Gizmodo
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airplanes
When Big Toys Break: Boeing's Dreamliner Delay Explained
Everything seemed OK a few days ago, but as you probably know already, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and its orgy room have been delayed once again. Airplane expert Jon Ostrower explains why their toy broke again. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Hello Mister Walrus: I expect this to be ready at about the same time as Duke Nukem Forever. 7 Responses | Other threads
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space
Couple Says "I Do" In Zero Gravity, Leads Subsequently More Boring Life Together
It's not hard to spend $16,000 (or much, much more) on a wedding. So you might as well get a zero gravity flight out of the deal. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by Lite: is on a boat.: You know, just because you *can* do something, doesn't necessarily mean that you should... 6 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
20,500-Gallon Firefighting Boeing 747 Supertanker In Action
The fire season has started in half of the world and I wish there were more of these 747 Firefighting Supertankers. They can drop 20,500 gallons of water in one go, as you can see in the video. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Gillonde: How do they get the water into this thing? 16 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
Dreamliner Starts Its Engines for the First Time
Remember the Boeing 787 Dreamliner? You know, the eternally-delayed wonderplane? Well, rejoice because it has started the engines in a huge puff of smoke. All on its own, which is a first according to Boing: More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by frigg: Are Rolls Royce aircraft engines the Rolls Royce of aircraft engines? 23 Responses | Other threads
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drones
Boeing Goes The Marvel Route With Naming Of New Stealth Drone
Boeing's experimental unmanned "Phantom Ray" drone is scheduled for testing in 2010. Either Boeing is out of military-sounding code names or it, too, is caught up in the comic book craze that's seized Hollywood. More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by frigg: When they show it at air shows, do clowns spill out of the hole in the front, thrilling crowds at... 3 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
The Interior of the Boeing 747 Intercontinental
Unlike the delayed Dreamliner, the new 747 Intercontinental—based on the 747-8 Freighter—is right on schedule at 25% of its design phase. Its interior is inspired by the Dreamliner—orgy room included, I can only hope. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by AlbertAnaxagoras: fix the headline, jerk. 9 Responses | Other threads
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pew pew
Boeing Working on Free Electron Lasers for the US Navy
The US Navy has contracted Boeing to work on a Free Electron Laser, which would provide ships with an ultra-precise weapon capable of striking targets with lethal force, causing minimal nearby damage. More »
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Comment by murphy1515: Hopefully this doesn't get scraped like the last laser defense project. 8 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
New F-15 Silent Eagle Is Cheap Stealth Plane for Recession-minded Warmongers
Here you have the F-15 Silent Eagle, a classic fighter with special coating and sightly angled surfaces to reduce its radar signature. Check out its completely new weapons bays, integrated in the fuel tanks. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by ConfuciusMax: I love jets, the F-22 is sick. I wonder if they will upgrade the F-14 or just keep it in... 14 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
50 Years of Boeing Bombers in a Picture
The legend started with the mighty Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, and ends—for now—in the B-52 Stratofortress. 50 Years of beautiful destruction on two wings flying together in a rare picture. [FlightGlobal]
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By Jesus DiazComment by justin44l: It looks like the guns located on the B-17G are facing the tail.... 19 Responses | Other threads
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sleep
Finally, I've Found the Bed Of My Dreams
If my girl can't appreciate sleeping in the hollowed out arc of a real Boeing 747 engine nacelle (fine Italian satin apparently included!), I don't want her in my life. [Motoart via OhGizmo]
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By John MahoneyComment by webster32: Seems like laying on a turbine would be a little dicey. 18 Responses | Other threads
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obama toys
This Is The Worst Obama Action Figure You Will Ever See
And it's only one of several entrepreneurial efforts to make some green while people still feel HOPE. I also love the model we found of BHO's 757, a.k.a. Hope Force 1. And so does America. More »
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By John MahoneyComment by Professional_Iceberg_Hunter: Oh , no! You alerted the far left (awfully close minded) liberals! /cry What's that I hear? *Far off in the background, coming... 10 Responses | Other threads
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weapons
Boeing Laser Avenger Shoots Down Incoming Enemy for the First Time
Boeing has shot down an incoming unmanned aerial vehicle using their new Laser Avenger system, which you can see in the picture. According to Boeing's VP for Directed Energy Systems, this is crucial: More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by weatherman: "Small UAVs armed with explosives or equipped with surveillance sensors are a growing threat on the battlefield." Er, a threat to... 16 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
Obama Boards Air Force One for the First Time
Here you have President Obama boarding the Air Force One for the first time ever, with some really awesome insider footage. I love when the Commander-In-Chief meets the Presidential airplane's Commander for the first time: More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by ConfuciusMax: No offense but how is this gadget news? I mean I get that air force one is full of gadgets... 29 Responses | Other threads
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airliners
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Delayed Again
Boeing's next-gen all-composite airliner, the 787 Dreamliner, has taken another hit to its production schedule which has set the project as a whole two years behind.
