As you can see, the eight-engine aircraft has four vertical rotors to lift its neutrally buoyant body, plus four directional propellers under each rotor to direct it. Boeing says that it will be very popular in the energy, mining, and logging industries. Their pitch to environmentalists is that the JHL-40 has a very reduced carbon footprint, and it doesn't require to disturb remote lands with roads or other destructive transport methods (that way, the aforementioned industries will be able to properly disturb remote lands only by mining and logging, as it should be.) [Boeing]

The testing sequence lasted for a week, and was designed to "demonstrate the distribution, conversion, control and consumption of electric power on board the airplane. Completion also verifies the accuracy of the installation of systems on the first 787."

[Dreamliner in Gizmodo]

Boeing Fires New Thin-Disk Laser, Achieving Solid-State Laser Milestone

ST. LOUIS, June 03, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] fired its new thin-disk laser system repeatedly in recent tests, achieving the highest known simultaneous power, beam quality and run time for any solid-state laser to date.

In each laser firing at Boeing's facility in West Hills, Calif., the high-energy laser achieved power levels of over 25 kilowatts for multi-second durations, with a measured beam quality suitable for a tactical weapon system. The Boeing laser integrates multiple thin-disk lasers into a single system. Through these successful tests, the Boeing team has proven the concept of scalability to a 100-kilowatt-class system based on the same architecture and technology.

"Solid-state lasers will revolutionize the battlefield by giving the warfighter an ultra-precision engagement capability that can dramatically reduce collateral damage," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "These successful tests show that Boeing has made solid progress toward making this revolutionary capability a reality."

The thin-disk laser is an initiative to demonstrate that solid-state laser technologies are now ready to move out of the laboratory and into full development as weapon systems. Solid-state lasers are powered by electricity, making them highly mobile and supportable on the battlefield. The Boeing laser represents the most electrically efficient solid-state laser technology known. The system is designed to meet the rapid-fire, rapid-retargeting requirements of area-defense, anti-missile and anti-mortar tactical high-energy laser systems. It is also ideal for non-lethal, ultra-precision strike missions urgently needed by warfighters in war zones.

"This accomplishment demonstrates Boeing's commitment to advancing the state of the art in directed energy technology," said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems. "These successful tests are a significant milestone toward providing reliable and supportable lasers to U.S. warfighters."

Boeing's approach incorporates a series of commercial-off-the-shelf, state-of-the-art lasers used in the automotive industry. These industrial lasers have demonstrated exceedingly high reliability, supportability and maintainability.

A high-power solid-state laser 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.

[Boeing, Thanks, Jason!]

According to the always entertaining Richard Quest, the delays have been caused precisely by the new technologies and manufacturing strategies that Boeing is using for the 787. Mainly, the biggest problem seems to be with the carbon fiber modules being manufactured all through the world, which then have to be brought and put together at Boeing's Everett factory in Washington, using their gigantic cargo Dreamlifter.

But as Quest points out, there will have to be major changes to this process because, at the end of the day, "the reality is that they have discovered they can't do it" in this way. One of these immediate and most serious changes, will likely require a redesign of the 787's wingbox.

As a result of these troubles, Boeing has ended with "new revised schedules" and an "extraordinary embarrassment" comparable to the humiliation that EADS had as a result of the multiple delays on the Airbus A380.

The even-worse thing is that, while it's understandable that companies like Boeing and EADS may have setbacks in the construction of these giant next-generation machines, the problem doesn't end in the technological embarrassment: Boeing will have to pay compensation to the airlines who have already bought 850 Dreamliners—which is "far more than any other aircraft at this stage"—and were expecting them on time.

Nightmareliner indeed. [CNN]

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If you even before you come in a cocktail bar, you can then in a real airplane ambience in the first-class seats and swing are just out of the daily routine.

You will be doers of style stewardesses served and get in front of it flies in the holiday.

For Hawaiian (or just what you like) Music you start you to relax.

The clouds are flying only way to the windows of passing (obviously, this requires the intake of extra substances, J.) ... to realize with a Endlosposter, which has two roles held.

If you read the whole thing to make huge hits you, you have installed a hydraulic plate below and let the whole story with a little froze every half hour off and land.

The entire course will be displayed on the Angurtdisplays.

Sun offers an opportunity to all cases not so quickly, so without prejudice to!

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Needless to say, we've already placed our bid. [eBay —thanks Johannes]

Jesús Díaz: How much time has Boeing invested in this project?
Francisco Escartí: We have been working in this project for approximately five years.

