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Aviation
The Parajet Skycar: Britain's zero-carbon flying dune buggy aims for Timbouctou
By Loz Blain
01:56 July 14, 2008 PDT
July 14, 2008 The race is well and truly on to develop a functional flying car, and innovators around the world are finding several different ways to accommodate the needs of a road-registerable flying vehicle. The Moller Skycar and Cell Craft G440 use complicated quad-turbine tilting jet engines to achieve VTOL and flight capability. The Terrafugia Transition and Skyblazer roadable aircraft have decided to go for a folding-wing convertible aeroplane design, and Larry Neal's Super Sky Cycle is a simple and cheap modification that turns a standard, safe gyroplane into a road-going trike. And now there's the Parajet Skycar, a Yamaha R1-engined, biodiesel-powered all-terrain dune buggy that's capable of extremely safe flight as a powered paraglider. The Skycar Expedition team plan to take the eye-catching vehicle from London to Timbouctou in 2009, using a combination of flight and driving to battle the tough Saharan terrain. There's a commuter model in the pipeline - and you won't need a pilot's license to fly it. Read More
ICON Aircraft unveils fold-up amphibious sports plane
17:32 June 15, 2008 PDT
A recurring theme at Gizmag in recent times has been the growing accessibility of the recreational sports aircraft, with manufacturers offering increasingly versatile and user-friendly designs combined with falling price points. Like the Cessna SkyCatcher, the ICON A5, which was officially unveiled last week in Los Angeles, is a case in point. Powered by a 100hp Rotax 912 ULS engine achieving an estimated maximum speed of 105 kts (120 mph) and a range of 300 nm, the amphibious, two-seat, composite carbon fiber plane features a sportscar inspired cockpit and retractable landing gear for flying off land and water, but the standout element is the folding wing design which allows the plane to be towed on the road like a speed boat and stored at home rather than paying for space at an airport. Read More
Airborne Laser completes activation tests
By Kyle Sherer
19:35 June 1, 2008 PDT
Boeing and the US Missile Defense Agency have completed the first laser activation testing for the Airborne Laser missile defense program. The tests involved circulating water through the laser to verify its integrity, before circulating chemicals through the laser to confirm sequencing and control. Read More
Airborne Laser completes activation tests
By Kyle Sherer
19:35 June 1, 2008 PDT
Boeing and the US Missile Defense Agency have completed the first laser activation testing for the Airborne Laser missile defense program. The tests involved circulating water through the laser to verify its integrity, before circulating chemicals through the laser to confirm sequencing and control. Read More
AeroVironment to continue Nano Air Vehicle development
21:42 May 28, 2008 PDT
May 29, 2008 Unmanned aerial vehicles represent one emerging technology that has delivered as promised over the last decade, achieving critical relevance in battlefields situations where they can perform both reconnaissance and combat roles without putting humans in the the line of fire. In addition to the rapid growth and development that has occurred in relation to larger, weapons capable craft, smaller systems have also proved their worth, and the latest announcement from AeroVironment (AV) is further evidence that this sector will continue to flourish. The company which has already established unmanned micro air vehicle (MAV) programs - including the Raven and Wasp III - has now received funding to continue development of an even smaller scale platform dubbed the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV). Read More
UK researchers developing self-repairing aircraft
By Kyle Sherer
18:08 May 27, 2008 PDT
May 28, 2008 We wrote last year about Greece’s self-healing house, now aerospace engineers at Bristol University have applied the concept to the development of self-repairing aircraft. Read More
Hummingbird achieves 18 hour flight milestone
By Emily Clark
00:04 May 23, 2008 PDT
Gizmag first reported on Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird Unmanned Rotorcraft back in 2005 and again in 2007 when the craft made its first flight. Now the craft has come very close to achieving the original 20 hour flight times envisioned (and unofficially broken a world record for unmanned aerial vehicles along the way) by remaining in the air for 18.7 hours. Read More
Boeing's 777 Freighter graduates from paint facility
By Kyle Sherer
18:17 May 21, 2008 PDT
The first Boeing 777 Freighter plane has left the paint facility in Everett, Washington, marking another step towards the scheduled launch of the plane into service late this year. The 777 Freighter is an all-cargo version of the 777-200LR Worldliner, which made Gizmag headlines in 2005 when it set the world long distance record. Read More
