Jeffwise

The biggest threat to air-passenger safety right now may be our own government. This article originally ran on August 7, 2026 in New York magazine. In the midafternoon of Tuesday, August 4, an air-traffic controller in the tower of Ronald Reagan Washingto

Founders' newest status symbol? Getting a pilot's license to fly their own plane This article orginally ran on August 6, 2026 in Inc. magazine. After graduating from high school in 2000, David Spector spent the summer working construction for his uncle in

Marine One's recent near-miss in D.C. airspace was scarier than it looks, and shows that the biggest threat to air-passenger safety right now may be our own government.

Why would a perfectly good plane go rogue? The answer grounded 6,000 aircraft. This article originally appeared in New York magazine on August 3, 2026. To celebrate their second anniversary together, 22-year-old Terrica Turner and her boyfriend, Tyrese Ba

Drone warfare is making the skies more dangerous, even for airplanes far from the battlefield. This article originally appeared in Wired magazine on July 30, 2026. THIS PAST MAY, a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air medevac plane took off from Roswell, New M

Each year, amateur and stunt pilots alike descend on an otherwise quiet Midwestern tarmac for a high-flying extravaganza that appears to throw caution to the wind-except for a brilliant team of air-traffic controllers stepping into the chaos. This article

Why would a perfectly good plane suddenly go rogue? The answer was disturbing enough to ground 6,000 aircraft, reports Jeff Wise.

Drone warfare is making the skies more dangerous, even for airplanes far from the battlefield.

'Artemis II' is scheduled to blast off this week, but a former astronaut and heat-shield expert has major concerns, reports Jeff Wise.

Publicly available audio of air-traffic-control radio communications, as well as visual playback of automatically reported aircraft positions and speed, make it possible to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the crash.