About this episode
There are many statistics out there that prove that flying on a commercial airplane is safe, that plane crashes are overall pretty unlikely. Still, up to an estimated 40% of Americans feel some fear at the thought of flying. So, amid the travel rush of the holiday season, we ask MIT aeronautical engineer Mark Drela: How does a plane lift off and stay up in the air?
Interested in more stories on physics? Email us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Interested in more stories on physics? Email us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Get every episode summarized
Each time Short Wave publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Short Wave
A new investigation shows heat is even deadlier than we thought
Short Wave
Sep 4, 202614:45completed
The science of emotional regulation — and how to do it better
Short Wave
Sep 2, 202612:29pending
What can seashells teach us about the health of our oceans?
Short Wave
Sep 1, 202613:10pending
Football is here – and so is a new study on CTE
Short Wave
Aug 31, 202615:01pending