“The Lun-class ekranoplan (NATO reporting name Duck) was a ground effect vehicle (GEV) designed by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeev and used by the Soviet and Russian navies from 1987 until sometime in the late 1990s. It “flew” using the lift generated by the ground effect of its large wings when close to the surface of the water – about four metres or less. Although they might look similar and/or have related technical characteristics, ekranoplans like the Lun are not aircraft, seaplanes, hovercraft, or hydrofoils – ground effect is a separate technology altogether. The International Maritime Organization classifies these vehicles as maritime ships. The name Lun comes from the Russian for harrier”. – Wikipedia (Photo by Igor113)

The Boeing 747-8 cargo plane pilot has seen thunderstorms, shooting stars and sunsets from up above the clouds and has looked down on mountaintops, carpets of cloud and cities lit up at night. The incredible pictures give a glimpse of the view from the pilots are treated to every day. Here: Shooting stars over India. (Photo by Christiaan van Heijst/Caters News Agency)

A videographer uses a drone as he takes a video of a model presenting a lingerie creation at the rehearsal for Eve's Temptation collection during China Fashion Week in Beijing, October 26, 2014. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Standalone picture dated June 7th, 2022 shows Flt Lt Adam O’Hare rehearsing in the iconic Typhoon plane over Lincolnshire yesterday (Tues) as he trains for this summers airshows with vapour trails over the wing. The phenomenon is caused by low pressure areas created on the aircraft's skin and wings as it moves through moist air. As the pressure drops so does the temperature, and if the temperature reaches the saturation point, water vapor is created. (Photo by Claire Hartley/Bav Media)

A pilot inflates his balloon before the 37th International Hot Air Balloon Week in Chateau-d'Oex, January 24, 2015. According to the organizers, over 80 balloons from 20 countries are participating in the ballooning event in the Swiss mountain resort. (Photo by Pierre Albouy/Reuters)

Crews prepare hot air balloons for the Kentucky Derby Festival Great Balloonfest Rush Hour Race at Bowman Field on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Photo by Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal)

People crowd together in an attempt to buy chickens at a Mega-Mercal, a subsidized state-run street market, in Caracas January 24, 2015. President Nicolas Maduro shook up complex currency controls on Wednesday and also prepared Venezuelans for a rise in the world's cheapest fuel prices in response to a recession worsened by plunging oil revenue. The socialist-run OPEC member's economy shrank 2.8 percent in 2014 while inflation topped 64 percent, the socialist leader announced in a speech to parliament, in what is almost certainly the worst performance in Latin America. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

“A Little Monkey on the Cliff”. “A cold front hit the Nagano prefecture. I saw a little monkey enduring the cold in Jigokudani Monkey Park. This little monkey is really cute”. (Photo by Hidetoshi Ogata/Smithsonian Photo Contest)