JD: What's the advantage of this system against traditional engines?
FE: First, this technology only has one byproduct: water. There's no CO2 contamination of any kind. The energy efficiency of these hydrogen cells is double the efficiency of combustion engines.

JD: How does this advantage translate into commercial aviation?
FE: It's difficult to project the energy savings in big aircrafts, but in small airplanes the fuel savings will be important.

The airplane cruised for 20 minutes at 62mph using only hydrogen cells. The bad news, however, is that this technology may never reach large passenger airplanes. At least, not as a main source of power:

According to Boeing researchers, PEM fuel cell technology potentially could power small manned and unmanned air vehicles. Over the longer term, solid oxide fuel cells could be applied to secondary power-generating systems, such as auxiliary power units for large commercial airplanes.

The good news is that Boeing Research & Technology Europe in Madrid—part of Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D unit—will keep researching to see how much these cells can be pushed for commercial aviation. A sign that aircraft companies are working to make their planes more efficient because airlines are fighting in prices and, therefore, they need cheaper flights. The objective of Boeing and other companies is to get more efficient planes that use cheaper energy sources.

Meanwhile, while we wait for the hydrogen fuel cells to arrive, we can only hope that International Air Transport Association makes Spanish wine and Iberian ham a requirement for all classes in all airlines worldwide.

Boeing Successfully Flies Fuel Cell-Powered Airplane

MADRID, Spain, April 03, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it has, for the first time in aviation history, flown a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

The recent milestone is the work of an engineering team at Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) in Madrid, with assistance from industry partners in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"Boeing is actively working to develop new technologies for environmentally progressive aerospace products," said Francisco Escarti, BR&TE's managing director. "We are proud of our pioneering work during the past five years on the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane project. It is a tangible example of how we are exploring future leaps in environmental performance, as well as a credit to the talents and innovative spirit of our team."

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen directly into electricity and heat with none of the products of combustion such as carbon dioxide. Other than heat, water is its only exhaust.
A two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 16.3 meter (53.5 foot) wingspan was used as the airframe. Built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, it was modified by BR&TE to include a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller.

Three test flights took place in February and March at the airfield in Ocaña, south of Madrid, operated by the Spanish company SENASA.

During the flights, the pilot of the experimental airplane climbed to an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level using a combination of battery power and power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Then, after reaching the cruise altitude and disconnecting the batteries, the pilot flew straight and level at a cruising speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) for approximately 20 minutes on power solely generated by the fuel cells.

According to Boeing researchers, PEM fuel cell technology potentially could power small manned and unmanned air vehicles. Over the longer term, solid oxide fuel cells could be applied to secondary power-generating systems, such as auxiliary power units for large commercial airplanes. Boeing does not envision that fuel cells will ever provide primary power for large passenger airplanes, but the company will continue to investigate their potential, as well as other sustainable alternative fuel and energy sources that improve environmental performance.

BR&TE, part of the Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D unit, has worked closely with Boeing Commercial Airplanes and a network of partners since 2003 to design, assemble and fly the experimental craft.

The group of companies, universities and institutions participating in this project includes:
Austria — Diamond Aircraft Industries
France — SAFT France
Germany — Gore and MT Propeller
Spain — Adventia, Aerlyper, Air Liquide Spain, Indra, Ingeniería de Instrumentación y Control (IIC), Inventia, SENASA, Swagelok, Técnicas Aeronauticas de Madrid (TAM), Tecnobit, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the Regional Government of Madrid
United Kingdom — Intelligent Energy
United States — UQM Technologies.

Boeing Dreamlifter Spec sheet

• Range: Dependent on payload but comparable to other members of the 747 family of aircraft.
• Wing Span: 211.5 feet (64.44 meters)
• Length: 235 feet, 2 inches (71.68 meters)
• Height (fin tip): 70 feet, 8 inches (21.54 meters)
• Swing Tail Cargo Door:Hinge on aft section of the fuselage
• Cruise Speed:Mach 0.82
• Cargo Capacity:65,000 cubic feet
• Maximum Takeoff Weight:803,000 lbs

[Boeing]

The 10-minute video documents the perfect flight of Skyray 48, the Boeing-NASA prototype of what could be the future of commercial aviation. Thanks to its design, designs derived from the X-48B will have less power consumption and less emissions, while increasing carrying capacity and speed compared with current cargo and passenger aircraft.

