American Airlines Getting In On That Cell Phone Boarding Pass Fad
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Posts with tag airplane
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GPS Could Save Airlines Billions in Fuel and Reduce Flight Times
The GPS system would replace the currently aging system of aerial highways that use use radar and radio beacons to guide planes. The use of GPS would allow planes to fly the shortest route between two points, shaving time off of flights and saving fuel.
Unfortunately, NextGen isn't expected to be ready until at least 2020, but the airlines are expected to provide $15 billion of the estimated $35 billion the project will cost. The airlines will also have to retrofit their planes with a new $200,000 GPS system. Considering their current struggles to stay profitable, carriers are understandably reluctant to layout such a large amount of cash to start equipping aircraft with a system that is still 10+ years from being functional.
If the system ever actually gets off the ground, it could keep many carriers from slipping into the red, but as with any massive government-funded program it's unlikely it'll be completed on time or on budget. Expect to see the first NextGen equipped planes to be rolled out around 2130 at a price of $3 bazillion per plane. [From: USA Today]
Kevlar Containers Could Thwart Suitcase Bombs
Suitcase bombs have been a worry of officials since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, when an explosive slipped by scanners into the belly of the jet. Of course, modern scanners are much more sensitive and explosive devices that are small enough to slip by them could easily be contained if detonated within these five foot by five foot luggage containers.
Many airlines are resisting the idea, primarily because the government hasn't offered any financial assistance to institute the program. The containers are heavy (265 pounds) and expensive ($18,000). The airlines are already struggling to stay afloat and can't afford to outfit much of their fleet of aircraft with these containers. Additionally, the weight of the containers reduces the amount of cargo and passengers a plane can carry, further reducing revenue.
The containers are the result of 17 years of research and failed prototypes. Eventually, the government may shell out for containers on flights coming from countries with high levels of terrorist activity, but we probably won't see them on domestic flights any time soon. [From: USA Today]
Emirates Flights Going Paperless to Save Fuel
United-Arab-Emirates-based Emirates Airlines has decided to banish all paper reading materials from flights on their brand new Airbus A380 jumbo jets. Pre-printed materials like magazines, pamphlets, and shopping catalogs (goodbye Skymall!) will no longer be available on planes. Instead, content that was previously in those printed publications and pamphlets will show up on the LCD video screens at every seat.
The removal of paper will lighten the load the plane is carrying by one ton -- each seat holds approximately four pounds of paper and the A380 has 500 seats. Do the math and it's quite obvious that this lighter load will greatly extend the range of the double-decker jets. Of course, those video screens at every seat must weigh more than the magazines, so go figure...The good news, for people who hate to read on smalls screens, is that Emirates has some of the biggest LCD video screens in the airline biz (about 10.3-inches in Economy alone).
Ultimately, Emirates hopes to lighten the plane's load by five tons, which would allow the airline to offer nonstop flights from Dubai to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The inaugural flight of the new paperless A380 will be on August 1st, with a trip from Dubai to New York City.
Considering the marathon length of these planned super-long-haul nonstop flights, let's just hope they haven't removed the paper from the restrooms. [Source: Times Online]
Airplane Mechanic Causes $100M Damages After Pushing Wrong Button
All three planes were destroyed, ultimately causing $100,000,000 in damages, not to mention nearly killing herself and 14 other workers, according to a report from Baton Rouge's WAFB-TV.
The entire incident took all of about five seconds according to witnesses, who are still dumbfounded as to how the whole hanger wasn't sent up in flames.
We all make mistakes, but we're pretty sure this woman will soon be out of a job. [Source: WAFB]
Icon's Foldable, Two-Seater Plane Unveiled, Available Now
by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 4:56PM
From a gadget standpoint, though, the Icon is worth a little deconstruction. It's powered by a rear-facing, reciprocating engine, can be configured for water landing, has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds, has a max airspeed of 120 knots (138 mph), and features a dashboard that's meant to be familiar to car drivers.