Diamond Simulation launches new generation of flight simulator
By Kyle Sherer
19:20 May 8, 2008 PDT
Diamond Simulation has developed a new generation of flight simulators, under the designation D-SIM-NG. The simulators include new, more powerful P2/P3 software, the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit, the Tropos 1000 visual system, and the True Environment ATC simulation program. Read More
Odysseus: Aurora's radical, unlimited endurance, solar powered aircraft
21:04 May 1, 2008 PDT
May 2, 2008 Aurora Flight Sciences has revealed the design of the aircraft it hopes will achieve the ambitious goals set out in DARPA's ambitious Vulture program: sustained uninterrupted flight for over five years at altitudes of 60,000-90,000 feet. Known as Odysseus, the solar-powered concept aircraft is as radical as the mission it is designed to accomplish, combining three self-sufficient “constituent aircraft” in a unique Z wing configuration that spans almost 500 feet (150 meters). The modular design provides several advantages - the shape of the aircraft can be adjusted to maximize the solar collection properties during the day and spread flat for aerodynamic efficiency at night-time, and because each of the constituent vehicles is capable of autonomously docking at altitude, the design also facilitates the replacement of one section of the plane whilst it is still aloft. Read More
French cyclist to attempt channel crossing on pedal-powered airship
By Loz Blain
18:29 April 30, 2008 PDT
May 1, 2008 Those magnificent men in their flying machines... the first purely human-powered aircraft, the Gossamer Albatross, crossed the English Channel in 1979 with its pilot Bryan Allen pedaling the feather-light winged plane across in two hours to collect the UKP100,000 Kremer prize. This feat caught the imagination of French cyclist Stephane Rousson, who this European summer will attempt to cycle across the Channel pedaling a twin-tilting-rotor helium airship. It's the first pedal-powered airship of its kind, complete with very delicate aerodynamics that mean Rousson will need to chance upon one of the three windless days of the year if he hopes to stay up-diddly-up-up and not go crashing down-diddly-own-down. Read More
Vintage aircraft fest at Goodwood 2008
00:30 April 28, 2008 PDT
April 28, 2008 UK classic aircraft fans are in for a treat next month as more than 70 pre-1967 planes take to the skies at the 2008 Goodwood Aero Club Vintage Fly-In and Air Display. Read More
DARPA advances plans for five year non-stop flying machine
19:07 April 21, 2008 PDT
April 22, 2008 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Aurora Flight Sciences, Boeing and Lockheed Martin as the contractors for the first phase of its Vulture program - a project which aims to design and develop a new breed of solar-powered unmanned aircraft that can remain airborne without interruption for an incredible five years. Read More
Next-generation Sky Warrior unmanned aircraft takes flight
19:48 April 17, 2008 PDT
April 18, 2008 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GAASI) has announced the successful flight of the first Sky Warrior® Block 1 aircraft for the U.S. Army’s Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) program. Derived from the Predator UAV which has been deployed in Iraq, but with double the weapons capacity, the Sky Warrior is a multi-mission aircraft designed to perform long-endurance, surveillance, communications relay and tactical strike missions. It offers increased range, greater payload flexibility (including the ability to carry four Hellfire missiles) and can remain airborne for 30 hours at a time at altitudes above 25,000 feet. Read More
Aeroscraft ML866 Milestone
23:51 April 7, 2008 PDT
April 8, 2008 A spectacular new type of aircraft is one step closer to take-off with the announcement that the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has accepted the type certification application for the Aeroscraft model Aeros ML866. Read More
First manned fuel-cell flight
By Mike Hanlon
20:41 April 6, 2008 PDT
April 7, 2008 Boeing has added another chapter to aviation history by flying a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells (preview article here). The milestone is the work of Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE is part of the legendary Phantom Works advanced R&D unit) in Madrid, working with a raft of industry partners across the world. A two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 16.3 meter (53.5 foot) wingspan was used as the airframe . Read More
Guardian system protects commercial flights from terrorist missile threats
By Loz Blain
23:54 April 2, 2008 PDT
