The Senate passed a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration’s authority over the country’s vast aviation system, which comes as the agency is facing pressure to ramp up its safety oversight and procedures after a series of close calls on runways, high-profile incidents involving Boeing jets and a shortage of air traffic controllers.

The first flight of an airplane might've been in the United States, but today, aviation connects the world. After rounding up some of our favorite aviation museums in the U.S., we're turning our eyes abroad, highlighting international aviation museums to add to your travel wish list.

A frantic push for pilots to take early retirement during the pandemic, the federal requirements for pilot training and a hard cutoff on commercial flying past a certain age are just a few of the factors aviation experts in Las Vegas say have led to a nationwide pilot shortage.

Picture this: It's about 20 minutes after takeoff, and you hear your captain make an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet," they say. Or, maybe they say 36,000 feet, or 40,000 feet, or 33,000 feet. Cruising altitude isn't actually a fixed number — there are many factors that go into computing this for every flight.

Passengers were stunned when they discovered the real reason planes are nearly always painted white. Holidaymakers have often pondered the question why aircraft are usually all the same colour. And, it's for a good reason, as explained by former pilot Dan Bubb, now a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

When boarding and exiting a plane you can feel excited or exhausted - and perhaps a bit of both. So maybe it’s little wonder that plane flyers haven’t really considered why they would be getting on or off on the left side of the craft. That is until now…

Boeing is facing high levels of public and government scrutiny amid a rush of allegations accusing it of putting profits above safety when manufacturing airplanes and retaliating against employees who speak up about problems in the process after a pair of Senate hearings where the company’s culture came under fire from whistleblowers and aviation experts.

If you scan the airfield while waiting for your next flight, you'll probably notice something similar between many of the planes: Most are painted white. Though every airline has a unique livery (that is, the branding on the aircraft's exterior comprising a distinct collection of colors and graphics), most fuselages are painted white, and for good reason.