Gizmodo
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flying
Obama Is Not Too Excited About His Expensive New Helicopter
While Lockheed Martin's VH-71, the new Presidential chopper, is the latest greatest thing floating on five blades, Obama couldn't be less enthusiastic, according to a recent Q&A: More »
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213
By Mark WilsonComment by FiddlingWhileJimRomeBurns: IIRC it's not even American designed/made...I think it's actually European. No offense to the Euros that read Gizmodo, but how... 61 Responses | Other threads
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flying
Pilots Don't Turn Their Phones Off in the Air Either
It's a general assumption that having your phone on in an airplane is no bigs, but we turn them off anyways. Apparently, pilots aren't following their own rules and are getting in trouble for it. More » -
in-flight wi-fi
Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Wi-Fi Free While In Beta
Southwest this week began testing their own in-flight wi-fi service, based on a satellite connection from Row 44. It's on one plane now with more coming soon, and right now, it's free. More »
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By John MahoneyComment by LavaTea: I can't believe no one made a comment on the all of the men in the picture... and they are... 8 Responses | Other threads
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jetpacks
Water-Powered JetLev Jetpack Would Be the Most Godly Firefighting Tool Ever
You know how some jerk in a water gun fight always cheats by grabbing the hose? Well, this pilot could totally beat that guy at his own game. More » -
space
Insane UI: High Res Space Shuttle Cockpit Control Photo
Next time you're about to complain about a gadget UI, think about trying to handle an in flight situation at the controls of the space shuttle. [NASA via BoingBoing Gadgets]
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By Brian LamComment by BeautifulAgony: Most men have enough trouble just trying to find one very important "button"... 19 Responses | Other threads
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cellphones on planes
British Airways to Launch Text- and Data-Only Cellphone Usage on London-NYC Flights
Hey, this makes sense. No one wants to hear (or pay for) in-flight voice calls, and since only grandpa uses the voice feature of his phone these days, why not simply allow data plan usage? More » -
inflight wi-fi
United Airlines Wi-Fi to Cost $13 Later This Year
United has announced more details regarding their long-planned inflight internet services. Coming in the second half of this year, Wi-Fi will cost customers $13 per flight. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by verythrax: Why charge for it? People can access wifi almost everywhere, and plane tickets aren't exactly cheap. How about giving it for... 5 Responses | Other threads
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ears
Ear Pressure Equalizer Sucks On Your Eardrum to Un-Pop It in Planes
Now that's a headline you won't see often, and yet that's exactly what this gizmo does. You pop it in your ear, and squeeze it to create negative pressure outside your eardrum, thus compensating for the sometimes painful inward-flex caused as the aircraft you're flying in descends from altitude. Or you climb back down a mountain. There is a safety vent, so nothing should go bang (ouch!)... as befits a device developed by a professor from the Tinnitus Research and Balance Clinic in Melbourne Australia. Still, since it costs a surprising $60, I'll be sticking with my Eustachian tubes, thankyouverymuch. [OhGizmo]
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By Kit EatonComment by Ike_Skelton: I can do this on my own naturally, without some contraption that will probably damage my ears. 3 Responses | Other threads
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flying
Qantas Now Pretty Sure That Your iPod Didn't Almost Crash Their Plane
Early last week a Qantas Airlines Airbus A330 surprised (and injured) its passengers with an inexplicable 300ft climb, followed by an even larger drop. Initial reports seemed to place blame on interference from personal electronics — something that Qantas had claimed before. After the news made the rounds the situation became muddied, with Qantas claiming that the initial news reporting misrepresented their claims and reporters backing away from the story. In any case, rest easy, Australian in-flight gadgeteers — it wasn't your fault. More » -
flying
Qantas Looking To Blame A330's Sudden Drop in Altitude On Passengers' Gadgets?
