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Explore the skies with this new USS Enterprise drone
At this year's Toy Fair Spin Master showed off its latest drone creation: a USS Enterprise quadcopter. It may not travel at warp speed, but it'll still arrive right on time for Star Trek's 50th anniversary this fall.
Commercial aircraft get their first global emissions standard
Ground-based vehicles have had emissions standards for a while (just ask Volkswagen), but commercial aircraft like passenger jets? Not so much. However, the world just took one big step toward cleaning up the skies: a total of 23 countries have agreed to set the first international carbon dioxide emissions standard for commercial aircraft. If the measures are adopted as recommended, new airplane models will have to meet the tougher guidelines in 2020. New aircraft from existing model lines will follow suit in 2023, and there will be a complete cutoff for non-standard aircraft in 2028.
Watch a smart drone fly through a 'forest' all on its own
Drones can already find their way around obstacles, but they're usually looking for obvious obstacles like walls. What about navigating through tiny spaces where there may be just inches to spare? MIT has the answer. It just demonstrated tiny quadcopter drones using cutting-edge algorithms (the same ones used in the walking Atlas robot) to wend their way through a "forest" of 26 closely-packed obstacles. The trick is to flip the usual pathfinding routine on its head -- rather than plan a course based on the obstacles, the algorithms look for free spaces and string them together to create a safe route. As the video below shows, the result is a drone that zips effortlessly around poles and wires.
FAA's B4UFLY app tells drone operators if it's okay to fly
Flying drones is a lot more complicated than it used to be. These days, drone pilots need to register their toys with the FAA, be aware of drone-specific laws and even notify local airports of their flights in certain sceneries. It's a lot to keep track of, which is why the FAA has released B4UFLY, a smartphone app designed to keep drone users informed.
Super-maneuverable drone airplanes are coming
Helicopter-like drones are extremely nimble, but their fixed-wing counterparts aren't so lucky. Chinese researchers have a way to bring some of that agility to conventional airplane designs, though. They've developed a vectored thrust propeller system that lets the drone make tighter turns, take off quickly and otherwise fly in areas where it would normally be too dangerous. And unlike jet-based vectored thrust (such as on the F-22), this system is light and small enough to fit into a relatively compact UAV.
Court says ridesharing for flights is illegal
If you had hopes that the FAA's ban on ridesharing flights would be reversed... well, you're in for a disappointment. A Washington, DC court has ruled that pilots need commercial licenses for these services to work. You're a carrier in that case, not just splitting expenses like the plaintiff (Flytenow) claimed -- and that means you need the "experience and credentials" to ferry passengers. If you want to fly cross-country without resorting to big airlines, you'll have to either charter a private flight or hope that a pilot friend will take you.[Image credit: Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
'Snowstorm' personal flying machine lifts off in Singapore
What you're looking at above is Snowstorm, a personal flying machine. This electric-powered aircraft, designed and built by a group of students from the National University of Singapore, can be controlled by a human pilot and is capable of a vertical takeoff and landing. Snowstorm was created as part of an engineering project called FW Air: Electric Aviation, which aims to turn the fantasy of flying cars into reality.
Airbus' detachable cabin concept could save you time at the airport
There are probably plenty of things that frustrate you about air travel, but waiting to take off or disembark is probably high on your list. Why should you have to board well before the plane is ready to get moving? Airbus might have a way to cut that idle time to near zero, though: it recently received a patent for a detachable passenger cabin that would lift into the airport gate. Your aircraft would only show up when it's actually ready to go, and would spend far less time on the ground as a whole (as it's just swapping cabin pods). It could also eliminate the convoluted boarding process, since you could take your seat right away instead of forming a queue in the terminal.
Runaway blimp prompts the US to freeze a missile defense program
That US Army radar blimp that ran amok didn't just trigger an internet frenzy... it may have put the brakes on a big military research initiative. Pentagon officials have frozen the JLENS (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System) program behind the blimp while they investigate what went wrong. The government isn't saying what it might do, but there are already politicians calling for the blimps to be cut. JLENS had already been hanging by a thread ever since 2010, when the Army threatened to kill it -- there are longstanding concerns about both the technology's reliability and its effectiveness compared to conventional aircraft. Don't be surprised if these defensive dirigibles vanish in short order. [Image credit: U.S. Air Force/Tiffany DeNault via Getty Images]
US transportation department confirms drone registration program
You might call your remote-controlled, quad-copter flying toy a "drone," but to the US government it's an "unmanned aircraft system", and it needs some red tape. Yes, the rumors were true: the Department of Transportation is creating a mandatory registration process for drones and unmanned aircraft. Today, it officially announced the program and the task force that will recommend policies and safety standards.
JetBlue will have free satellite WiFi on every flight by fall 2016
JetBlue's plans to outfit its aircraft with fast satellite WiFi are most definitely on track. The airline has announced that it not only has Fly-Fi on all of its Airbus aircraft, but that it expects to have the free internet access aboard all its remaining flights by fall 2016. That's a big deal, particularly if you're a frequent flier -- it guarantees at least one carrier that will have relatively brisk (20Mbps per device) connections on every trip, whether it's a short hop or cross-country. JetBlue no doubt hopes that you'll use its expanding service to buy a few things, but it's hard to be too cynical about the company's motives when some other airlines charge you for WiFi that's virtually unusable.
