aircraft

Lightest Airplane Seat Could Save Airlines Millions of Dollars

The seat made from titanium and composites weighs just 4 kg (8.8 lbs) (in comparison the Recaro seats used by United weigh 11 kg). The seat caters to single-aisle aircraft bodies, including A320 and B737, for short and medium hauls and could save up to $500,000 per year per aircraft by reducing fuel consumption. The…

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Transition, the Flying Car

In fact Transition is more “roadable airplane” then “flying car”. Two prototypes have been built and over 100 people have advance-ordered them, the first delivery is scheduled for 2015. The company behind the airplane/car is Terrafugia that has already raised $10 million in funding. “Transition, is a two-seater folding-wing aerocar that is designed to comply…

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What they don’t tell you in the plane safety demo

One of the readers of the post Why are cabin lights dimmed for take-off? put this link in his comment and I think it deserves a post of its own. Some excerpts from the article: “Touch drills” and “muscle memory” While your pilots are waiting for takeoff, it may surprise you that they’re probably doing a…

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Supersonic Flying Wing, the Future of Jet Travel?

The “flying wing” concept, proposed by a team headed by Ge-Chen Zha, an aerospace engineer at Florida State University, has won $100,000 in NASA funding to trying becoming a reality for future passenger jet travel (from InnovationNewsDaily). “I am hoping to develop an environmentally friendly and economically viable airplane for supersonic civil transport in the next…