Earlier this week, a Qantas A330 inexplicably climbed 300 feet and then suddenly nose-dived back down. In the cabin, 71 people were injured. Interestingly, the ATSB is now looking at in-cabin interference from personal electronics as a possible cause of the "irregularity with the aircraft's elevator control system." Wait, what? Really? More » -
flying
Europe's Ryanair to Push Passengers One Step Closer to the Edge with In-Flight Cellphone Service
If you're flying one of Europe's many discount carriers and you're not violently hungover, you're probably doing something wrong—the cabins of those single-class A319s are bubbling tempests of unshowered, throbbing rage that always seem a fraction of a degree away from boiling over. Now on your sunrise flight from Krakow to Berlin, you can enjoy constant cellphone blabbing from up to six surrounding seats thanks to the good folks at Ryanair, 3, and O2. More » -
helicopters
Indoor R-C Helicopters Go DIY, Use Spare Electronics Parts
Forget the Picoo Z's, no matter how much fun they are they can't be as cool as making and flying your own indoor remote-control 'copter. And over at this site there's a set of instructions that'll help you DIY, assuming you have some spare CD drive motors and servos lying around, and are happy with soldering and detailed rotor-carving. The instructions even say how to add a wireless cam beneath the fuselage... useful for, um, imaging the precise moment you crash it into your cat? I suspect more nefarious purposes. Still, it's a full cyclic-control aircraft, so it should be extremely flyable. [Heliproject via Hacknmod]
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By Kit EatonComment by impliedsurprise: This is a great idea.....for people that have these types of skills....which I lack. Assuming I just buy the rotors... 5 Responses | Other threads
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cyclic control micro helicopter
New Micro-Helicopter First With Proper Cyclic Controls, Says Japanese Maker
Though Pico Z toy helicopters and their ilk are fun, they're bloody difficult to control (even the Tandem Z version) since they lack the control sophistication of bigger models. But Kyosho is trying to sort that out with its upcoming "Minium AD Caliber 120 Readyset" micro-helicopter model, which has a proper cyclic control—the world's first in a micro-copter, Kyosho says. It's similar to that used to steer the blades of a real helicopter, and means you should be able to accurately hover, reverse and do banking turns. And crash. The 30-gram, 4.7-inch model is a $240 kit though, so you won't really want to do that often. Out in September, in Japan. [CrunchGear] -
birds eye view
Tailcam Video Shows Awesome Plane's-Eye-View of A380 in Flight
This video is a feed from the Tailcam in an A380 as the aircraft takes-off. The cam feed can be shown on the seat-back displays and gives you an almost Superman-like view of the aircraft from 79-feet up at the top of the tail. It's pretty amazing watching the behemoth aircraft surge slowly down the runway and into the air... and there's another vid, showing it landing in to SFO as part of the recent Emirates tour. More »
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By Kit EatonComment by adamgetsawesome: Weird... They had the same setup on an Iberia flight i was on last year but it was on the... more » | Other threads
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showers
Photos Emerge of Emirates A380 Showers: Tiny, But Luxurious
See that happy-looking lady in the pic? She's standing in an Emirates A380 in-flight shower room, details of which have emerged after we first alerted you to this airborne luxury. The "shower spas" are pretty decently kitted-out, and the aircraft carries an extra 1,100-pounds of water to allow every one of the 14 first-class passengers to have a splash. As a result, the shower only runs for five minutes, and there's a traffic-light system to let you know how the time's going. And if you're planning on trying to form a new "mile-high, in the shower" club, you'd better forget it: the showers are small, "designed for single usage." More »
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By Kit EatonComment by AdineDolius: What does it matter what they wear, I have flown with Emirates, Singapore, Virgin, Thai, Pacific Blue for the last... more » | Other threads
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glider
Orlens Glider Concept is Green, Recyclable Air Transport of the Future
This concept glider, dubbed Orlens, is attention-grabbing through its rather beautiful shape alone. But when you look into how it would work, you can see that designer Roland Cernat has put a lot of thought into its greenness. It would be made of entirely recycled materials, and be recyclable itself, would have photovoltaic cells atop the wings for energy for eco-friendly propulsion and have an aerodynamically-efficient body. The body too would be made from a flax-based bio-compound that would be CO2 neutral. It's pretty much what green personal air-transport of the future should look like, which is why it's just won Roland the Lucky Strike Junior Designer Competition. Impressive, and I'd love to take it up and give it a spin, were it not just a concept. [Inhabitat] -
