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Filed under: Transportation

One of mankind’s most adored gadgets (yes, the jetpack) is moving one step closer to mainstream today with the unveiling of the Martin Jetpack. Revealed in front of a crowd in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this human transporter is technically defined by the FAA as an “experimental ultralight airplane, equipped with a gas-powered, V-4 piston engine and two ducted fans that provide the lift.” Currently, the $100,000 machine can only hover for around 30 minutes and rise to 8,000 feet, and those who sign up to purchase one will first have to complete 15 hours of flight training as well as a “safety screening.” Check out an all-too-short video after the jump to see the device lift off, float around and land — totally underwhelming, but the optimistic few will surely see promise.

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

You heard right, folks. American Airlines is planning to open up the world wide web to passengers on board an unspecified round-trip flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles. The Gogo service, provided via Aircell, will be free for patrons tomorrow, but will eventually run users $12.95 for flights greater than three hours and $9.95 for trips under said threshold. We’re also told that more trials are expected to get going on flights between New York and San Francisco and New York and Miami, though no time frame is given for when the service would escape the beta stage and hit mass implementation. Additionally, the Gogo system is supposed to “prioritize the flow of data so that passengers downloading movies or large documents won’t prevent other passengers from getting their email,” so don’t expect to use that excuse for not sending in those Q2 close reports.

[Via Jaunted]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Transportation

DARPA’s certainly not lacking for ambitious projects these days, but it looks like it’s about to get another big one underway nonetheless, with it reportedly now close to awarding contracts for its Vulture program, which aims to build an unmanned aircraft capable of a non-stop five-year flight. As if that feat wasn’t enough, the aircraft will also have to be able to carry a 1,000 pound payload, pump out 5kW of onboard power, and keep up enough speed to withstand the winds it’ll encounter at 60,000 to 90,000 feet. Needless to say, that’s a long ways from becoming a reality, although it seems that the first phase of the project could soon be kicking off, with Vulture program manager Daniel Newman saying that they’ve had “at least one successful offeror,” and that they’re now close to doling out the first contracts. That initial phase will run for twelve months, and will require contractors to “define the objective system and design both full-scale and subscale demonstrators.” That’ll then be followed by phase two, which’ll run through 2012 with the goal of testing of a subscale demonstrator capable of flying for three months.

[Via CNET News.com]

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Source: Donald Melanson

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Filed under: Transportation

Concorde, schmoncorde. At least that’s what we assume Reaction Engines’ A2 would utter if it could in fact speak. The supersonic jet, designed by Oxfordshire’s own Reaction Engines, could one day shuttle passengers from Europe to Down Under in less than five hours, cruising at up to 4,000 miles-per-hour along the way. Granted, the aircraft is still in concept mode at the moment, but if all goes to plan, it could be operational “within 25 years.” Reportedly, the 156-yard long jet could maintain a speed of 3,800 miles-per-hour — over twice that of the famed Concorde — and could carry 300 guests on each trip. Who knows how much a seat would cost, but we’re guessing the sky’s the limit.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Transportation

Shortly after the Navy announced its intentions to utilize unmanned combat aircrafts, the US Air Force is making sure it doesn’t get left behind by taking delivery of “its initial BATMAV micro unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).” Among the diminutive crafts is a legion of Wasp IIIs, which have a wingspan of 29-inches, weigh in at just one-pound apiece, and carry integrated forward and side looking electro-optical color / infrared cameras. The backpackable devices are meant to be hand-launched and aim to provide “real-time video imagery to a handheld controller used by tactical units” in reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions. Now, if only these things had an ultra-lightweight chaingun strapped under each wing and were available at the local BX, we’d be sold.

[Via The Raw Feed]

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Source: Darren Murph

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While the idea of an autonomous flying military bot is far from new, the US Navy has taken a first step toward “developing an unmanned combat aircraft that some advocates say could compete with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 joint strike fighter.” Northrop Grumman was awarded a $636 million contract to design, build, and fly an Unmanned Combat Air System “that would operate from the decks of the Navy’s giant nuclear-powered aircraft carriers,” and if things goes as planned, we could see the gunners join our forces “within 10 to 15 years.” And considering that we’re already deploying land-based mechanical soldiers to fire our weapons, we’d say the full-fledged robotic army is certainly closing in.

[Image courtesy of DefenseTech, thanks Jason]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Transportation

Aircraft maker Sonex and partner AeroConversions recently unveiled a slick little electric-powered, two-person sport aircraft called, um, the Sonex. The small yellow prototype was announced at a press conference held by the company on Tuesday. Sonex president John Monnett told the crowd that the plane was part of its E-Flight Initiative, and that the lightweight craft took flight using proprietary electric engine technology powered by ten “safe boxes,” which contain eight Lithium-Polymer batteries each. The company hopes to extend the current flight time of 45 minutes to an hour by using more efficient versions of the batteries, and says it’s exploring ethanol options as part of the initiative. There was no indication as to when the plane would be ready for sale, but Sonex did say that the final product will be “vastly less expensive than other things out there.” Which we’re pretty sure means Paul Moller better watch his back.

[Via The Raw Feed]

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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