce boarding times for airplanes? And if so, why? [more inside]
posted by vodkaboots on Oct 30, 2008 - 14 answers

Where's the best place to watch the Chicago Air show?
posted by nitsuj on Aug 6, 2008 - 5 answers

Will I be able to board a plane if the name on my boarding pass is slightly different from my legal name? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 11, 2008 - 25 answers

On this past Mother's Day afternoon, I saw several WWII-era aircraft flying around L.A. over the course of a few hours. Anyone know if there was some air show or something else like that going on that day?
posted by shoos on May 22, 2008 - 3 answers

How many person-miles are flown every year by commercial airlines? [more inside]
posted by crazylegs on May 4, 2008 - 3 answers

In about two and a half months, I'm going on my first flight. What should I know, or otherwise be prepared for? [more inside]
posted by lisawin on Mar 15, 2008 - 51 answers

Does anyone have direct experience taking a Rotring 500 fountain pen on an airplane in post 9/11 America? If so, your advice? [more inside]
posted by gyusan on Mar 11, 2008 - 8 answers

Favorite paper airplanes (and other flying diversions)? [more inside]
posted by rossination on Feb 28, 2008 - 15 answers

R/C Airplane (SPAD) beginner question(s) [more inside]
posted by spock on Nov 26, 2007 - 4 answers

Why don't commercial jets start the wheels rotating before landing? [more inside]
posted by Killick on Sep 2, 2007 - 24 answers

How do I get my torch lighter on the the airplane? [more inside]
posted by invitapriore on Aug 14, 2007 - 8 answers

Does anyone know of a way to lookup a tail number on a private airplane to see who owns it? Nothing nefarious going on here, honest. I believe we have the tail number and are trying to find out who owns the plane.
posted by philad on May 2, 2007 - 11 answers

seattle / tacoma folks - i like to watch airplanes take off and land. Suggest a good spot to sit quietly and watch the air traffic at seaTac airport? [more inside]
posted by Tryptophan-5ht on Dec 16, 2006 - 6 answers

I fondly remember an arcade game from my childhood at the local junk-food kiosk, but I can not remember the name. I have tried to search Google, but I have not found anything. The game, as I remember it, was a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up. You flew planes (1 player or 2 players) and on the ground beneath you dinosaurs where actively trying to kill you with their prehistoric might. [more inside]
posted by Grums on Oct 19, 2006 - 3 answers

How can I have an airline ticket yet not have a seat? [more inside]
posted by baklavabaklava on Sep 17, 2006 - 36 answers

How loud are the passenger cabins of commercial airplanes? [more inside]
posted by werty on Apr 26, 2006 - 10 answers

PossiblyExtremelyObscureBookFilter: I'm trying to locate the title and author of a paperback book I read in the late '60's. [more inside]
posted by pjern on Feb 3, 2006 - 9 answers

Lately, when flying red-eye flights, I've noticed that the flight attendants, as part of their safety spiel, sometimes ask that the window shades be left up during takeoff and landing. Why? Also, [more inside]
posted by Zendogg on Jan 13, 2006 - 17 answers

When did the FAA/airlines stop asking those 2 questions about whether someone had given me something to bring on the plane, and whether my bags had been out of my possession at any point? What was their justification? I want to say that this changed after 9/11, but that doesn't really make sense.
posted by unknowncommand on Dec 30, 2005 - 27 answers

How elite are the Blue Angels? [more inside]
posted by rorycberger on Oct 10, 2005 - 19 answers

I am flying to another city soon and would like take my guitar with me. On the plane--not as baggage. I would like to read about the experiences of anyone here who has tried to do the same. My research thus far yields no fixed answer.
posted by y2karl on Oct 9, 2005 - 18 answers

I'm looking for online examples of WWII-era airplane silhouettes, labeled as "American," "British," "Japanese," or "German," as used by civilians during WWII to spot enemy aircraft. Help? [more inside]
posted by Alt F4 on May 3, 2005 - 6 answers

Years ago, I saw a method for flying paper/model airplanes by walking forward holding a board in front of you. A young man appeared on the PBS show Newton's Apple demonstrated this technique in the 90s, but searching the episode guide doesn't yield any additional clues. Is there any information on the person who develped this technique, characteristics of planes that will work and does it play an ongoing role in paper airplane design and competitions?
posted by jhritz on Feb 24, 2005 - 6 answers

VeryBigAirplaneFilter: I'm trying to ID two airplanes I saw a few years ago. (more) [more inside]
posted by cmyk on Jan 13, 2005 - 15 answers

My sister had the worst travel experience the other day, resulting in an airline losing her carry-on bag. Her carry-on! She's been playing mad phone-tag with ambivalent airline personnel, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience or advice that would help her. [mi, natch] [more inside]
posted by kittyb on Dec 24, 2004 - 12 answers

Advice on flying with a toddler: we're taking our two-year-old on a 13-hour flight to LA, then a bunch of domestic flights between LA-Philly-San Jose. We've flown a zillion times, but not with a child. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by tracicle on Dec 13, 2004 - 16 answers

how is skywriting achieved ?, is there some sort of GPS or computer assistance .. or just pilots with a sixth sense ?.
posted by mrben on Sep 13, 2004 - 2 answers

I know this is a bit morbid, but have there been documented cases of airline safety floatation devices saving people? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ALongDecember on Jul 24, 2004 - 8 answers

Any of you guys have experience with RTW (round the world) air travel tickets? Any particular ones to recommend? I have been looking into STA off and on, and several other options have been uncovered. But it seems all the data I can find is depressingly out of date. I tried futzing around on this webboard, but, not knowing much at all about airports, pro-level flying, and the like, I was incredibly intimidated to the point of "not knowing where to start." [more inside]
posted by oog on Jul 12, 2004 - 10 answers

His name is Dave Dunston. Or possibly Dunson. Or possibly some other variant that sounds similar; I've never seen it written. He is, or perhaps was, a British air traffic controller. Many years ago he gave a talk on air traffic control, and commercial aircraft in general, to a group of British bankers. Somehow it got recorded, and was broadcast on Max Ferguson's show on the CBC. It is definitely one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I managed to tape it, but the old cassette technology is dying a speedy death. I want another copy, preferably on a more dependable medium. Has anybody heard of this guy? Does anybody know how, or if, this air traffic control talk recording was released? Somehow it got into Max Ferguson's paws; I want it in mine.
posted by DrJohnEvans on May 11, 2004 - 8 answers