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]

Not even a week after hearing that Air France was forging ahead with an in-flight calling trial, the European Commission has now voiced its approval of using mobiles on planes in European airspace. After six months of deliberating, the decision was finally made to give airlines the choice of offering up services in order for guests to dial loved ones at 3,000-meters or more. The EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, went on to warn operators to "keep the cost of calls made on planes at a reasonable level," and of course, not all is clear just yet. For starters, the European Aviation Safety Agency still needs to green-light the whole ordeal by approving any hardware that would be used, and we won't be seeing any 3G action up high just yet. Still, at least one less hurdle stands in the way of you phoning home from over Europe (and simultaneously making enemies out of all your neighbors trying to get a few decent minutes of shuteye).

You're looking at the world's first manned flight powered by a hydrogen battery. Boeing's prop-driven aircraft set the lone pilot aloft for about 20 minutes at a speed of 100-kilometres (62 miles) an hour at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. The 800-kilogram (1,760-pound) craft with a 16.3-meter (51-foot) wingspan is capable of flying for about 45 minutes under the power of its hydrogen fuel cells -- the airplane's batteries provided an additional boost for takeoff. The fuel cells harvest the energy produced by the chemical transformation of hydrogen and oxygen into water -- that makes the craft clean as well as near silent. Unfortunately, the technology is nowhere near the point of powering commercial aircraft. At best, the fuel-cells could act as a secondary power source... in another 20 years.

Not even half a year after Air France enabled passengers on its single OnAir-equipped Airbus A318 to send / receive messages and e-mail, the airline has went live with the second phase of the in-flight experiment. As of this week, guests who find themselves aboard the aforesaid aircraft can make / receive calls on their mobile at 30,000 feet. Reportedly, a dozen simultaneous calls are possible "per picocell network, as well as unlimited text messages and e-mails," and while pricing details weren't disclosed, you can rest assured it won't be a bargain. Nevertheless, the voice aspect of the trial is scheduled to carry on for three months, and we're assuming the results (read: whether annoyed passengers start assaulting chronic yappers) will determine if it gets rolled out to more of the fleet or quietly buried.

[Via WiFi Net News]

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]

Passengers on Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will soon have something to talk about... literally. The company is joining the growing ranks of airlines that allow mobile phone and / or wireless internet service on flights. According to the Scandinavian airline, the new features will be offered sometime later this year, and will be provided by a new subsidiary, Norwegian AS. Now, if only they'd allow smoking again.

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology recently demonstrated a fuel cell system that can power an RC plane for up to 5 hours on just 500 grams (17 ounces) of liquid hydrogen, and is expected to power a UAV variant of the plane for up to 10 hours when the autonomous pilot system in completed. KAIST hopes to use the tech in a future Korean military UAV, and, pending funding, expects to have a complete production-ready drone within two years. Sadly, there's no word on when Korean kids will be able to hold all-night drone-flying stamina contests, but we're waiting for that YouTube video pretty eagerly.

[Via AutoBlog Green]

Just in case last month's airport scare wasn't enough, today we're finding that an Alaska Airlines flight from San Jose was evacuated upon landing "after a passenger found an unclaimed cell phone tucked in his seat." Both the FBI and Port of Seattle police eventually concluded that the mobile "posed no safety threat," but apparently, it was worth looking into. When found, the handset "appeared to have been taken apart, put back together and shoved into the seat," but after all was said and done, no humans were injured, other flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were only delayed for about ten minutes and some poor soul is wishing he / she had opted for that cellphone insurance back in the day.

[Via SlashPhone]

We may not mind having to do without our precious Nintendo DS and wireless cans for awhile if there's in-flight WiFi to keep us occupied, but until then, this new measure is sure to annoy. Reportedly, "passengers on commercial planes [in Japan] are no longer allowed to play games using wireless connections with handheld consoles," which of course would include the DS and Sony's PSP. Moreover, it was said that folks were also not allowed to use personal headphones and mice that were cordless, further cramping our ability to slip into a personal electronic heaven while cruising the friendly skies. Ah well, here's to hoping that the attendants aren't exactly strict with the new rules, eh?

