ParisAirShow
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YouTube's multi-angle video meets Boeing's acrobatic 787 flight
At the Paris Air Show earlier this week, Boeing showed off a few of its 787-9 Dreamliner's tricks, including a near vertical takeoff. This new YouTube video shows the flight demo from several angles: one has the fuel-efficient plane in full view, another gives you the chance to watch what went on inside the cockpit and the last one shows the flight from the plane's perspective. YouTube launched multiple camera angles as an experimental feature earlier this year, making the option available to select users. It uses an algorithm that syncs all the angles as you play the video, and you only have to either click on any of them or press their respective numbers on the keyboard to switch views.
We're live from the 2013 Paris Air Show!
While you were sleeping earlier today, we were getting trampled by crazed commuters at a train station, overheated in a steamy bus that inched through traffic at one mile per hour, and soaked by heavy rains and an overflowing airport sewage system. But all in all, it was a pretty fantastic day. That's due in no small part to the dozens of incredible aircraft we had a chance to get up close and personal with, the fighter jets demonstrating slow flight and vertical climbs a few hundred feet above the ground, and the A350 cockpit we stumbled upon in the Airbus booth. Yes, we're here at the 2013 Paris Air Show -- France's gigantic biennial aviation fest. It's more or less like any other trade show we've visited in the past few weeks, just instead of tablet accessories, we're digging through aircraft components, and the Airbus A350 is this expo's Zenbook Infinity. There's been no shortage of press on TV and all over the web today, so you're probably familiar with the show's theme: Airbus versus Boeing. Sure, that's more or less been the case every time Le Bourget Airport has opened its doors to the aviation community, but with the Dreamliner's recent dilemma and the A350's budding ascendance, the competition this year is furious. But we'll leave the industry analysis to aviation publications -- we're here for the gear. And some pretty ambitious flight demos. You can catch more of today's action in our video after the break.%Gallery-191618%
Siemens DA36 E-Star glider takes serial hybrid to new heights
It's not exactly Wonder Woman-ready, but this little glider is already a star. A collaboration between Siemens, Diamond Aircraft, and EADS, the DA36 E-Star, being billed as the "world's first serial hybrid electric airplane," has taken to the friendly skies and is now on display at the Paris Air Show. The two-seater, which boasts a serial (or series) hybrid electric drive, similar to that found in the Chevy Volt, is currently a two-seat affair, but is intended to pave the way for passenger planes, and could eventually cut emissions by 25 percent. Along with a decrease in fuel consumption and subsequent emissions, the plane is also nice and quiet. So what's next? Scientists are working on a new motor that could make the drive five times lighter. Hey Siemens, give us a call when it gets inflight-WiFi. Full PR after the break.
D-Dalus aircraft lacks fixed-wing or rotor, looks like flying steamroller
Every other year, aviation fanatics gather in the city of baguettes and burlesque to order airplanes, gawk at concept vehicles, and dream about a better future. The D-Dalus, one of the more bizarre concepts at this year's Paris Air Show, from Austrian research company IAT21, stays aloft using quad contra-rotating cylindrical turbines -- and perhaps a touch of magic. Theoretically creating a completely new category of aircraft, the carbon fiber D-Dalus maneuvers by altering the angle of its blades, giving it virtually limitless abilities to launch, hover, and turn in any direction. An aircraft with this level of flexibility is more suited for military use than consumer applications (you won't be flying home from Paris in a freakish black tube), but could become a key asset for everything from freight transport to search and rescue operations -- on land, at sea, or even in a burning building. We haven't come across any proof that the Dalus can actually fly, but hit up the source link to see the craft suspended from the show floor ceiling in Paris.
