Aerodynamism is the main line of thought for designers who strive to create intense machines. A lot goes into the thought process especially when deciding the shape of the machine to be created as it is the shape that determines how quickly the machine will cut through the air. A few people prefer being observant than investing their time on the thought process and believe me it pays for a Swiss Designer got the aerodynamism clue from the Tuna , which is the fastest swimming fish under water . It was a dream Koni Schafroth saw back in 2002 and it gained realistic proportion as a battery powered Smart fish( Airplane) emulating the shape of the tuna as the experts at Lausanne’s EPFL Technical University ]observed that it was potentially faster and more potent than a conventional aircraft when they tested it in the wind tunnel . Whilst Schafroth and his team Smart fish had other plans; in five years of its evolvement the Smart fish has changed into a Hyfish, which is a hydrogen fuel propelled aircraft, an outcome of his collaboration with Institute for Technical Thermodynamics of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Stuttgart. The resultant of the collaboration was that the Hyfish took flight for the first time at the beginning of this month and now the company plans to develop a 20-seater aircraft based on a similar concept, which according to them would be more economical and eco-friendly. At a time when the cars are not getting enough motivation to go green, if an airplane based on such a concept is produced it will be a sardonic clout on the faces of the automakers, who give more than one phony reasons for the move on of green projects. Courtesy :Gizmag
Archive for Aircrafts
Plan your next trip to Space!
We all know that the Alps are beautiful and the Himalayas even more inviting, but I would say the human mind is not limited to these destinations for the world is not enough. Probably in five years time we may see people packing their bags for ‘better destinations’ than the aforesaid, because they would be destinations , conquered only by the astronauts until date. Yes, it is as true as the gospel; the European Aerospace company, EADS Astrium, has developed an aircraft that would pick up passengers from regular terminals and take them sailing right into space. These specially designed airplanes or call them space planes, would resemble a conventional plane but the difference would be the incorporated rocket engines. Indeed, these planes would behave like the conventional ones till an altitude of 12 km, following which the pilot would activate the ultra touring mode/ overdrive mode, call it whatever , as it will make the plane rocket to an altitude of 60 kms , in just 80 seconds. Further journey until the destination would be taken care off by the inertia, as the plane would be shut down after the speedy overdrive leaving it onto nature to do the rest. The passengers wouldn’t have to pack their bags in the real sense as the journey would be a short one, obviously in terms of the time span, not the distance though. On reaching the destination, the passengers would be able to have a peek at the earth and feel zero gravity for three minutes, the best three minutes of every human’s life for sure. Such a journey would obviously mean a lot of expenditure both for the company and the travelers; the critics will find a place here too but they can give a little bit of breathing space at least at the advent of this once unfathomable voyage. This journey would initially be meant for the Baron Roth’s as the tickets would expectedly cost 1, 50,000 to 2, 00,000 Euro. Before the, ‘don’t count your chickens before they hatch’ notion seems applicable here, the ground reality is that Astrium is hoping that the entire project gets funded before the end of this year and Astrium head Francois Auque believes that they would definitely succeed even from the financial point of view His level of confidence in this venture can be assed by this citation: We are counting on some 20,000 space tourists by the year 2020. We want to serve a third of them. We have faith in this market. This aircraft would be ready by next year but the first passengers looking to peek at the earth from a thousand miles would have to wait until 2012. Five years is a lot of time to wait and the wait would become longer or rather futile when I know that the only thing I would do at the advent is to jeer as the tickets are priced good enough to make my return journey pointless for I would be seldom left with anything to subside on . But then, one journey like this in a life time and I would not repent loosing it all! Courtesy :smh.com
Boeing X-488: The Future of commercial aviation
Boeing has developed a new plane named X-488. The company is hoping that this new airliner will be the future of commercial aviation industry. The plane might look like a stealth fighter but when fully developed the company will release the model for military and commercial purposes. The plane has a blended wing design that makes it more fuel conscious as it uses up to 30% less gas as compared to a conventional airliner like the 747. Boeing has planned to release a military version of the aircraft by 2022 and a commercial model by 2030. Via: Gizmodo.
Richard Branson owns the French made, long range, ultra luxe corporate jet Falcon 900EX. Richard Charles Nicholas Branson born Eighteen July 1950 is a good English enterprise magnate, best known regarding his Virgin mobile Gang of a lot more than 400 businesses. Their 1st business enterprise was obviously a journal called College student at Sixteen. In The early 70s, this individual setup an audio file mail-order enterprise. In 1975, this individual popped a sequence of report stores, Virgin mobile Data, later on referred to as Virgin mobile Megastores. Branson could be the Fourth wealthiest resident from the Great britain and also 254th richest part of the planet . Richard Branson manufactured several entire world record-breaking attempts right after 1985, while in your character with the Orange Riband he or she tried out the fastest Atlantic traversing.
