Outdoor Stuff
Our tent recs, from tidy
backpackers to lavish
four-person domes.
p.“Mad Mike” Hughes
Chose Fame Over Science.
It Killed Him
The confounding and doomed
final voyage of a rocket-building,
limo-driving, Flat Earth–believing
daredevil genius. p.I Built This Boat With
a Book From 1935
How one reader used Pop Mech
plans from 85 years ago to
build one of the most ambitious
reader projects we’ve ever
seen. p.POPULAR MECHANICS (ISSN 0032-4558) is published six times per year by Hearst, 300 West 57th St., NY, NY 10019 USA. Steven R. Swartz, President & Chief Executive Officer; William R.
Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Mark E. Aldam, Chief Operating Officer. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.: Debi Chirichella, Acting President, Hearst Magazine
Group & Treasurer; Kate Lewis, Chief Content Officer; Kristen M. O’Hara, Chief Business Officer; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. Copyright 2020 by Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All rights
reserved. Popular Mechanics is a registered trademark of Hearst Communications, Inc. Customer Service: For changes of address, and subscription orders, visit service.popularmechanics.
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corrections to Popular Mechanics, P.O. Box 6000, Harlan, IA 51593. As a service to readers, PM publishes newsworthy products, techniques, and scientific and technological developments.
Due to possible variance in the quality, condition of materials, workmanship, PM cannot assume responsibility for proper application of techniques or proper and safe functioning of manufac-
tured products or reader-built projects resulting from information published in this magazine.789105611 12 13 14 151 234My Pop Life
Tips, gear picks, and con-
fessions from our staff
and Pro members. p.From the Editor
The tricks and tools
that help us build the
magazine. p.Science
Why is the magnetic
north pole moving...
east? Blame molten
blobs of iron. p.Space
Real-life warp drive: a
NASA report on faster-
than-light space travel.
p.Cars & Trucks
The best motorcycles
for a road-bound fall
adventure. p.Home
Ignore the noisy
commercials. We found
the mattress you need.
p.Te c h
How Apple taught
the iPad to read your
handwriting. p.Machines
A brief introduction to
the first fusion reactor,
the next era of nuclear
power. p.Pro Challenge
We asked you to turn
a relic into something
useful again—and you
delivered. p.This Changed
Everything
Noise-cancelling
headphones’ aviation
origins. p.Editors’ Choice
Outfit your yard:
mowers, trimmers,
grills, and garden
hoses. p.How to Be Good at
What You Do
The heritage that
flavors these bottles
of mezcal. p.To o l s
We tested every
function in a slate of
multitools for your
inner MacGyver. p.Deep Math
Researchers cracked
the code of procedural
generation. p.// ON THE COVER // THE BOAT JIM EICHER BUILT WITH A FORD MOTOR, PHOTOGRAPHED BY DR. SCOTT BIXLER IN BERNE, INDIANA.September/October 2020Inside the Head-to-Head
Battle to Replace the
Black Hawk
Bell’s tilt-rotor V-280 Valor against
Sikorsky-Boeing’s compound SB-
Defiant. Which will replace the
world’s greatest helicopter? p.// STA NDAR DS //// FEATURES //KE
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September/October 2020 3