tiltrotor
Buy Your Own V22, Kinda: Bell 609 Civilian Tiltrotor Gets Rolled-Out
Forget the improbable promises of the Falx tiltrotor: Bell aircraft has rolled out its 609 civilian tiltrotor for real. Looking and flying like a smaller cousin of the military V22 Osprey, also a Bell vehicle, the 609 will undoubtedly please millionaire business people since it can perform all the rooftop-landing duties of a normal helicopter, but flies twice as fast and can fly 9 passengers up to 25,000 feet altitude. Plus, it'd be undeniably cooler to turn up at your meetings in something that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi flick versus something that reminds people of Magnum, PI. More »
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By Kit EatonComment by SoniaCachai: http://www.cartercop This is a much better Idea than a tilt rotor for transition to high speed flight. ... more » | Other threads
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ufo
Artist Treats Gdansk to "Real" Fake Flashing UFO Encounter
Dominic Harris of Cinimod Studio, who recently brought you the hypnotizing Illuminating Table, has just produced a new artwork that's even more startling. Particularly startling if you were walking the streets of Gdansk last Friday with a bit too much goldwasser swirling inside you: it's a huge, flashing, LED-lit UFO. And it flies. Ok... it's slung 160 feet beneath a Mil Mi2 helicopter, but that doesn't detract from a clever piece of flying art. Check out the video below the gallery to see it in action. Updated. More » -
Balloon Man
Second Balloon Man Uses GPS, Kool-Aid To Go Where No Brazilian Priest Has Gone Before
Oregon resident Kent Couch finished what our friend the priest could unfortunately not: he got into a lawn chair rigged with huge party balloons, and floated his way to Idaho. More » -
rip
Sad Ending: Flying Priest Found Dead in the Atlantic, God Positioning System Still Missing
Father de Carli, the flying priest who got lost last April, has been found dead in the middle of the Atlantic. In an effort to raise funds for a local charity organization, De Carli planned to stay for more than 19 hours up in the air using a thousand party balloons, taking a GPS with him to communicate his position in case of emergency. Unfortunately for the generous man, the trip ended in disaster. More » -
drone
Research UAV is Preview of Hovering Spy Drones of Tomorrow
Meet STARMAC, the Stanford Testbed of Autonomous Rotorcraft for Multi-Agent Control. Possibly the cleverest remote control mini-helicopter you've ever seen, packed with GPS, sensors and computer power. It's a research quad-rotor that the Stanford team is using to develop algorithms for future aircraft like it. More » -
fairies
Disney RC Tinkerbell Ornithopter Redefines the Term "Flying Fairy"
This Disney RC Tinker Bell is one seriously sweet flying fairy. As you see in the video, it's using WowWee's FlyTech ornithopter-type vertical flying system to flutter, glide and dive around this Waldorf-Astoria suite. It'll be out in the fall for $40. [Disney] -
biofuel
Air New Zealand to Power a 747 with Weed
OK, OK, so the weed in question is actually the jatropha plant, a weed indigenous to India and Africa. But still! Air New Zealand is planning to fill one of the four engines of a 747 with the weed and the remaining three engines with normal jet fuel to test the potential of using jatropha as a biofuel. More »
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By Adam FrucciComment by aec007: @Karinabob:Nope, just happen to read it in Scientific American Magazine a few months back."Jatropha" ringed a bell and it clicked... more » | Other threads
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one-man helicopter
Japanese Make World's Smallest One-Man Helicopter (Can Fit Three Tom Cruises, Two Brian Lams)
A Japanese company called Gen Corporation has created what people are calling the world's smallest one-man helicopter, capable of flying 50km/h and weighs (by itself) 75kg. As you can see from the photo, it's probably the world's most dangerous helicopter too, as the man has barely any piping to stand on and barely any seat to sit on. Then again, if GTA4 has taught us anything, using a helicopter is the easiest and fastest way to travel, and is useful for locating pigeons and flying under bridges for achievements. [Telegraph]
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By Jason ChenComment by jackfrost132 is disruntled enough to stab an air: This is what you get when you complete the audit, so you may fly away from Xenu. more » | Other threads
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southwest
Southwest Laptop Seating Areas Get USB Ports!