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By John MahoneyComment by eddiecoaster: I wish that time/money was spent on a supersonic aircraft. I'm tired of it taking 9 hours to go from... 12 Responses | Other threads
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qotd
Would Military Budget Cuts Affect Technology Innovation?
In case you haven't noticed, the military test craze these days is amazing. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by alexmetal: How about instead of dumping money into more effectively Shanghai'ing oil, what if we were to dump that money into... 22 Responses | Other threads
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airbus
Airbus A380 Interior Too Quiet, Eliminates Precious Privacy
The last bastion of privacy on airplanes is their blanket of white noise, but that may soon vanish: Pilots are complaining that the Airbus A380 jumbo is so quiet, they can't get any rest.
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Comment by egreenwood1: am i the only one scared to see that pilots sleep on planes? 11 Responses | Other threads
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military
Boeing Airborne Laser Weapon Fires for the First Time
Boeing and the US Air Force keep advancing in their airborne high-energy laser weapon, the modified 747-400F that is designed to shoot down missiles as they fly to their targets. Last week they fired the entire laser system for the first time ever at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
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By Jesus DiazComment by GC: Call me when I can get one for my car. Instant vaporization sounds like a great punishment for cutting me... 12 Responses | Other threads
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nasa
Inside NASA's 747 Flying Telescope
Although still three years from starting actual scientific missions, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) airborne observatory is tenaciously getting closer to its first job day. After two decades of research and $500 million modding a Boeing 747—including the 2.5-meter telescope itself that you can see tested in this video—SOFIA got a High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultation two weeks ago, an instrument that will help it to measure objects' surfaces and atmospheres. Now, NASA is completing final tests at their Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility before its first open-door flight later this year. More » -
airplanes
Stratos Double-Deck Airplane May Be the Future of Aviation
The Stratos is one of those commercial planes that actually makes me think "this is how the future will look like". Rather than just being the same old basic design that has been with us forever now, the Stratos has a large 237-foot wingspan and two massive engines mounted on the back, giving it a way more stylized design than monsters like the Airbus A380. Its features, even compared to the A380, are impressive: More » -
boeing 787
Boeing 787 Gets Its Wings Snapped, For Science
In order to get certified by the FAA, every new plane must undergo wing tests to prove that it can withstand 150% of the load that it could ever be expected to encounter in flight. Engineers usually try to pass the test, and continue to stretch the wings to see just how far they can get, resulting in spectacular wing-snappings. The Boeing 787 cleared the 150% with no trouble at all, but engineers stopped short of snapping the wing. Why? Because the 787 uses revolutionary composite wings, and breakage could result in an explosion of thousands of shards material spreading around the construction hangar. After a little time and some (in all likelihood, hilarious) rationalizing, they've finally done it with a 50ft section of wing — thankfully on video. [Boeing via Reddit]
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By John HerrmanComment by Geisrud: Too bad the wings are attached to the fuselage by half a dozen 1/4" bolts that fail at 30% load. 6 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
