A Boeing 747-400 can hold 524 people, not counting the crew. However, the new AirBus A380, which is currently underdevelopment, might be able to accomodate 840 passengers.

At 12:30 a.m. this morning, the Sun reaches its farthest point south of the celestial equator. This marks the Winter Solstice, and the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere.

Civilian passenger jets cruise at between 30,000 and 39,000 feet. Military aircraft can attain greater altitudes. Prop planes are limited to about 20,000 feet. A small plane can legally fly 2000 feet.

Birds were the fastest creatures on Earth until 1919. At that time, pilots first reached speeds of 190 mph (306 km/hr). Thus, the record for fastest speeds among birds was broken. The champion bird had been the peregrine falcon, clocked at speeds nearing 185mph(298km/hr) while diving. Since then, even cars and trains have beaten that record.

The outer skin of an aeroplane is only 5 mm thick. Only 7.5 in (19 cm) separate the passengers from the outside.

Seventy-five thousand engineering drawings were used to produce the first 747.

A 747-400 has six million parts (half of which are fasteners) made in 33 different countries.

An airplane’s “blackbox”‘ is a device which records conditions and events on an air vessel. A “blackbox” is actually orange in color to make it more visible in the wreckage. The term black box might come from its charred appearance after an air crash.

When airplanes were still a novel invention, seat belts for pilots were installed only after the consequence of their absence was observed to be fatal – several pilots fell to their deaths while flying upside down.

The first United States coast to coast airplane flight occurred in 1911 and took 49 days.

As of 2010, aeronautical engineering annual salaries range from $57,356 to $87,050.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the top aeronautical engineering schools in the U.S. are Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy and California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.

Technological instruments utilized by aeronautical engineers include robotics, computer-aided drafting (CAD) software and electronic and laser optics.

Technology-based areas that aeronautical engineers work in include aircraft guidance, navigation and control systems.

Aeronautical engineering is heavily involved in developing military aircraft including fighter planes, helicopters, rockets and missiles.

Aeronautical engineering tasks encompass a variety of careers including wind tunnel testing, engine design, aircraft design, spacecraft design and airliner comfort systems design.

Aeronautical engineers are employed by national companies including Boeing, General Electric, Lockheed Martin and Cessna, and government agencies including NASA.

Aeronautical engineering is an engineering branch that involves designing, producing and maintaining aircraft.

Communication to the ISS is via Ku-band, S-band and UHF frequencies.