Being shot out of the sky with a surface-to-air missile might not be at the forefront of your mind when traveling on a commercial airliner, but with shoulder-mounted, infra-red anti-aircraft rockets selling for as little as US$5000 in trouble spots around the world, it's perhaps surprising that it's only happened a few dozen times in recent years. Once launched, such a missile travels at twice the speed of sound towards its target, so countermeasures must be automatic and instant - which brings us to Northrop Grumman's GUARDIAN system. This anonymous-looking pod provides 360-degree laser-based missile defense for commercial airliners for a total cost of around a dollar per passenger over the aircraft's service life. Read More
Global Hawk UAV achieves record 33-hour flight
23:27 March 27, 2008 PDT
March 28, 2008 Northrop Grumman Corporation's RQ-4 Global Hawk has successfully completed a flight lasting 33.1 hours at altitudes up to 60,000. While the milestone does not match the 54 hour flight achieved by QinetiQ’s Zephyr in 2007, it is a record for a full-scale, operational unmanned aircraft - and there was still fuel left in the tank. Read More
The Lynx: new player enters space-tourism race
22:46 March 27, 2008 PDT
March 28, 2008 Back in 2001 Californian millionaire Denis Tito made headlines as the worlds' first space tourist - shelling out around US$20 million for the privilege. Seven years on, the competition to offer such an out-of-this-world experience to a broader range of paying customers (and capitalize on what is expected to become a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade) is heating up. Earlier this year fledgling spaceline Virgin Galactic revealed designs for what will become its flagship -SpaceShipTwo, now Californian based XCOR Aerospace has unveiled a two-seater suborbital spaceship the size of a small private plane that the company expects to have airborne in 2010. Read More
Continental Airlines to conduct biofuel test flight
By Emily Clark
17:32 March 17, 2008 PDT
Continental Airlines, in conjunction with Boeing and GE Aviation, has announced plans to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight in the first half of 2009. Continental will be the first major U.S. carrier to undertake such a flight in an effort to identify sustainable fuel solutions for the aviation industry. Read More
Gulfstream introduces G650 flagship business jet
19:27 March 13, 2008 PDT
Gulfstream Aerospace has announced its new flagship business jet - the G650. Propelled by the new Rolls-Royce BR725 engine, the aerodynamically advanced G650 can climb above air traffic congestion and bad weather to an altitude of 51,000 feet and has a range of 7,000 nautical miles at speeds of 0.85 Mach, with a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach - fast enough to claim the title of the fastest civil aircraft flying. The new jet, which also leads the Gulfstream fleet in terms of cabin space, passenger comfort, reliability and enhanced cockpit technology, is expected to take to the skies for its first flight in the second half of 2009 with customer deliveries slated to begin in 2012. Read More
AeroVironment's hybrid fuel cell UAV sets flight record
17:25 March 6, 2008 PST
March 7, 2008 AeroVironment (AV) has achieved a new long-duration flight record with its hand-launched Puma small unmanned air vehicle (SUAV). The fuel cell hybrid-powered Puma flew for over nine-hours eclipsing the previous record of seven hours set by the same craft in July 2007. Read More
Virgin flight into bold biofuel territory
By Emily Clark
20:30 February 26, 2008 PST
Dubbed a “scam” and a “stunt” by environmental groups and sections of the media, the fact remains that Virgin Atlantic has become the world's first airline to fly one of its commercial planes on biofuel. A mix of standard jet fuel, coconut and babassu oils powered the Boeing 747 jumbo jet from London Heathrow to Amsterdam. Read More
Cessna SkyCatcher prototype nears completion
By Kyle Sherer
16:13 February 26, 2008 PST
February 27, 2008 The Cessna SkyCatcher, which has been attracting a steady stream of attention since the program was officially launched last year, will have a prototype ready to fly in the coming months. Read More
Trunki: the ride-on, carry-on, kid’s suitcase
By Jude Garvey
18:15 February 13, 2008 PST
February 14, 2008 The Trunki is a kid’s suitcase with a difference: it’s a seat, a ride-on toy, a carry-on container for in-flight toys and a tow-along bag. The Trunki has a capacity of 18 litres so there’s plenty of room to pack favorite toys and games, snacks and even some spare clothes and at just 1.7 kg (3.8 pounds) and 46 x 20 x 30.5 cm (18" x 7.9" x 12"), it’s easy to stow-away once on board. The integrated wheels and specially designed stabilizers help make a strong base for little ones and the extra wide wheel base allows for smooth cornering. The Trunki is made from strong but lightweight plastic material and kids will love the bright color combinations. The towing handle and shoulder strap allow parents to move quickly if need be and the extra-strong hooks mean they can tow several toddlers at once. Read More
John Wassner
- November 27, 2009 @ 01:40 UTC
