I love this use of graphics and a form of haunting music to put the solar system and the rotation of the planets around the sun into a time perspective.

Solar Beat

Technorati Tags: Mysteries

Boeing have stepped up production on the 777 and 747-8 series aircraft. This chimes with rumours being heard around the bazaars, not necessarily related to BA. More orders for the 747-8? Boeing must be delighted!
The new production plan ups output to seven aircraft per month rather than the five they had cut back to after a decision point last year. It seems strong demand has inspired this and it is due to kick in around mid 2010.

Interesting. This wouldn’t be a move taken ‘on spec’ would it? Strong demand normally means that airlines/leasing companies have expressed firm interest and backed it up with production line options.

More here from Aviation Week.

No, not joking. I had lunch with my pal Rob Mark of Jetwhine recently in London, he came across to attend a conference so we met up. Previously we had met in Chicago for breakfast, we agreed that dinner and a glass of whine is next. Jets might even precede that.
We talked of many things across a short period of time but one thing that animated us both quite independently was the pilot employment question. Between bites we discovered that our views were in sync -

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Technorati Tags: Industrial

What a beautiful shape and concept. I’m sure you can think of a collection of reasons why it wouldn’t work?

If you are a PC person – sorry about this but you have missed out.

From the moment you make your first entry in a flying logbook, the document takes a special place in your life. Nothing tracks your progress across the years better; later on if your house bursts into flames that book might be one of the first things you grab on leaving the building.
Replacing the contents can be a headache as a Navy friend of mine discovered after watching his two volumes drop into the sea (followed by the helicopter under which they swung) with his other possessions during disembarkation one day in the Far East.

As it becomes a dog eared your book and gets joined by others, their significance and value growing with every entry. It alone represents vanished treasure, not inconsiderable labour and a host of other things besides. Mine is the only real diary I have that tracks my career with precision. I have seen these tombs turned into photo albums that add depth and dimension to the contents. Seldom do you see a carelessly scrawled entry unless that is the essential character of someones hand. They matter – Coradine have added a journal area for you photos and memories. That is service.

If you use a Mac and fly, here is a worthy tool for you to consider.

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Technorati Tags: Aviation Products, pilot logbooks

New Zealand mechanic Rudy Heeman has just developed a two passenger hovercraft that has the ability to lift off, leaving other water based craft in its wake. The hovercaft is has been developed over the last eleven years. Its’ optimum height is about 4ft 6in above the water. The hoverwing sets off like a normal-hovercraft but when it reaches top speed of 60mph, its wings can be extended and it takes flight. Rudy Heeman believes there may be a commercial market for his creation-the hoverwing. He believes that his invention is an extremely efficient method of transport, travelling at about 6ft over the water and reaching speeds of over 60mph across the surface.

Heeman Officially calls this invention a ‘wing in ground effect vehicle’ – a hovercraft which is able to fly due to a set of unusual aerodynamics. Heeman’s first test flight actually ended in a crash landing. He was lucky and escaped with only a bruised leg. After the accident Heeman made adjustments to the Hovercraft and now believes the hoverwing is ready, but Mr Heeman has yet to decide who to choose.

Techcraving

What a blast that must be! Licensing this device might prove to be a little interesting? I can’t imagine for one moment that the NZ authorities will ignore it or will fail to insist on some kind of certification. In the wrong hands its potential for causing a little consternation on the boating lake or down the coast is considerable. A whole new angle on ‘flipping and dicing’ if the thing turns over – still, not half as much fun as the craft below.

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Technorati Tags: craft, wierd

Every now and again a project comes along that captures the eye and the imagination. Not just because it involves a spectacular flying machine or even a daring mission fraught with danger. No, this project tweaks the mind because it’s audacious in its proposal and generates a massive challenge to those taking part. Put simply, when the project started the proposal was seen as impossible.

In a world depending on fossil energies, the Solar Impulse project is a paradox, almost a provocation: it aims to have an airplane take off and fly autonomously, day and night, propelled uniquely by solar energy, right round the world without fuel or pollution. An unachievable goal without pushing back the current technological limits in all fields…

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Technorati Tags: records

In this passionate talk, legendary spacecraft designer Burt Rutan lambasts the US government-funded space program for stagnating and asks entrepreneurs to pick up where NASA has left off.

Technorati Tags: Space

Whilst awake in the early hours I was wandering around my bookmarks and came across this one. A friend who comes from a line of cerebrally gifted individuals had mentioned TED to me and recommended I visit. I set up a download of six short video clips whilst I goofed off doing other stuff.  

What followed was quite amazing. If you have a curious mind, try TED. The quality of the ideas and delivery produced by some of the brightest people on the planet will blow you away. Listening to a neuroscientist talking about her own stroke and the effect it had upon her with such raw and beautiful humanity was a privilege that I don’t think you could find anywhere else.

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Technorati Tags: General