Word: planes
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...fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to withstand almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. Known as the mysterious "black box," these flight-data recorders are actually not black but orange - and when a plane falls from the sky, they're sometimes the only thing that can help authorities discover exactly what happened...
Airlines were using black boxes by the end of the the 1950s, but the instruments didn't become a mandatory feature until 1960, when the Federal Aviation Administration required all commercial planes to carry them. Initial versions contained literal tape recorders and were about the size and shape of a basketball. After a number of black boxes were destroyed in crashes (the tapes melted in fire), they were moved in 1965 from their original position in the landing wells to the rear of the plane - the area most likely to survive an impact. That same year, they were also required...
...impact forces up to 100 Gs. (A G is equal to the force of the earth's gravity.) They track pilots' conversations, engine noises, air-traffic-control commands, fuel levels, landing-gear extension and retraction and dozens of other clicks and pops that might offer insights about a plane's final moments. The boxes are made out of quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel. And in case you're wondering, an entire airplane can't be made out of the same material or it would be too heavy...
...order to get to the grave, one must travel by vaporetto, the main form of public transportation, to a little island across a plane of water that lies to the north of the main island in the lagoon. You step right off the boat at Cimitero, where the city’s inhabitants—born high or low—rest in peace. At first, the expected emphasis on decoration can be found in the multiple bunches of flowers and ribbons, the specially-posed portrait photos that flutter by the graves, and especially the family-commissioned tombs that boast...
LONDON, England — I experienced the comfort of home before I stepped into my house, or even laid foot on airport tarmac. It was on the plane, catered by stewardesses who offered wine with my meal in a tone of calm civility clearly distinguishable from the intimately friendly manners I had encountered before boarding at Logan. As we swooped over streets that represent personal landmarks and brim with familiar memories, the pilot apologized profusely for the offending view of Arsenal stadium. Naturally, given Arsenal football team’s recent defeat by Chelsea rival, I presumed these were...