#aviation-technology
15 episodes
#2620: How Atomic Clocks Actually Keep Time
Why the second is defined by a cesium atom, not the Earth's rotation — and why leap seconds are causing chaos.
#2451: Why Old Fighter Jets Still Train New Pilots
Why air forces still train pilots on 50-year-old aircraft instead of simulators or frontline fighters.
#2407: Three Landings in 90 Days: Pilot Automation Dependency
Why pilots aren't hand-flying enough, the regulatory floor that lets it happen, and what airlines are doing about it.
#2392: Why Aircraft Carriers Still Rule the Seas
How do slow-moving aircraft carriers remain the cornerstone of US power projection in an era of hypersonic missiles?
#2370: Morse Code and Telegrams: The Tech That Won’t Die
Morse code and telegrams, relics of the past? Think again. Discover where these technologies still thrive and why they refuse to fade away.
#2236: Metal at Forty Thousand Feet
Could 1903 metallurgy have built a plane to fly at 40,000 feet? The answer reveals how materials science, not aerodynamics, was aviation's deepest ...
#1374: Why Your Boarding Pass Sometimes Takes 5 Seconds to Print
Your boarding pass is a digital handshake between airlines and governments. Discover why that handshake sometimes fails at the gate.
#1237: Ghost Flights and Legacy Code: Why Travel Tech is Broken
Ever wondered why that flight vanished while booking? Explore the 1960s mainframes and cryptic protocols holding the travel industry together.
#1016: The Immortal Airframe: Why 70-Year-Old Planes Still Fly
Explore how 70-year-old bombers and tankers stay flight-ready using digital twins, 3D printing, and cutting-edge structural engineering.
#631: The Oron: Israel’s Flying Supercomputer in a Luxury Jet
Discover how a luxury business jet became the IDF's most powerful intelligence asset, the Oron, a high-altitude flying supercomputer.
#622: Ghosts in the Airwaves: The EA-18G Growler’s Invisible War
Discover the Boeing EA-18G Growler, the aircraft that dominates the electromagnetic spectrum through chaos, deception, and raw power.
#541: Why Can’t This Battery Fly? The Science of Li-ion Safety
Why are loose batteries a "no-go" for shipping? Herman and Corn explore the volatile science and strict laws behind lithium-ion logistics.
#527: Who’s Really Flying? The Evolution of Aircraft Controls
From steel cables to digital signals: Herman and Corn explore how flight controls evolved and why some modern jets still use 1960s technology.
#425: The Arc of Deprecation: Why Old Tech Still Rules the World
Why do floppy disks and fax machines still power our most critical systems? Explore the surprising reasons behind the "arc of deprecation."
#373: Inside the Cockpit: Youth and Tech in High-Stakes Missions
How do you prepare a 22-year-old for the world's most complex missions? Explore the intersection of youth, stealth tech, and high-stakes warfare.