How to Survive a Plane Crash:

A plane crash is every air traveler’s nightmare. While some people take solace in the fact that you’re much more likely to die in a car than in a passenger jet, there are other people who have a very real, sometimes debilitating, fear of flying.

But, did you know there are things you can do to better your chances of making it out alive? For instance, while officials won’t go on record for saying one seat is any safer than the next, research shows that sitting in the rear of the plane gives you a 40 percent higher chance of surviving a plane crash than sitting with those lucky folks in first class. Remember that next time you’re stuck beside the rear lavatory.

Read on to discover what plane crash myths and real-life stories of survivors we’ve uncovered…

Image Courtesy Vance Jacobs

What exactly causes your ears to pop when you fly or dive underwater?

Ever wonder why your ears pop when you fly or dive underwater? Ear barotrauma occurs when the pressure inside your ear — on the interior side of your eardrum — is higher than it is outside.

Read on to learn exactly how barotrauma works and how to lessen its effects…

How Wingsuit Flying Works

If you’ve ever dreamt of soaring through the air like a superhero, you’re not alone. Dreams of flying­ have captivated human imagination since prehistoric times. Even with the advent of aircraft and the increasing availability of air travel, the ancient question stays with us: What if we could simply spread our arms ­and fly like a bird?

Today, the dream is a reality. Resembling something between a flying squirrel and a snow angel, the wingsuit allows skydivers and BASE jumpers to leap out into the void, spread their arms and soar through the air.

Read on to discover how physics, design and decades of experimentation have allowed wingsuit flyers to own the skies.