Unlike the Terrafugia, the Icon is meant to drive up to your house, but we figure you'll be cruising around in some expensive SUV with this thing in tow anyway. And better yet, you can order this thing online with a credit card and a $5,000 deposit. Check out the video of the Icon's unveiling after the break. [Source: Icon Aircraft via FreshCreation]
GPS Nav to Provide Quicker, More Efficient Oceanic Flights
by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 7:10AM
When people get a new GPS system for their auto, a favorite distraction is to use the thing to see if it can find quicker ways to get from A to B, even if they already know how to get there. It seems Airbus has had the same idea, using GPS to enable its airliners to find more efficient routes over the oceans, but not in the way you might expect.
Jets are typically assigned a set path and altitude that they must maintain when crossing the ocean since there's no radar out there to help avoid mid-air collisions. Because of this, the jets aren't able to change altitude or path while en-route to take advantage of favorable winds or the like, which is why Airbus is implementing a GPS-based system that doesn't require radar: Each jet broadcast its current location, which is tabulated on the GPS system and enables others to modify their routes to take advantage of those currents without having to worry about collisions.
This should cutting down travel times and could potentially save 374-pounds of fuel for each trans-Atlantic flight. Roughly 700 jets make the trip daily, meaning a massive fuel savings overall and a drastically reduced impact on the environment, something we're happy to point out on this week of Earth Day and all the eco-awareness that it brings. [Source: Wired]
Boeing's Hydrogen-Powered Airplane Completes Test Flights
Boeing's European outpost has achieved a technical feat that, while not expected to revolutionize air travel, at least shows progress in the effort to lower the overall reliance on very pricey (and, you know, scarce) jet fuel. Boeing Research & Technology Europe, which operates out of Madrid, has been working on the "Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane" since 2001. The goal has been to "demonstrate for the first time that a manned airplane can maintain a straight level flight with fuel cells as the only power source."
What does this mean on a practical level for regular folks like us? Not a whole heck of a lot, with most applications likely being for extending the fly time of unmanned aircraft -- although the technology could be applied to regular jets to help power the electrical systems.
Of course, like many scientific endeavors, the ultimate practical use may not yet be realized by the engineers involved. (Wasn't the active ingredient in Viagra originally intended to help people with hypertension? Researchers, of course, quickly realized an interesting side effect there. The same could always happen with fuel cells, no?)
Boeing sent a the piloted, fuel cell-powered aircraft into the air three times during February and March. The two-seat Diamond Aircraft Dimona motor-glider, with a 16.3m (53.5ft) wingspan, was modified with a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, lithium-ion battery hybrid system. Launched from Ocaña air field, near Madrid, Spain, the plane flew straight and level at 3,300 feet on fuel cell power alone for 20 minutes at 60 miles per hour.
From The Register.
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Could This Flying Car be for Real?
At the New York International Auto Show later this month the pair will unveil their prototype convertible car / plane. The vehicle is small, no larger than a standard sedan such as the Toyota Corolla. Part of the compact size is thanks in part to its retractable and foldable wings which hide some of the airplane hardware.
The dash holds two computer displays that switch the information displayed based on whether the vehicle is in driving or flying mode. When on the ground, the car has a top speed of only 85 miles per hour, but that should be fast enough. When the aircraft engines are engaged, theoretically at least, the vehicle will be able to cruise at 200 miles per hour at 25,000 feet.
From Daily Mail
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New Supersonic Passenger Jet - The A2
Dubbed the "son of Concorde", the jet will revolutionize air travel if it ever takes flight. The large, windowless vehicle looks more like a missile than a passenger plane -- and moves more like one too. The aircraft will reach a top speed of Mach 5 (Go Speed Racer!), twice as fast as the now-retired Concorde supersonic airliner, and can fly from London to Sydney, Australia in under 5 hours -- less than quarter of current flight times. Even better, the engines will run on liquid hydrogen, meaning the only exhaust will be water vapor and nitrous oxide, so the carbon footprint of the jet will be negligible.
On a slightly random note, it appears that someone at the Daily Mail has a bit of an obsession with 'The Thunderbirds.' This is the second article in two days to reference the campy, action, puppet show. Weird.
From Daily Mail
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