Rat's Neurons Learn to Fly Airplane (kinda)

See more about pilot neurons at ovablastic.

Robot Fish Flies Through the Air

Air Art from flip on Vimeo.

Real Transformer: The F-35B

Via Gizmodo, more details there.

The one depicted is the X-35 [the prototype that won the contract for the Joint Strike Fighter and became the F-35]. I don’t know who posted it on YouTube, but the level of NDA’s was substantial where we were not even allowed to showcase it on our demo reel.

The above looks like CGI though (not real footage), unlike the one below:



According to a friend, the problem with the vertical takeoff is exhaust. The engine tends to stall since there's no oxygen to draw in, so they need special absorbing landing pads.

Stunt Helicopter Show

The FanWing: New High-Lift/ Low-Speed aircraft

More.

Insane Air Racing

Saw this yesterday on TV, amazing.

More information here and more videos here.

Air Show

A closeup of the above pic, notice the visual distortion caused by the shockwaves... cool huh?
The jet itself is not yet supersonic, but is in the transonic region. The air itself is accelerated to supersonic speed when it encounters an obstruction (like a bump on the fuselage). When it slows back down below supersonic speed, it creates a pressure wave which causes the visual distortions. Those pressure waves can be seen radiating from specific points on the aircraft (including the canopy). Someone sent me this explanation...I filed the note away, but can't seem to find it at the moment! I'll properly credit it when I find the name.

More cool pics.
Thanks to BG

Fuel-Less Gravity Powered Airplanes

The "Gravity-Plane", as Hunt Aviation likes to call it, uses gravity's dual properties - buoyancy which creates an upward motion in order to gain altitude, and gravity acceleration which creates a forward and downward gliding motion. The two motions combined form the heart of Hunt's new gravity powered technology, a technology that could make for a much healthier and cleaner environment.

In the Hunt Aviation's "Gravity-Plane", buoyancy is created by gas bags filled with helium within two large rigid pontoon shaped lifting bodies. This buoyancy lifts the "Gravity-Plane" to high altitudes to create lighter-than-air lift.

Despite being a better "lifting gas" than Helium, Hydrogen is generally not used in this way because it is combustible. Inert Helium, widely used in lighter-than-air airships, can now be used to attain altitudes of over 100,000 feet and may be built very large to carry heavy loads of passengers and cargo approaching 1,000 tons according to Hunt. By comparison, a U. S. military C-17 heavy lifter only carries 70 tons.

Obvious benefits of the technology are that the aircraft does not require fuel, which is aviation's main cost. This also makes the aircraft safer in terms of fuel burning or exploding. Furthermore, having no waste emissions or noise, the aircraft is extremely environmentally friendly. "Hunt's invention is the first practical use of gravity to provide a motive force by forming a continuous cycle out of two forces of gravity with the result being, for the first time ever, self-sustained fuel-less flight and this is a tremendous and historic accomplishment", stated Gene Cox, President of Hunt Aviation Corp.

More.

Funny Southwest Airlines Safety Announcement

Don't freak out in an airport -- OR YOU MIGHT DIE

If you want evidence that the terrorists have already gone a long way toward achieving their goals, look no farther than American airports. We have become so oversensitive at airports they're close to becoming college campuses. I mean, sure, taser a kid for yelling at John Kerry. If that kid had gone any farther, he could have ignited an open exchange of ideas. And we can't have that at our educational institutions. But don't threaten me with the cops because I want some decent service. Imaging being turned away from a sporting event because they sold your seat twice -- doesn't happen.

More.

A Real Flying Saucer

The M200X volantor has completed over two hundred successful test flights. It has been extensively hard-tooled so that derivatives not requiring FAA certification are now available.

Recreational and utilitarian models include:

Demonstrators for use over one’s own property (M200D)
Versions that operate within ground effect--approximately 10 feet AGL (M200G)
Experimental or homebuilt variants (M200E)
Rescue configuration capable of docking with skyscrapers (Firefly 3)

Depending on the number of orders received the prices could vary between $125,000 for the M200G to $450,000 for the Firefly 3. Information on potential military and/or para-military applications of the M200R and M200M are welcome.

More.
Another model:

Misreporting on Brazilian Plane Crash?

How come that my own self, with no resources but Internet access and a knowledge of Portuguese, can have better information than "real" news channels?

From Fox News:

The Brazilian Tam airlines plane traveled the length of the runway Tuesday before barreling over or across a busy avenue at the height of the evening rush hour and crashed into a gas station and a building owned by the airline.

After touching down, the plane traveled the length of the runway and then barreled over across a busy road at the height of the evening rush hour in South America's largest city and slammed into a gas station, said Jose Leonardi Mota, a spokesman with airport authority Infraero.

From O Globo: (my translation)

...TAM's Airbus 320, flight 3054, traveling from Porto Alegre [to Sao Paulo] with 176 people on board, 6 of which were crew members, skidded while landing on the new runway, crossed Washington Luiz Avenue without touching the asphalt e exploded in TAM Express' building...

It was raining in Sao Paulo when the accident occurred. According to witnesses, the plane was not able to stop in the new runway, which was refurbished and delivered at the end of June without the grooving to avoid skidding. Seconds before, pilots on the take-off queue heard shouts from the Airbus cabin: 'Turn, turn, turn".

As per O Globo, TAM's building was also a fueling station; the plane did not hit a generic gas station.

Amazing Jet-Powered Birdman