EA-18G Fighter Jet Growls Enemy Networks Away
When I first came across this photo I thought it was a new classified starfighter being tested by the Navy and Boeing Phantom Works in a secret underground anechoic chamber in the Moon. Then I realized it had the shape of something closer to Earth: It looked like an F-18 but it is not. It's an EA-18G Growler, a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet Block II that is not designed to kill kill faster faster, but for airborne electronic attacks. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by redkamel: Sir, we've been jammed! What kind of jam? Tastes like strawberry, sir. 7 Responses | Other threads
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status report
Senate to Defense Contractors: More Insane Laser Weapons, Please
In the 2009 defense authorization bill approved last week, the US Senate called for the defense industry to get serious about bringing laser weapons like Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser system (pictured) to the battlefield. The bill allocated more funds to laser programs large and small—from green lasers used to temporarily blind individual troops called "dazzlers" to the giant ATL-like canons used to fry tanks or incoming missiles from the sky. In short: the emperor is here on visit, and he is not happy that this battle station is not yet operational. [Washington Post]
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By John MahoneyComment by Scott: When soldiers see their buddy get fried by one of these bad boys they'll be surrendering quickly. I believe... 5 Responses | Other threads
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Stealth Bombers
Next Generation Stealth Bombers Jump Out of Hyperspace
The next-generation stealth bomber from Boeing/Lockheed Martin is out. Developed by Phantom Works, the large diamond-shaped body, with long wings and razor-sharp nose, resembles a long-range B-2 Spirit bomber that has been retrofitted at Darth Vader's garage: from the front, it looks kind of evil and menacing. Unlike Northrop Grumman's proposal, which is like the stealth bomber that eats too many Snickers. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Rev. Eaton Yorke Hunt: That thing is tiny, no? 13 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
Giant Freezer Can Hold Fighter Jets, Megatron
At two million square feet, this is one of the biggest freezers in the world, capable of holding entire combat airplanes and putting them under extreme conditions. Zoom inside and you will see the effects of putting an F-4 Phantom fighter jet under the snow and freezing rain test, which simulates this kind of weather at 40,000 feet. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by OMG! Ponies!: Jesus: Have you forgotten one of the cardinal rules? We will not reference movies by Michael Bay starring the Great Beef That thing... 12 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
Jumbo Airplane Hotel Allows Mile High Club Experience on the Ground
Back in 2006, Oscar Diös heard there was a dead Boeing 747-200 built in 1976 on one of the runways at Arlanda Airport, the largest international airport in Sweden, north of Stockholm. It was once owned by a Swedish company called Transjet, who used it to fly muslim pilgrims to Mecca, as well as doing charter flights around the world until it was grounded for "organizational problems" in 2002. The noble Jumbo was in a bad state, but Oscar saw the possibilities right away. Probably after way too many glasses of akvavit that day, Diös thought he had the perfect idea: to buy the 747 and convert it into a low-cost hotel.I was getting ready to expand my hostel business in 2006 when I heard about an old wreck of an aircraft for sale at Arlanda. Since I had for a long time wanted to establish my business at Arlanda I didn’t hesitate for a second when this opportunity struck.
