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Best Aviation & aerospace engineering videos, as recommended on Hacker News

77 videos about aviation & aerospace engineering that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2010 and 2026. Mostly explainer, demo, documentary. Channels that come up most: Wendover Productions, Mentour Pilot, AVweb, CGP Grey. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is Children Of The Magenta Line: HN brings it up in any thread about autopilot, Tesla FSD, self-driving cars and crashes as the classic lecture on automation dependency.

• lectureChildren Of The Magenta LineMossie Fly · 11 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerThe Economics of Airline ClassWendover Productions · 6 HN recommenders · 2017–2025
• podcastDavid Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122Lex Fridman · 8 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
• explainerThe Fastest Way to Board a Plane Feels Like the SlowestCGP Grey · 9 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• explainerZipline - How Rwanda Built A Drone Delivery ServiceReal Engineering · 9 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• documentaryPulling Power from the Sky: The Story of Makani [Feature Film]X, The Moonshot Factory · 6 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• podcastJoe Rogan Experience #1361 - Cmdr. David Fravor & Jeremy CorbellPowerfulJRE · 5 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• explainerBig Plane vs Little Plane (The Economics of Long-Haul Flights)Wendover Productions · 8 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
• demoWhy You Should Put YOUR MASK On First (My Brain Without Oxygen) - Smarter Every Day 157SmarterEveryDay · 5 HN recommenders · 2016–2025
• documentaryThe Boeing 787: Broken Dreams l Al Jazeera InvestigationsAl Jazeera English · 6 HN recommenders · 2017–2024
• documentaryA NEW Trace! The FULL MH370 Story, so Far..Mentour Pilot · 5 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• talkHow to crash an airplane – Nickolas Means | The Lead Developer UK 2016LeadDev · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• explainerSuper Pointy Sprint Missile - 0 to Mach 10 in 15 Seconds - 100Gs & 6000°FDark Footage · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerMars Helicopter (before it went to Mars)Veritasium · 10 HN recommenders · 2020–2021
• explainerDrone Delivery Was Supposed to be the Future. What Went Wrong?Wendover Productions · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• documentaryThe Vanishing of Flight 370LEMMiNO · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• explainerRunaway Stabilizer!! How to stop MCAS.Mentour Pilot · 7 HN recommenders · 2019–2022
• explainerSmall Planes Over Big Oceans (ETOPS Explained)Wendover Productions · 4 HN recommenders · 2017–2020
• explainerAre Electric Planes Possible?Real Engineering · 4 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• demoFesto - SmartBirdFesto · 4 HN recommenders · 2011–2021
• explainerHow Overnight Shipping WorksWendover Productions · 4 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• documentaryPeople & Power - On a wing and a prayerAl Jazeera English · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• talkDoug McLean | Common Misconceptions in AerodynamicsMichigan Engineering · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2021
• explainerHow Airlines Quietly Became BanksWendover Productions · 5 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerWhy Planes Don't Fly FasterWendover Productions · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
• demoAirbus A340 EMERGENCY - Engine FailureAviationTV · 2 HN recommenders · 2014–2021
• explainerThe Long, Twisted And Slightly Ridiculous Story of Avgas Part 1AVweb · 3 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• talkDEFCON 20: Hacker + Airplanes = No Good Can Come Of ThisChristiaan008 · 3 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
• explainerThe Long, Twisted and Slightly Ridiculous Story of Avgas Part 2AVweb · 3 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• lectureSpecial Lecture: F-22 Flight ControlsMIT OpenCourseWare · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• talkThe Original Skunk Works – Nickolas Means | The Lead Developer UK 2017LeadDev · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2021
• explainerThe Five Freedoms of AviationWendover Productions · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• explainerHow to Design Impenetrable Airport SecurityWendover Productions · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• explainerThe real reason Boeing's new plane crashed twiceVox · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2019
• talkHow to Land the Space Shuttle... from SpaceBret · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
• explainerThe Ridiculous Engineering Of Jet EnginesVeritasium · 2 HN recommenders · 2025–2026
• explainerHow Budget Airlines WorkWendover Productions · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2019