Reader Daniel emails in with this nice find at the Southwest terminal at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. USB power ports! Charge your phones! Charge your USB junk! Shove in a USB humping dog! Either way, it's a nice gesture by Southwest. [Thanks Daniel!]
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By Jason ChenComment by keyser is a reble: @config6: thats what i have too...dual core with 2g ram and 80g hdd.runs vista ultimate like a champ. i upgraded myself... more » | Other threads
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flying
Aircell Gets Two Key Approvals from FAA, Paves Way for In-Flight Broadband
Aircell, a company setting up a broadband network for use while flying, just received two critical FAA approvals that clears the way for the rollout of in-flight broadband in the near future. The first approval allows Aircell to run its network on commercially operating Boeing 767-200 planes, while the second authorizes the company to manufacture aircraft parts in its Bensenville, IL plant. Both are pretty important, clearly, so it's good to see that we're heading in the right direction towards you beautiful people being able to leave comments on Giz from 30,000 feet. [Aircell via SlipperyBrick] -
toys
Z-Flyer Hand Command Robot Lets You Play With Your Hand, Negates Guilt
Here's an interesting take on RC flying bots; the Z-Flyer Hand Command Robot hovers right above the palm of your hand, wherever that maybe, you dirty devil. The astronaut shuns a conventional remote control, instead relying on your very own hand; how well it will work is questionable, but it is certainly a cool idea. Hell, for £24.95 ($50) we're willing to bite. If the innovative control system didn't have us sold, the flashing green LEDs should do it for sure. The Z-Flyer will give seven minutes of flying time on a ten minute charge, and it docks into the central space station to get the juice levels up—how cute. [Gadgets.co.uk via NerdApproved]
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By Haroon MalikComment by Gary_7vn: @Computer_Chef: Good ideas! Kaizen is the name of the game! Don't forget the auto-destruct mechanism...LOL more » | Other threads
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flying vehicles
Sky Commuter Aircraft Prototype Flies High, Shatters Dreams
A prototype flying car, dubbed Sky Commuter Aircraft, has been listed for sale on eBay. The vehicle, which has an electric gas assisted lexan bubble canopy, electric controlled directional driving and landing lights, electric joystick, dual foot pedals for double pilot based controls and an advanced Carbonfiber and Kevlar front dash shell, marks the potential end to the oft visited, flying automobile dreams. More »
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By Haroon MalikComment by Vagabum: @irfan: We would all be a hell of a lot better off if there were significantly more thorough safety and intelligence... more » | Other threads
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all giz wants: compact flying solutions
All Giz Wants: A Jetpack That Costs $200
We don't ask for much here at Gizmodo, but what we really, really want is a jetpack that costs $200. Sure, we have brought you the deal with jetpacks before, but we want something that lasts longer than two minutes, (so do our girlfriends). Also, we would not mind a Jetsons-type transportation mode that costs less than $200,000; to be exact, a $200 price point would be ideal. So, what would we do with our stratosphere explorers? More »
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By Haroon MalikComment by Jetlev1: I would agree with DCARTIST. Malfunctions, running out of fuel, and collisions will be inevitable. No company can commercialize a... more » | Other threads
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flying
Helicopter for One Can Be Folded Up, Carried By One Person
This wee helicopter is the Ka-56 "Wasp," a flying vehicle for one that can be folded down and carried by just one person. Designed and created in Soviet Russia in 1971, it doesn't seem to have really gotten beyond the prototype stage. I'm assuming that's because it's horribly dangerous, but it could be for any number of reasons. Guesses, dear commenters? Oh, and the first person to make a "In Soviet Russia, helicopter flies you!" joke gets banned as a Christmas present to me. More »
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By Adam FrucciComment by cad3: @DirkusMaximus: Rather: In Soviet Russia, Comments Ban You! In Capitalist America, Gizmodo Ban You! Still... I want one! But I want to... more » | Other threads
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we need backup
Sputtering Network Card Strands 17,000 People at LAX
Just to remind you how thin the thread is upon which we hang every day, consider that one faulty network interface card stranded 17,000 people for nine hours last weekend at Los Angeles International Airport. According to government officials in charge of the infrastructure at the airport, a network card inside one computer experienced "a partial failure that started at about 12:50 p.m. Saturday," and then the house of cards that is the LAX Airport computer network came crashing down, stranding a gigantic crowd of people for the better part of a day. More » -
flying
Virgin America's In-Flight Ethernet, USB, 110v Power and Doom
Artur Bergman of Six Apart and O'Reilly got a tour of the new Virgin America planes and found some some amazing geek amenities. Every seat includes 110 volt AC current, ethernet, USB ports for charging iPods and phones, but will also accept a QWERTY for the linux-based, thin client, in flight entertainment system. And, it has Doom. But I'm not sure if it has Internet. More » -
green
Green Airways Flying Saucer Plane Design
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] -
gadgets
In This Week's Episode of Lame Airplane Seat Innovations...