U.S Army begins Operational Testing of CH-47F Chinook helicopter
The first production CH-47F Chinook helicopter will soon be seen in a battle field as the U.S Army has begun the OT or Operational Testing of the aircraft. The aircraft has successfully completed acceptance and development flight testing last December. The helicopter will be the first of 452 CH-47F helicopters that will find a place in the U.S. Army Cargo Helicopter modernization program. The helicopter features improved avionics that provide better situational awareness for flight crews with an advanced digital map display. It also has a full load of improved survivability features that includes Common Missile Warning and Improved Countermeasure Dispenser Systems. It is powered by two 4,868HP Honeywell engines. The engines allow the helicopter to reach speeds of 175mph and also carry a payload of more than 21,000 pounds. The engines of this aircraft are made fuel efficient so that it can have a mission radius of more than 400 miles. The OT phase is expected to continue till April and if all goes as per plan then the helicopter will find a place in the U.S. Army in July. Via: gizmag
China to unveil unmanned aerial combat vehicle named ‘Anjian’ at 47th International Paris Air Show
With advancement in technology man has started moving towards methodologies that involve minimum risk life. That’s why we have seen major developments in the field of robotics and weapons which include no human application when to work at dangerous places. China has built a concept model of an unmanned aerial combat vehicle named “Anjian” that will be displayed at 47th International Paris Air Show, to be held from June 18th to June 24th of this year. The aerial combat vehicle was designed by the Shenyang Aeroplane Design Institution under China Aviation Industry Corporation I (CAIC1), for future aerial combat. Via: people
Smart technology to defend aircrafts against terrorists
Now the authorities have started paying more interest towards ensuring passenger security. Classified laboratories in 11 European countries and Israel are working on a smart technology that would help them to keep a check on the passengers and detect any suspicious activity that cold lead to serious problems later. The $50 million SAFEE project includes a device reputedly 30 times more sensitive than a dog scans passengers for dangerous chemicals and vapours installed at the door. Some computers monitoring conversations for suspicious words and fingernail-size video cameras detect any nervous facial tics. Buzzers or flashing lights on a computer screen warn the crew and pilot of potential trouble. Though the system is good and is at advanced stage of development, it is expected to encounter certain problems in adaptation by the industry. some of the major problems that are projected are � This may be an issue with passenger privacy. � Pilot groups are fearful of computers usurping their authority. � The airline marketers will be reluctant to adopt this system fearing the installation and maintenance cost. However, in order to ensure security some privacy and freedom is needed to be sacrificed. The testing for the system is in process and is likely to be continued this year. The systems are unlikely to be available on commercial aircraft for 10 years because most would need to be built into the frames of planes during construction. Via: smh
DongHae’s ultra light aircraft ‘Dambi’ ready to fly
At the SPOEX 2007 show in Seoul, Korea, DongHae machinery & aviation exhibited their ultra-light gyroplane dubbed Dambi. Well, even in any case, the engine goes down in the air, Dambi manages a safe landing, thanks to its Rotator Blade, which is free rotation type. The Dambi is at present available for leisure industry, environmental watch, and air photography. The plane is powered by a Rotax 912 ULS engine offering 100HP. Via: Aving
Solar Impulse: A solar powered plane prototype
After automobiles going fuel conscious, now it’s the turn of airplanes. Solar Impulse will cater to the rising fuel crisis. The manned airplane is still in a prototype design phase but once launched it will be fun to go around the world in a plane that needs no fuel but the sun. The plane does not maintain a consistent altitude like other conventional planes. During daytime it soars to a height of 10,000 meters to make the most out of the sun light. At night time the plane relies on the batteries and descends to a height of just 3,000 meters. The plane has a wingspan of a bit more than 80 meters and weight just 2 tons. The project is in the design phase and if all goes well then we will be able to see it in air by 2011. Via: ecogeek
Marines ready to flutter the MV-22 in Iraq
We don’t get tired of talking about those amazing hybrids from the automotive world do we? An amalgamation is always the best blend provided it clicks for instance the Cross Over Utilities. A similar merger in the Aircraft world is a rarity though the Americans will tend to disagree for theirs is the only nation that is acquainted with such bedazzling combinations. The Boeing MV-22 Aircraft is one such rarity, which Uncle Sam possesses. What is rare about the Boeing MV- 22; is that it is a ’tiltrotor’ i.e. a hybrid between a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft. This combo enables the aircraft to fly like an airplane and then switch into hover mode making it apt in those small helicopter like landings. The Marines believe that the CH-46 is now an aged combatant contraption thus it is time to invigorate the forces with the faster, more potent and versatile machines. An aircraft like the MV-22 fulfills all the above requisites that is reason it has been chosen as a surrogate of the CH-46 in Iraq. Describing the Boeing MV-22 better than its predecessor, General Castellaw cited: So what we have is an aircraft that goes twice as fast. It goes three times as far, and it is the most survivable, about six or seven times of what the aircraft that it replaces is. On a mission, it can be at 200-plus knots in 15 seconds climbing the altitude. Fixed-wing use altitude as an area to get outside of the range of missiles and fire — small-arms fire. We’ll be able to do the same thing with this aircraft to get above the threat The Americans believe that putting the MV-22 to use in Iraq will mean more number of survivors, as there will be lesser war causalities. It will force the enemy to think twice before charging for he will know the capability of the MV-22 and its demolishing nature. It is good to know that the government is committed to reduce the death toll of their own men but I have another query from these authorities. Will these ultramodern machines prove heady enough to target unambiguous enemies and not the naive people who are massacred without even drawing any familiarity with these hostilities? Credit : varifrank
F-35B: The stealth fighter that can stop in mid air
the mariners’ new aircraft is a first stealthy, supersonic jet that can come to a standstill in mid air. The short-takeoff and vertical landing aircraft will soon be replacing F/A-18 Hornet and the British-built Harrier STOVL fighter. The best feature of the aircraft is its capability to land vertically. That makes it suitable for all conditions. Moreover the aircraft also doesn’t require a large runway for takeoff as it meets air after a run of just 300 feet. The first prototype will fly early next year and should enter service in 2012. The F-35B needs a runway of just 300 feet thanks to a magical engine that points straight back while taking off. At a paltry 80 knots, the engine nozzle and lift fan exhausts swing halfway down to give it vertical lift and the plane gets airborne. The short runway required also enables the plane to take off from small ships unlike other planes which require a carrier. Still I am waiting for a true stealth fighter that can take off and land vertically. Via: popsci