• demoJet Fuel VS Diesel VS Gasoline how they burn and what color are they.Just Think · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
• talkMajor Brian Shul, USAF (Ret.) SR-71 Blackbird 'Speed Check'Jan Johnson · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2021
• demoArmadillo Aerospace - Mod free flight, engine restart, 4 viewsClark Lindsey · 2 HN recommenders · 2010–2014
• demoBoeing 777 Wing Testmtthw0 · 2 HN recommenders · 2013–2023
• documentaryThe Wright Brothers DID Invent the AirplaneGreg's Airplanes and Automobiles · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
• commentaryBoeing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)LastWeekTonight · 2 HN recommenders · 2024–2024
• explainerBoeing 737 Stall Escape manoeuvre, why MAX needs MCAS!!Mentour Pilot · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2020
• lectureAutomation Dependency - Part One, by Capt. VanderBurgh (restored)flightcrewguide.com · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• lectureRotating Detonation Engine (RDE) -- Dynamics and BifurcationsNathan Kutz · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• demoBoeing 737 Unable to Trim!! Cockpit video (Full flight sim)Mentour Pilot · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2022
• demoPlanes clouds and vorticesflugsnug · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
• demoHovering a Helicopter is Hilariously Hard - Smarter Every Day 145SmarterEveryDay · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2021
• demoaltitude chamber hypoxia training guy passes outKevin Hayward · 2 HN recommenders · 2014–2020
• demoEEVblog #854 - B52 Bomber Automatic Astro Compass TeardownEEVblog · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2017
• explainerOne Typo, Wrong ContinentCGP Grey · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• talkBTD10: The 835kph Sailplane and Dynamic SoaringTNG Technology Consulting GmbH · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• explainerWhat Is A Rotating Detonation Engine - And Why Are They Better Than Regular EnginesScott Manley · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• documentaryThe Three Rocketeers-2012:BBC-Future of Space travFirstSecondThoughts · 2 HN recommenders · 2012–2015
• documentaryBritish Airways Boeing 747-400 in D-CheckJDProductions INC. · 2 HN recommenders · 2012–2017
• explainerAre Planes With Parachutes Really Safer?AVweb · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• demoWorld's First Human-Powered OrnithopterOrnithopterProject · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2026
• documentary21st Century Jet - Building the Boeing 777 - Full Episode 1shareoldvideos · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2021
• talkRobert Moss: Julia and the Next Generation Airborne Collision Avoidance SystemThe Julia Programming Language · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2024
• demoFeature Discovery Series Episode 3: AerodynamicsMicrosoft Flight Simulator · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2021
• documentaryHow Boeing Lost Its WayBloomberg Originals · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2021
• demoIntroducing Safe Return Emergency AutolandCirrus · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2024
• demoI Landed A Rocket Like SpaceX - Scout FBPS.space · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2025
• interview1/6 F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER IS A LEMONBELAIR2000 · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2021
• demoMIT ACL - Variable Pitch QuadrotorAerospaceControlsLab · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2016
• lectureControl Malfunctions & Flight Instrument Anomalies, by Captain Warren VanderBurgh.flightcrewguide.com · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2019
• newsElectroflight | Fully ChargedEverything Electric CARS · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2018
• demoUSS Forrestal C-130 Hercules Carrier Landing Trialsjaglavaksoldier · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2023
• explainerIon drive: The first flightnature video · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2022
• demoGarmin Emergency Autoland Flight TrialAVweb · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2025
• demoHomeMade Electric AirplanePeterSripol · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2022
• demoOnboard quadrocopter failsafe: flight after actuator failureMark Mueller · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2019
• demoROTATING DETONATION ENGINEIntegza · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2025
• demoA380 Blade Off TestManuito · 1 HN recommender · 2010–2026
• interviewAAA THE F-35 IS A LEMON PIERRE SPREY (RUNAWAY FIGHTER) FIFTH ESTATE EXTENDED INTERVWBELAIR2000 · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2015
• news“Bitchin’ Betty” Says Farewell: Beloved Voice Behind Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet RetiresBoeing · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2022