Ever wonder how airplanes fly through those fluffy white things in the sky? If they can't see where they are going, how do they get there?

You might be tempted to think: "GPS!" Ah, yes... but airplanes were flying through clouds long before GPS was ever invented. So how did they do it? That's what this video is all about.

Although most new planes are being outfitted with "glass cockpits", which is to say computer screens with GPS systems, there's really nothing like a plane with vacuum-tube instruments, crackling radios, transponders, VOS, and DMEs. We're going to show you how IFR pilots (those who are specially trained to fly only by instruments without peeking out the window) use their equipment to get the plane down to the ground.

Are you ready? Then strap on your seat belt and get ready to fly with a certified instrument flight instructor...

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Comments

3 Responses to “How Airplanes Fly Through Clouds”

  1. Angela Doty says:

    Tried again and it works now. 🙂

  2. Hmm… this is one of our longer videos, and I wonder if you’re having internet issues because of that. Here’s a trick you can try: click play, then hit PAUSE and wait for the slider to fill all the way, indicating that it’s completely downloaded (this may take awhile), then move the slider to where you want and hit play again. Does that help?

  3. Angela Doty says:

    The video ended before we saw the flight, while he was still in the airport. I tried to replay to see if the footage was actually there, but it would not allow me to drag the marker to the end of the video to see. What do we need to do to see the flight?