...we find our heroes cramped in their seats even more thanks to this extremely awkward "Freedom" concept. The so-called freedom concept would allow planes to add another row of seats thanks to reversed seating arrangements. The reversed seats would reduce needed width by overlapping shoulders. The only way I would consider something like this is if the price of the ticket were, say, half of what it would normally go for with regular seating. I can't wait for the day that airplanes eliminate seating altogether and just do standing room, you know, like the subway. More »
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Comment by tcabeen: I'm with you Diem. But I'm also with schrosa... "smooching gets easier..." but, then, "Seriously, forget about sleeping across the seats when... more » | Other threads
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gadgets
World's Largest Gadget, Airbus A380, Completes U.S. Maiden Voyage, 747 Pwned
The monstrous double-decker Airbus A380 made its maiden voyage to the United States yesterday, landing at New York's JFK airport, and a few minutes later, another one landed at Los Angeles's LAX. While these were not the first flights of the world's largest passenger airplane—that happened in April of 2005—it is the first time the plane has flown to the United States. More »
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Comment by bbfreak: ctskydiver says: Yeah, like lots of unskilled pilots will get jobs flying that thing. Moron. Flying is the safest... more » | Other threads
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gadgets
Fly By Wire: 25 Minutes of Screaming Terror
Just look at that picture! Fly By Wire has to be the new winner in the "most fun you can have with your clothes on" department. Imagine strapping yourself into a streamlined hyper-fan rocket that's suspended from high-tension wire strung between two mountain peaks in New Zealand. More »
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Comment by Compact: Guess who's in Christchurch at the moment and heading down to Queenstown in a few weeks time for some Bungee,... more » | Other threads
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wireless
Free Airport Wi-fi List
It's amazing to me when an airport doesn't have free wi-fi. I know it's another way to make money, but in an industry that goes bankrupt every few years anyway, why not give fliers golden EVDO cards upon entering a carrier's terminal? More » -
gadgets
Flying Cars: Forget It
We're suckers for flying cars around here. I mean, just look at that picture above. It is so cool. Who wouldn't want to fly above the daily traffic jam, pulling back on the steering wheel and rotating above the fray? More » -
gadgets
Flight-Approved Zippo Container
It's happened to the best of us. You pack away your limited edition Van Halen 1991 Tour Zippo in your checked baggage for a flight and arrive at your destination to find it missing. Those airline security scum stole it for their own collection and used a technicality to get it. Unfortunately, they are right. Fueled Zippos are not able to fly unless in an approved container, even in checked luggage. The Otterbox CargoCase is a cheap way to make sure your prized Zippos never get stolen. It is waterproof and airline-approved for checked luggage. Also, it is pretty cheap, $12.95 from Otterbox directly. They may have Van Halen, but now they will never get my White Snake Zippo! More »
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Comment by Daniel Rutter: I cannot BELIEVE the lack of faith being shown by some of the commenters here. It seems perfectly obvious to me... more » | Other threads
flying
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