The plane took off last year from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, in California, controlled from the ground by Boeing pilot Norm Howell. [NASA]

It sounds impressive, but with Boeing's ScanEagle having already proven itself, it won't be an easy sell. But if it ever came down to aesthetics, the Killer Bee would win hands down. It looks menacing, like some sort of underwater predator. A decision on the matter should be ready by June or July of this year with a rollout planned for 2001. [Popular Mechanics]

French space scientist P. Molette said, in his 1984 article on fractionated spacecrafts, that they may lead us to more flexible and robust satellites systems.

In his paper, Molette concluded that even while fractionated spacecraft will have overall higher mass and cost than traditional satellites, these penalties will be outweighed by the advantages of having modules mass-produced and launched into space, which would introduce the same economies of scale and efficiency that PC clusters have over supercomputers.

Boeing Advance Systems will put the concept into practice, under DARPA System F6 program:

Boeing Among Industry Teams Selected to Design New DARPA Space System ST. LOUIS, March 04, 2008 — A team led by Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to demonstrate initial technologies for a new spacecraft system architecture concept.

A $12,891,049 cost-plus-fixed-fee, 12-month Phase 1 contract was awarded to Boeing Advanced Systems to research, design, develop and test DARPA's Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft United by Information Exchange (System F6) space technology and demonstration program.
The DARPA System F6 is based on a concept whereby a group of spacecraft operate together wirelessly as a single unit to enable flexible data sharing and distributed processing that will allow cooperative communications among the spacecraft. This concept of multiple spacecraft operating together to perform a mission similar to that of a single larger spacecraft is known as "fractionation."
"We believe the fractionation spacecraft concept proposed by our team can be a game-changer that could provide the high degree of flexibility needed for responsive space missions," said Bob Friend, director for Boeing Operationally Responsive Space.

The objective of the DARPA System F6 is to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of a satellite architecture wherein the functionality of a single spacecraft is replaced by a cluster of wirelessly interconnected spacecraft that could perform a wider variety of tasks than single systems. Along with potential increases in flexibility, this technology also may reduce overall program costs.
The team led by Boeing Advanced Network and Space Systems, Huntington Beach, Calif., includes L-3 Communications Interstate Electronics, Anaheim, Calif.; Millennium Space Systems, Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Octant Technologies, San Jose, Calif.; and Science Applications International Corp., Torrance, Calif.

Expected for completion by Feb. 20, 2009, Phase 1 will culminate in an F6 Preliminary Design Review that evaluates each industry team's concept.

There you have it: phase 1 completed on February 20 2009, less than one year for actual nuclear holocaust or cheaper, more efficient sats. [Boeing and Wikipedia]

The VIP passengers in the 365-seat just-out-of-the-factory plane, including Cathay Pacific's chairman Chris Prat, "were said to be stunned into silence while onlookers cheered the astonishing fly-by," according to the Daily Telegraph. Captain Wilkinson's 777 maiden flight back to Hong Kong was at first cheered with champagne and nobody said anything until the video started to circulate on the web and the Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Authority saw it.

According to a company spokesman "the pilot in command of the flight was dismissed as he had neither sought nor obtained the necessary company approval to undertake such a fly-by." It seems reasonable, even while Wilkinson's flight looks like a kids' game compared to the amazing flyby of this Airbus A310 at the Evora 2007 Air Show. [Daily Telegraph —video by Bahneman]

Looking at this video it seems that the F-15s are quite formidable machines, even while the USAF investigation is pointing at Boeing's responsibility for a "faulty manufacturing process" that led to the failure of the long structural beams (longerons) that keep the fuselage together.

"The accident investigation board president (Wignall) found, by clear and convincing evidence, the cause of this accident was a failure of the upper right longeron, a critical support structure in the F-15C aircraft," the report says.

About 20 minutes after takeoff from an airfield near St. Louis on Nov. 2, the forward fuselage of Maj. Stephen Stilwell's $42 million F-15C Eagle shook violently and then broke apart 18,000 feet above the ground. Stilwell, his left shoulder dislocated and his left arm shattered, barely had time to safely eject as pieces of his aircraft tumbled from the sky over the Missouri countryside.

More troubling, however, are the results of a parallel examination finding as many as 163 of the workhorse aircraft also have flawed support beams, or longerons. The aircraft remain grounded as the Air Force continues to search for how serious the problem is and whether extensive, costly repairs are needed. Another 19 of the aircraft have yet to be inspected and also remain grounded.

