Gizmodo: flying saucer

Micro 4-Channel R/C Flying Saucer Features Accelerometer For Supreme Control

Sean Fallon — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:30:00 EDT

Not long after releasing their super-cheap 3-channel Black Stealth chopper, ThinkGeek is delivering a Micro 4-channel flying saucer with a built-in solid state accelerometer for control. Even if you have poor eyesight and fat, clumsy hands you can always switch on the "EZ button" backup that prevents maneuvers that may send the saucer out of control. A 20 minute charge will get you about 5-7 minutes of flight time, so the whole package seems pretty decent for $100. [ThinkGeek via DVICE]

Real Flying Saucer Takes to the Air

Charlie White — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:20:00 EDT

Discover is reporting on researchers at GFS Projects in England, who have now created an unmanned flying saucer, or depending on your point of view, an unmanned flying lawnmower without wheels or a handle. For now, it's a way-cool radio controlled aircraft, but maybe someday a real flying saucer could result from this experiment.

This soaring hubcap has a problem with fuel efficiency, though, say the tinkering flyboys. It starts running out of battery power quickly because of all the air it needs to push to stay aloft. Back to the old drawing board?

To hell with pushing air like some kind of reverse upside-down vacuum cleaner—we want an antigravity flying saucer. Until then, this craft, like helicopters albeit to a lesser extent, is a collection of lawnmower parts flying in close formation. [Discovery, via Spluch]

Green Airways Flying Saucer Plane Design

Jason Chen — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:30:30 EDT

Is this green flying saucer plane the eco-friendly plane of the future? It's a design from the CleanEra project, aimed at making air travel more economical (in the environmental sense) by using lighter materials and weird ass shapes. Their goal is to get the carbon usage down to less than 50% of current planes. Whether this is light on the Earth is yet to be seen, it looks like something the Green Lantern would fly in. [LiveScience]