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By Jesus DiazComment by ab3: "lousy pot coffee" Whoa chill out its near impossible to find brewed normal (as in not Capifrapicrapichino) in some parts of... 4 Responses | Other threads
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pew pew
Star Wars Laser Weapon Battles Arrive in 2016—at the Earliest
Boeing is firing off laser weapon press releases and news at almost the speed of light these days. In June we brought you word that the company had successfully test fired its thin-disk laser, the most powerful solid-state laser ever made at 25 kilowatts (100 kilowatt theoretical maximum). This week, Boeing took the chance to brag about its $36 million contract extension for the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD). If you're unfamiliar with the HEL TD, here's the short version: more laser weapons. More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by martin0641: I think people are missing the point with these weapons. If we have a plane circling over a city,... more » | Other threads
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X-37B
Air Force to Launch Military Orbital Spaceplane
The USAF and Boeing will launch the X-37B—the first military orbital space plane if you discount the secret military shuttle—on top of an Atlas V rocket in November. They want to test its flying features in space and during atmospheric reentry. And probably its anti-matter rays and nuclear bays and hyperspace engines too (but of course, they are never going to tell you that). However, there seems to be a conflict with the civilian space program which may push one of the Moon exploration missions to 2009. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Obsidian: OMG... that's exactly the same as the Quake II Landing Pod! Here comes Bitterman! [www.youtube.com] more » | Other threads
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aircraft
Boeing JHL-40 Heavy-Lift Rotorcraft Is Massive Floating Crane
This stunning aircraft—that looks straight out of a science-fiction movie in which the Nazis won WWII—is the Boeing SkyHook JHL-40. A heavy-lift rotorcraft designed to lift 40 tons, it can transport its cargo across 200 miles without refueling in adverse environments like the Arctic. According to Boeing, it will be able to reach where no other kind of transport can go, at a fraction of the cost, with less environmental impact, and without danger to the crew. Seeing it carrying massive tree trunks makes the JHL-40 look even more impressive: More » -
boeing 787 dreamliner
Dreamliner First Power-On, All Systems Nominal
After all the problems and delays with in the 787's manufacturing, they have finally powered-on the aircraft and completed all the start up tests. In this picture you can see Boeing's test technician Dave Haskell plugging the aircraft to an external power line. The power-on of all the electrical systems in the aircraft, including the orgy room and the cockpit—which you can see up and running after the jump—is a major milestone towards the completion of the plane and its first flight later this year. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by BillEccles: @barco: I shoulda' mentioned that the starter/generators produce variable voltage, variable frequency AC when they're in generate mode, and they... more » | Other threads
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aircraft
Boeing Working on Real-Life Colonial Marines Dropship
The US Air Force wants a new cargo aircraft, a pressurized airplane capable of carrying 65,000 pounds for 1,500 nautical miles without refueling. They call it the Speed Agile Concept Demonstrator—it's supposed to travel at a minimum Mach .8 at 30,000-feet—but they may as well have called it the UD-4L Dropship, because it looks like the Colonial Marines' Cheyenne in Aliens. Boeing is going to get a mere $7.5M to work on it to get the technology ready for 2010—which doesn't mean having the airplane by then, just the pretty drawings for us to post about. [Defense Tech]
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By Jesus DiazComment by mcryder: They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goddamn walls. Let's book! aliens quotes that is!!! coming outta the walls more » | Other threads
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pew pew
Boeing Successfully Fires 25 kW Solid-State Lasers, Laser Weapons One Step Closer to Being a Reality
Boeing has just tested its new thin-disk laser, the most powerful solid-state laser ever made. It fires at over 25 kilowatts, with the scalability proven to go up to a 100 kilowatt laser in the coming years. A 100 kW laser would be the most powerful ever made, one that has a lot of challenges to overcome, including reducing the excess heat generated by such a powerful laser and maintaining the quality of the beam over distances. But even a 25 kW laser is extremely powerful. As the press release says, it "will damage, disable or destroy targets at the speed of light, with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations." Hit the jump for the full release. More »
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By Adam FrucciComment by The Sports Hernia: What a huge day for mankind. more » | Other threads
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futuremodo
The Future of Aviation Isn't Coming Soon Enough
We have mentioned the increased efficiency and lower emissions of blended wing body aircrafts before—like the X-48B, now in its prototype testing phase. Seeing two of them getting ready to take off, however, pushes the concept from the That's Pretty Cool to the Geezussrollerbladingchrist, We Want These So Badly category. Even if it's just a synthetic image, they look absolutely stunning. [Note: I heard somewhere that the reason why commercial wings didn't fly is that people don't want to fly on things without passenger windows; Trust issues and the like. - B.L.][Flight Global]