Nearly 260 of the A through D model F-15s, first fielded in the mid-1970s, were returned to flight status Tuesday following fleet-wide inspections.

[Defense Tech and Military.com]

The concept racked up the expenses, to date it has had $6 million spent on bringing it to fruition; an expense which the developers, Boeing, are now viewing as a great waste. The project began in the 1980s, has had sixty investors and the production plant produced only three concept aircrafts before the facility was closed down for unknown reasons. The entire works, however, are all present in the one prototype that is now for sale, which escaped destruction as it was not based at the main plant when everything was systematically destroyed.

If you have a few million dollars lying spare, why not get yourself in on some vertical flight and landing action? Here is hoping the purchaser keeps the development going. After all, what do we have to look forward to in our meaningless lives if we cannot pin our hopes on living life like the Jetsons? [eBay via Boing Boing]

The boffins at Boeing have tricked out an awesome C-130H, which now has the necessary equipment for tearing up any ground belonging to the bad guys. The modification required a laser module weighing in at 12,000 pounds. The new subsystem will be complemented by the older missile interceptor, which will be used in reverse to guide the destructive laser beam to enemy ground targets. We can only hope the point of laser impact is followed by a Death Star-esque explosion. Thankfully, we shall not have too long to wait to find out, as Boeing's Christmas present this year will be the promise of a demonstration in 2008. Granted, it does miss the usual deadline for Christmas, but as we do not usually receive gifts from Boeing, we will sit pretty in wait. If Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) team could figure out a way to fit the new 12,000-pound laser cannon into a handheld device, fashioned like a lightsaber, with the essential sound bites on activation, well, that would be Christmas '08 sorted...it might happen. [Defensetech]

In the TV report aired on HDNet Tuesday, Rather said that an aluminum body is safer than a carbon fiber airframe because it's not brittle, won't shatter on impact and doesn't emit poisonous chemicals when it's burning. Rowe counters that by pointing out the plethora of toxic fumes to worry about if a plane crashes no matter what its airframe is made of, and then astutely points out that military aircraft, race cars, train cars and sports cars have been constructed of carbon composite for years and have been subjected to horrific forces that in some cases show carbon fiber holding up even better than aluminum.

Rowe also got in touch with Cirrus Design which has been building aircraft out of composite materials for years, and that company's experts add that in some cases composites have better energy absorption in an impact than aluminum.

Rowe has now updated his post with even more experts chiming in to agree that Rather's assertions weren't worth the HD they were broadcast on. It's a great read that gets right at the truth. [Wired]

Known as the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) Phase I contract, the aim is to prove that a mobile, solid-state laser weapon system can vaporize incoming enemy fire. And, I hope, do a discreet bit of depilation on any soldiers who dare to be too hairy.

The aeronautics company is already at the vanguard of using laser technology for warfare, thanks to systems such as its Airborne Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser and the Tactical Relay Mirror System. But the VP and general manager of Boeing's Missile Defense Systems thinks that HEL TD could be the future of fighting. "We believe this is the next step for developing a weapon system that can change the face of the battlefield," he claims.

[Boeing Press Release via The Register]

Representatives of All Nippon Airways eagerly anticipate the May 2008 date when the company begins accepting delivery on its fifty 787 Dreamliners ordered from Boeing, boasting that the fancy-schmancy toilets will "refresh the parts other airlines cannot reach." These washlet devices are commonplace in Japan, and are starting to make inroads Stateside. We can only hope that someday we Americans might catch up in the cleanliness department, joining the scrubbed ranks of the squeaky clean-assed Japanese.

Japan's New Toilets Wash, Dry... and Fly! [Inventor Spot]

This stunning flying cyber-insect measures 35 feet long with a 36-foot rotor diameter. When fully operative, the A160T (T is for Turbine) will reach a 25,000 to 30,000 ft. ceiling, although it will hover at 15,000 ft. for reconnaissance and target acquisition missions. – Jesus Diaz

Press Release [Boeing]

Apparently, the test has been a complete success, according to Charlie Brink, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory X-51A program manager: "It marks the first time that a scramjet engine was tested in its simulated 'full flight' propulsion configuration—the Boeing-designed full vehicle fore-body inlet and nozzle."

The X-51A is a concept plane that will demonstrate the scalability of scramjets, engines that achieve speeds similar to rockets but that use air from the atmosphere to burn fuel. In this kind of plane, the engine becomes part of the body of the plane itself (or vice versa). The X-51A will reach Mach 6.5 thanks to new concepts introduced in its design, high temperature materials and airframe/engine integration.

