A Day In the Life...

Here's a cool aviation, courtesy of NASA: A Day In the Life of the U.S. Air Traffic Control System.

Silent Passenger Airplane Invented

Engineers at Cambridge University have unveiled a design for airplanes that are silent once airborne. The "flying wing" aircraft has engines on top of the back that direct engine noise upward. They hope to have a prototype working within a year.

'Singing Wings' Increase Lift At Low Speeds

New technology that uses a plastic coating that makes sound can increase the lift of small airplane wings at low speeds by 22 percent, which could prevent stalls long enough for pilots to regain airspeed or come out of a turn. Invented by an Australian Quantas engineer doing research at the University of New South Wales, the invention, which could be applied as a film coating to parts of the wing, actually prevents -- or, at least, delays -- the separation that occurs with a too-high angle of attack.

Small Altitude Change Would Benefit Environment

Airline contrails create cirrus clouds, which trap additional heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. But Hermann Mannstein at the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen has found that aircraft fitted with specialized sensors would be able to determine and fly at a "sweet spot" just below the altitude where contrails form, which would not require a major change.

Onboard Motors Could Replace Tow Tugs

Boeing has successfully tested the use of electric motors that power the nose wheel of huge passenger jets as a replacement for on-the-ground tow tugs.

Amazing Video: Bird In Military Jet Engine Incident

Here's what it looks like -- and sounds like -- when a bird gets sucked into your engine, forcing you to eject.