[Via Joystiq]

According to a BBC report today, a UK defense firm called Qinetiq has developed and tested a lightweight, solar-powered plane which has just broken the world record for longest unmanned flight. The plane, known as the Zephyr, spent 54 hours in flight using only self-recharging solar power, thus breaking the 30-plus-hour flight of the previous record holder, the US Air Force's Global Hawk surveillance craft. Although the record has been smashed, the plane won't be eligible for entrance into the "official" record books due to a late announcement of the feat, though another 33-hour flight might make the cut. The plane -- which has a wingspan of 59-feet -- is controlled from the ground after a hand liftoff, and is capable of cruising at 58,000 feet. According to the designers, the Zephyr is, "Going to go a lot higher and a lot further," and added that, "You ain't seen nothing yet." Indeed, ICEMAN, indeed.

Those already giddy about their 2008 trip to Down Under should now pick up the phone and do whatever it takes to get on one of Qantas' forthcoming A380s or revamped 747-400s, as both planes will reportedly feature in-flight WiFi and laptop power. As if that weren't enough, the new A380s will even dole out power sockets to those in economy class, and while the in-flight entertainment system may be preferred by your offspring, we know you'll greatly appreciate the internet access and seat-mounted USB / Ethernet ports. Currently, Qantas has yet to divulge exactly how much these luxuries will run you per flight, and while there's still a few months remaining before any passengers are faced with such comforts while flying Qantas, we can't help but yearn for a first-class ticket complete with a 17-inch widescreen LCD. Hit the read link for a few more snapshots and the full rundown of extras.

It's been a few ticks since we've seen Boeing send an atypical aircraft into the friendly skies, but the firm's latest helicopter has successfully completed a 12-minute test flight without so much as a pilot on board. The A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft is a turbine-powered "warfighter" that aims to provide "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance coverage" in locales that could make even the most calloused veteran queasy. During its time in the air, it reportedly met every objective set for it, and while we've no idea how soon this thing will be lifting itself up, it'll eventually reach speeds of up to 140 knots and stay airborne for up to 20 hours before returning to base for a pat on the wing.

[Via The Raw Feed, image courtesy of SkyControl]

We'd heard rumblings that Virgin America was indeed lobbying for the US Department of Transportation's blessing to take off from American soil, and after getting a hands-on experience that was second to none, we couldn't help but hope for things to work out. Sure enough, VA has now been given the almighty thumbs-up to operate in the United States. Interestingly, the final approval was only granted after "several additional conditions" were finally agreed to, one of which will leave the current CEO sans a job. Unfortunately for Mr. Fred Reid, "US law restricts foreign ownership in airlines to 25-percent of voting stock," and apparently, the DOT didn't take too kindly to Reid's "longstanding association with foreign investors," most notably Virgin Group's Richard Branson. Nevertheless, the current head man will stay on board for another six months, and while a replacement has yet to be named, the airline hopes to get its birds in the air sometime this summer. Initially, flights will travel from its home base (SFO) to New York (JFK), and while there's no definite timetable as to when routes will be expanded to hit other US cities, feel free to click through for the full lineup of locales that VA hopes to be servicing sooner rather than later.

Read - Virgin America cleared for take-off
Read - Fred Reid forced to resign as VA takes flight

C'mon folks, it shouldn't take an aeronautical engineer to figure out that flying an aircraft isn't exactly a cakewalk, and as we've seen time and time again, "amateur pilots" just aren't likely to land in a safe fashion. China's Li Xianfeng has become the latest daredevil to risk life and limb to satisfy his "lifelong dream" of flying, but he wasn't fortunate enough to complete "perfect landing" addendum. His self-built aluminum-framed plane was demolished after he spent a whopping 120-seconds "hovering about 50-feet above the ground," as his pilot instruction manuals clearly didn't provide the kind of in-depth training one would expect at, say, flight school. Amazingly, Li somehow felt that his hospitalizing crash was "partly successful," and he even spoke of his desire to try it once more when his current wounds healed. We'd respectfully advise a virtual flight next time, Mr. Xianfeng.

[Via Fark]

PSA: If you just so happen to be one of the incredibly unlucky 66,000 owners of either a Sky Squadron Model 4153 (pictured after the jump) or Sky Rangers Model 4161 radio-controlled aircraft, we'd highly recommend not making them part of your Sunday afternoon fling. Unfortunately, the overheating (and potentially explosive) Li-ion curse has reared its ugly fiery head once more, and this time two RC planes distributed by Estes-Cox through Radio Shack and Wal-Mart are being promptly recalled. There have already been nine reports of eruptive behavior, including one craft that actually caught fire and somehow inflicted "a minor burn injury" to the unsuspecting user, triggering the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to take action. So if you're not exactly interested in the possibility of getting toasted by your not-so-innocent toy plane, be sure and hit the read link to initiate that always fun RMA process.

[Via Gearlog]