Most commonly used aviation gasoline for piston engines: 100LL Dye used in 100LL: 1,4-dialkylaminoanthraquinone (also called C.I. Solvent Blue 98) Dye color: Blue Average cost of 100LL in the U.S., April 2017: $4.75/gal. Average cost of avgas in the U.S., 1980: $1.95 Density of avgas (all grades) at 15° C: 6.01 lbs./U.S. gal. Density of avgas (all grades) at -40° C: 6.41 more »

First reported missing aircraft: Hot air balloon Ville de Paris Pilot: Matias Perez, lost and presumed dead General location: Straits of Florida First missing airplane: December 22, 1910, Short S.27 Location: Somewhere over the English Channel Mission: Return to England Pilot: Cecil Grace; body recovered three months later Next three planes that disappeared: All Bleriot Model 11s  First military aircraft to go more »

It is a fascinating thing when we, especially in the aviation industry, attempt to improve upon performance and efficiency only to find that we are returning to old technology and ideas, some of which are nearly as old as aviation itself.  Let’s look at just three specific ideas, or technologies—two that are on the market more »

First flying car patent issued: 1918, Felix Longobardi, never developed First flying car built: Curtiss Autoplane, 1917 Designer: Glenn Curtiss Patent issued: 1919 Debut: Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition, NYC, February 1917 Flight: Reported to have made a few straight-ahead hops Style: Aluminum automobile body with detachable wings and tail Seats: 3 Engine: 100 hp Curtiss OXX (water-cooled V8) Propeller: 4-blade, rear-mounted Dimensions (flight mode): 27 ft. x 40 ft. more »

Average yearly cost of severe TS damage, U.S.: $10 billion Number of TS worldwide/year: 16 million Average number of TS in progress at any given time, worldwide: 2,000 Number of TS U.S./year: ~100,000 Most likely time of year: Spring/Summer Most likely time of day, Gulf Coast, Southeastern and Western States: Afternoon Most likely time of day, Plains States: Late afternoon/Night State with more »

First manmade aerial propellers: China, c. 500 BCE, child’s toy Leonardo da Vinci airscrew designs: c. 1480  First coaxial helicopter blade design: Mikhail Lomonosov, 1754 Year of first airborne propeller use: 1784 Aircraft it was used in: a balloon Means of power: hand-cranking Early experimenter with metal prop blades: Sir George Cayley, c. 1790 First practical aircraft propeller design: Wright Brothers Their discovery: the more »

First instrument flight: September 24, 1929 Site: Mitchel Field, Long Island, N.Y. Pilot: Lt. James Doolittle Plane: Consolidated N-2 (biplane similar to Stearman) Altitude data: Kollsman Altimeter Altimeter feature: Barometric setting (a first) Attitude data: Sperry Artificial Horizon Directional information: Sperry Directional Gyro Instrument approach equipment: Audible Localizer  Method of simulated IFR: Hood covered entire front-seat position Outside conditions: Clear, visibility unlimited Length of flight: 15 minutes more »