NASA working with students on Mars airplane concept
NASA is hard at work on designing the perfect aircraft to land on Mars. Just a couple of weeks ago, the space administration showed a new wing shape it is testing for future Red Planet-bound planes. As part of furthering these developments, NASA recently brought on a few students to help with its Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars program, otherwise known as Prandtl-m aircraft. The participants built a boomerang-shaped plane made of carbon fiber, which was then tested in an aircraft hangar and a different set of higher altitudes outdoors. Unfortunately, NASA says test flights didn't turn out as expected every time, namely due to the complexity of having an adequate launch system in place. One option, for example, was to have a radio-controlled plane that would take the research aircraft to the necessary altitude and have it be released.
NASA tests new wing shape for future Mars planes
Earlier this year, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center's and Langley Research Center's request to get funding for the wind tunnels meant to test their new boomerang-shaped wings was granted. They believe the structure could lead to more efficient planes, even ones meant to be sent to Mars. Now, the two facilities are done subjecting a six-foot-span model of the shape they had in mind -- based on aircraft development from back in the 1930s -- to a series of wind tunnel tests. Thankfully, the results sound promising: according to NASA Armstrong chief scientist Al Bowers, the simulation proved that the wings are very stable and can maintain control even when completely stalled.
The Air Force will have combat lasers on its war planes by 2020
The Army has its HEL-MD (not to mention is working on GI Joe-style rifles and minesweepers); the Navy put a battleship-mounted railgun aboard the USS Ponce; and within the next five years, the Air Force expects to have laser weapons of its very own. These armaments, dubbed directed-energy weapons pods, will be mounted on American warplanes and serve to burn missiles, UAVs -- even other combat aircraft -- clean out of the sky. "I believe we'll have a directed energy pod we can put on a fighter plane very soon," Air Force General Hawk Carlisle said at a Fifth-Generation Warfare lecture during the Air Force Association Air & Space conference earlier this week. "That day is a lot closer than I think a lot of people think it is."
NASA starts testing light and flexible plane technology
NASA has successfully completed a series of tests making sure that the X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT) aircraft can withstand flights up to 130 knots in speed. See, the X-56A isn't your typical aircraft: it's a remote-controlled test model the space agency's using for the development of flexible flight tech, which will be used for lightweight, eco-friendly planes. NASA needs to test the technology extensively, since planes with pliable wings are typically more susceptible to strong winds and vibrations. In fact, this recent round of testing only completed all of the agency's "stiff wing objectives." X-56A 2.0 -- yes, this is the second version, as developer Lockheed Martin already put the first one through the wringer in 2013 and 2014 -- doesn't have its flexible wings yet. Those special airfoils will be attached in the next few months before the aircraft takes off for its first flexi-wing flight in early 2016.
NASA crashes a third airplane for science on live TV
If you've ever wanted to see a "severe but survivable plane accident" (without worrying about actual lives at stake), tune into NASA TV today between 1 and 2pm ET. The site will be broadcasting live coverage of a simulated crash conducted by the agency's Search and Rescue Mission Office.
Tracking glitch grounds over 100 US flights
Hopefully, you weren't flying to or from the US East coast this weekend -- if you were, there's a real chance that a technical glitch ruined your trip. The Federal Aviation Administration reports that airlines cancelled legions of flights (around 134 in Baltimore and Washington DC, according to Flightaware) after an automated tracking system in Virginia went haywire. It's not yet certain exactly what went wrong, but the incident triggered a ripple effect that delayed several hundred flights. One thing's for sure: between this and United Airlines' network chaos, technology is becoming an ever-larger factor in your ability to travel on time. [Image credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin]
ICYMI: Internet aircraft, Uber retiree drivers and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Facebook just built an aircraft that can stay aloft over areas without internet, beaming it down for free. Uber is announcing a partnership with AARP in an effort to get more part-time drivers from the retiree crowd. (We helpfully provided a CDC stat about fatal car accidents because we love you.) And NASA engineers are designing drones to explore areas of planets that rovers can't get to.
UK 'Dronecode' aims to stop pilots from flying dangerously
If we were to create a list of "top places you shouldn't fly a drone," airports would certainly rank high. As the BBC reports, the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recorded six incidents between May 2014 and March 2015 where drones have almost collided with aircraft. In one instance, the wing of an Airbus A320 passed 6 meters below a quadcopter flying near Heathrow airport. To combat the problem and reckless drone flying in general, the CAA has created a "Drone Safety Awareness Day" and a "Dronecode" to better educate pilots. The latter is a streamlined version of its existing UAV rules: keep your drone within sight and less than 400 feet high, stay away from aircraft and airports, and use common sense to keep others safe. They're worth adhering to, otherwise you risk having your drone confiscated or, at the very least, receiving a good earful from the police.
Lockheed Martin buys helicopter maker Sikorsky
Don't look now, but Lockheed Martin just became an even larger aerospace powerhouse. The aircraft maker has acquired helicopter maker Sikorsky (best known for the UH-60 Blackhawk) for $9 billion. The two have already been partners on programs like the MH-60, but this gives Lockheed its very own rotary-wing team. If a customer wants something that flies, the company will have it covered. The buyout is poised to close by late 2015 or early 2016, provided everything goes smoothly.
