Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Advancements in Aviation

Sorry Neil, but taxiing happens on the ground. That is why the short sections of asphalt or concrete between runways are called taxi-ways. Even Chuck knew this, as he was surprised you said planes “taxi” in the air, in a holding pattern.

Neil has the wrong term when he says Taxi. He meant "hold" (in a pre-determined holding pattern near the airfield). Taxiing is what planes do when they move on the ground, like when you taxi from the stand to the runway.

Taxiing (rarely spelled taxying) is the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or pushback where the aircraft is moved by a tug. The aircraft usually moves on wheels, but the term also includes aircraft with skis or floats (for water-based travel).

Neil, Boeing engineer & pilot here, always a big fan of your work. Would love to help clarify some of the ideas here and update you on more aviation advances.

I lived in a suburb right next to O'Hare airport from 1980-90. I could look out the window and see the planes lining up to land when a certain runway was open for landings. They would be spaced about a minute apart and the whole house would vibrate when they passed over. In the summertime, even when the air conditioning wasn't needed, we would often need to keep the windows and doors closed so we could hear the television, radio, and each other. When I moved a little bit further away in '99, I was awakened a few times to a strange sound that I swore in my half-awake state must have been a UFO landing in the street. It turns out, I was now living far enough away from O'Hare that I was hearing airplanes throttling down for landing, which is one spooky sound. I still live in the same house and I've noticed it's a LOT quieter these days.

In 1965 Boing test pilot Tex Johnson performed a complete barrel roll in a 707 (unplanned and in front of the Boing CEO) with a cup of coffee sitting on the dash panel, never spilling a drop. Quite an airplane ... quite a pilot.

What do you think the next major advancement in aviation will be?

I'm an aviation enthusiast, so it's rather easy to please me with the subject alone, it's just....nice summary of development since my first flight in an IL-62 indeed. Thanks, Doctor Tyson!

Winglets , they are called Winglets @5:27

Thats "holding" not "taxiing". 3:54 Chuck was right.