stackyFACTSThanks to Hollywood, we assume blimps erupt in spectacular fireballs at the slightest provocation. In reality, the internal pressure of a modern helium airship is so shockingly low that if you shot a bullet straight through the hull, the gas would leak out slower than air escaping a flat bicycle tire.
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To gain altitude quickly, blimps and zeppelins rely on the oldest trick in buoyancy. They simply open a valve and dump hundreds of gallons of literal water…
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With no mechanical flaps or rudder pedals, hang glider pilots steer entirely by throwing their own mass around inside a hanging harness. Want to dive?…
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By casually ignoring the sound barrier, the Concorde essentially allowed wealthy passengers to outrun the rotation of the Earth itself. On early evening…
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In movies, a crazy passenger pulls the handle and opens the airplane door mid-flight. Why is this impossible?
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At 29,000 feet, the air is so catastrophically thin that helicopter rotor blades literally have nothing to grab onto to generate lift. While a few insane,…
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After realizing that filling giant floating fabric bags with explosive hydrogen was a distinctly terrible idea, the industry wisely pivoted. Modern airships…
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