In other words: screw the Mach 5 from Speed Racer. I want one of these. – Jesus Diaz

Successful Design Review and Engine Test Bring Boeing X-51A Closer to Flight [Boeing]

While the ink on Joseph Lau's order of a $153 million Dreamliner VIP is still wet, an anonymous billionaire has just reserved a gigantastic Airbus A380 for his private use. The eight-story-tall airplane will be converted into a luxurious flying mansion that will include everything you can imagine, even the obligatory whirlpool bathtub for romantic sessions with half a dozen Playboy bunnies. The secret buyer will have to pay $475 million if it ever gets delivered, as it's currently number 157 in line to get the two-year delayed winged pachyderm, and all I can ask is...

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled Web browser.

– Jesus Diaz

Billion Air: How Much Would You Pay for a Flying House? [Wired]

While I really don't mind Chantal picking on my carrot cake, I would certainly prefer to have Lau's battalion of sexy cyborg ninjas resting on king-size waterbeds, having swan-feather pillow battles all over the place or taking a hot bubbly bath in a full-size english tub. Or something like that. Lau's VIP Dreamliner, just the 7th to be ordered in the world, costs $153 million at today's list price.

And if you prefer to have even more space, you can order a 747 VIP to enjoy its 4,786 square-meter cabin.

These new interiors, which include a new SkyLoft area, were presented yesterday in Geneva, at the European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition. – Jesus Diaz

Product page [Boeing Business Jets]

Boeing has started building their new flagship: the 787 Dreamliner. The cool thing about the 787 is that it only requires them to put together six big composite parts to build the final airframe, and operators don't have to use huge tools and overhead cranes: All the parts can be slid along on the construction floor and put together like giant LEGO pieces. Check the gallery for pictures of the delivery and assembly of the sections and hit the jump for more details.

The six huge finished parts, the forward, center and aft fuselage sections, the wings, the horizontal stabilizer and the vertical fin, are going to be carried in their huge Dreamlifter from factories in Japan, Italy, South Carolina and Kansas. The Boeing Dreamlifter, as you can see in the gallery, is one of the largest cargo planes in the world.

According to Boeing, they will complete their first 787 in July 8, 2007 while everyone at Airbus is still scratching his head wondering what the heck happened with their ill-fated and permanently delayed world's largest-flying gadget. The 787 is the "fastest-selling airplane in aviation history," and even while I'm European, I'm happy to see it rolling out the factory for two reasons: one, because I like great airplanes and two, because those Eurocrats at Airbus needed a kick up the butt. – Jesus Diaz

Despite its midget Johnny 5 looks, the bot will have a video camera and infrared sensors, which along with its toughened shell, will allow its operator to guide it through rugged terrain. It's expected to be ready for use next year. – Louis Ramirez

Press Release [via Gearfuse]

In it, you've got a bar, many couches, beds, meeting rooms, stairs, some more couches, and even a place to house your BMW for when you get off. This is the way Bond would fly. If he could blow $15 million of his government's money on a poker game, he can afford a fancy plane. – Jason Chen

BMW presents Bond-style 787 cabin concept for Russian tycoon [Flightglobal]

Those Top Gear guys are always good for a laugh and a thrill, and we especially like Richard Hammond's mild oaths such as "blimey!" and "crikey!" – Charlie White

What happens if you drive behind a 747? [Spluch]

Radical New Boeing Aircraft Takes Flight [Business 2.0 via FayerWayer]

Boeing ends Dreamliner wireless network [Reuters]

Touareg V10 TDI tows a 747 [Autoblog]

The Boeing 747, workhorse of the jumbo jet fleet since 1968, has undergone a radical redesign from Boeing, giving it these odd-looking bowed wings that add to its aerodynamic efficiency. The updated plane is dubbed the 747-8, represented here in these 3D renderings from Boeing.

The upturned wings resemble those of Boeing's upcoming 787 Dreamliner, a super-efficient design that's been exceeding the company's sales expectations thus far. The 747-8's new wings, along with quieter and cleaner-running jet engines, make it more environmentally friendly because it will burn a lot less fuel, with a corresponding reduction in exhaust. Expect the first freighter versions of this plane to be rolled out in 2009, with passenger versions to follow. – Charlie White

Boeing 747-8 makes the skies a bit more friendly [Sci Fi Tech]