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By Jesus DiazComment by chinook11: Its New York. If you look closely you can see the Chrysler building near the front middle of the skyscraper... more » | Other threads
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boeing dreamliner
How to Equip Your Dreamliner (Including 23" Displays for First Class Seats)
Probably trying to polish its current poor image, Boeing invited Fortune Magazine to get an inside look into the Dreamliner factory, secret orgy quarters, and the showroom, in which—after spending $150 million on an empty aircraft—you have to pick the seats, including their A/V entertainment equipment (like whopping 23" LCD monitors in first class), and even the coffee maker. Head to Fortune to see the entire video and gallery. [Fortune]
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By Jesus DiazComment by http://www.punkfloydproject.com: few people really realise just how much goes into their new plane. and congrats to the Sukhoi team on their first... more » | Other threads
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hidden high mile club
Dreamliner's Secret Crew Quarters Should be Called Orgy Room
Here's one of Boeing Dreamliner's most closely guarded secrets: the Orgy Room. Boeing likes to call it "the Crew Quarters" but, come on, what images does this cozy compartment, hidden in the top of the composite fuselage bring to mind? Here's a hint: it has six tightly packed beds for flight attendants, who use them to "have siestas" when the flights are too long. What. Ever. [Fortune]
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By Jesus DiazComment by 92BuickLeSabre: "Here's where they do it." Heh. Heh Heh. Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh. 1 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
Boeing Dreamliner Turns Into Nightmareliner After New Delay
We have been following the Boeing's 787 Dreamliner for a long time. It's a beautiful aircraft, which allegedly provides with a much-better flying experience—less noise, bigger windows, more space, and better fuel efficiency—thanks to its new construction processes and technologies. However, a new delay in its LEGO-like manufacturing process shows that Boeing is having very serious difficulties with its mass production, which will put them a whooping 18 months behind their original schedule. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Posavoie: Looks like we have another Airbus A380 on our hands... more » | Other threads
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crazy
Airplane Cabin for Sale Will Make You Apartment Commander
If you are looking for a complete apartment makeover and a cheap private plane, head to eBay now because someone is selling the interior of a passenger airplane. The 19-square-foot "real Boeing aircraft model Airbus aircraft seats" includes everything but the trolley dollies: first class double seats, two fully-equipped airplane toilets, kitchenette, storage lockers, and onboard in-flight video equipment. Jump for more pics and the sellers' psychedelic "business ideas" for this contraption. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by zarchitect: @vshank: If the new method of an attack is to SERVE us to death, then yes - it can be... more » | Other threads
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By Jesus DiazComment by LOLLYJOLLY: I HOPE NORMAL PEOPLE WON'T BE TRICKED BY THIS RUSE OF HYDROGEN POWER RESEARCH. JUST BECAUSE HYDROGEN IS A MAIN... 1 Responses | Other threads
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huge
Inside the Massive Boeing Dreamlifter
This video shows the guts and construction process of the Dreamlifter. Used to transport the composite fuselage and immense wings of the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing built this beast in the USA because they couldn't find an aircraft to ferry these parts cheaply and on time through the world. Only four Dreamlifters have been made from passenger 747s, holding three times the volume of a 747 freighter. And as opposed to other cargo planes, like the Antonov, it looks so good inside that I would like to go live in there. Or set up a cocktail bar. Or both. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Crazydogggz: @alexz: The Ukraine is not weak! more » | Other threads
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skyray
X-48B Video Shows World's Biggest RC Model Plane in Action
NASA has released the first video of the remote controlled X-48B Blended Wing Body 8.5-percent scale model. At 21-foot wingspan, it is the largest surviving RC model in the world,easily crushing the previous king. For sure, Skyray 48 is not your typical RC plane, but it's the baddest, best-looking mother of them all. The video itself is cool if only to hear the pilot talking with the tower (and is it me or can you hear someone dying at the end?) More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by yougottabekidding: @deathbychichi: Were the B-24s models? No? So it doesn't count as the largest RC model. Pay attention. more » | Other threads
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uavs
Raytheon's "Killer Bee" UAV Looks to Sting Boeing in Drone Race
A fierce battle is brewing between Boeing and Raytheon to become the main supplier of unmanned aerial vehicles for the US Navy and Marine Corps. Currently, Boeing holds that title with their battle-tested ScanEagle drone. However, Raytheon's updated Killer Bee design is ready for sale, and the company claims that their aircraft has advantages over its competitor like more room for payloads, more than 100 miles of range, infrared feeds, and guide precision munitions with an on-board laser designator. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by txtanner88: @aec007: You must be one of those kids who was socially repressed growing up. I don't think Billy going... more » | Other threads
boeing
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