Aircraft

From spectacular aerial displays to crash incidents, ill-advised flypasts and jetpack disappointments, 2008 has seen its fair share of exciting and different videos. Here is a selection of the most popular from this year:

1. Cathay Pacific 777 low-level flypast

Our top video this year came from all the way back in February, with the extraordinary low flypast of a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER  in Seattle.

The incident took place at Everett Airport immediately after Cathay took delivery of the new 777-300ER. The Cathay pilot Mr Wilkinson was subsequently fired for carrying out the unauthorised low-level flypast.

2. Martin Jetpack flies at Oshkosh 2008

Possibly the most underwhelming video of the year came from this year's Oshkosh event, when the new Martin Jetpack took part in its public test flight.

The Martin Jetpack could potentially be able to fly for as much as 40 minutes at a time on a single tank of gas, so this small display could be the start of something a lot more special in years to come.

3. Lufthansa A320 escapes after wing-tip strike in Hamburg storm 

This Lufthansa Airbus A320 suffered a wing-tip strike before executing a go-around during an attempt to land at Hamburg International Airport during high winds on 1 March.

Germany was among the countries battered by hurricane "Emma" as the storm swept across Central Europe. This was more than evident in this incredible video.

4. Miami police plans urban test of Honeywell's micro-UAV

Micro Air Vehicle videos are always of interest to you and this one featuring the police in Miami, Florida  is no exception. The police wanted to analyse whether a small unmanned air vehicle able to hover and stare could help with law enforcement in urban areas.

5. B-2 crash linked to moisture, maintenance oversight

Losing a $1.4 billion asset is never easy to write-off, especially when the incident had been caught on film.The crashing Northrop Grumman B-2 bombers created significant amount of interest from you all, especially the security camera footage shown above.

 

The reported reason for this mishap, the single-most expensive military aircraft disaster in aviation history? Moist air apparently. 

6.Boeing investigates as Saudi 777 lands with wing damage

In March, this Saudi Arabian Airlines 777-200ER incident forced  Boeing to send a team of specialists to Saudi Arabia to assist with investigating the incident,  in which it suffered damage to its starboard wing during a service to Riyadh.

7.SpaceShipTwo mothership runway trial

A recently popular video was the first shots of theVirgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo mothership WhiteKnightTwo, moving down a runway during a low speed taxi trial at Mojave air and spaceport.

Following this exciting news was the first test flight of WhiteKnightTwo which occured on the weekend of the 21st December 2008.

8. Rocket Racing Comes to Oshkosh

The Rocket Racing League descended on Oshkosh in Wisconsin to launch its unique brand of aerospace sport. Unlike the Aerobatics of Red Bull, these machines are built to race each other at the same time, blending racing and rocketry to create a planned NASCAR style league.

9. Emirates takes delivery of its first A380, all set for inaugural

Airbus has been busy this year, presenting their Airbus A380's to both Emirates Airlines and Qantas Airways. This first handover was partucularly interesting due to the unveiling of showers in the first class cabin.

10. F-22 display follows 'flawless' first transatlantic crossing

While a flypast involving 90 Royal Air Force aircraft and appalling weather conditions grabbed the headlines at the Royal International Air Tattoo this summer, the debut appearance of the US Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor provided the clear display highlight.