The stories behind the skill.

"Until 21 June 2004, every human who had travelled beyond ..."

"385 feet"

"000 miles"

"One carries 130 tons. The other carries 150. Neither has ever met a load too large."

"The airlift pilot who dropped candy instead of bombs."

"The V-tail that outlived every fashion trend in aviation."

"In 1986, a helicopter went 249 mph. In 2013, a hybrid went 255. The rotorcraft speed limit is still being written."

"50 minutes"

"Three aircraft, more than two centuries of combined service, and still flying."

"000 days"

"Single-engine, 1,200 shp, and a cockpit that belongs in a Gulfstream."

"A single plate became two. Twelve thousand pressurization cycles later, 520 souls paid for the shortcut."

"The altimeter said minus eight feet. The autothrottle believed it. Nine people died because a mode change went unnoticed."

"120 feet"

"On the afternoon of 4 June 2010, a slender white rocket r..."

"The wing-mount engine that defied every textbook."

"230 souls. One spark in a fuel tank. A certification assumption that cost everything."

"Built for Swedish highways, sold to the world."

"The Johnson Bar: proof that steam locomotives and retractable gear speak the same language."

"Two sticks of gum and a rubber hose changed global reach forever."

"The mode annunciator showed HOLD. Four pilots saw nothing. The seawall saw everything."

"Before METARs, there were telegrams. Before DUATS, there was a Weather Bureau clerk with a map."

"The only place where a CFI will let you stall a 747 into downtown Chicago—twice."

"Seven women, one 727, and a flight schedule written in lipstick and determination."