NASA Aims to Stifle the Sonic Boom

Canadian grad student provides the power

(USER SUBMITTED) - Leonardo da Vinci drew the first man-powered ornithopter over 5 centuries ago, and the concept has finally become reality. A University of Toronto engineering PhD candidate took the very flight in an aircraft called "Snowbird," which has a 105-foot wingspan and weighs only 94 pounds. He pedaled to get it airborne, and the plane maintained altitude and airspeed for almost 20 seconds, covering about 475 feet by flapping its wings. Todd Reichert said the demonstration was "meant to act as an inspiration to others to use the strength of their body and the creativity of their mind to follow their dreams." Read the full article . More»

If Puffin aircraft works, welcome to the jetpack era

(NEWSER) - It exists only on paper at the moment, but NASA's Puffin aircraft just might bring the jetpack age into reality. Engineers "have combined every one of our geeky transportation dreams into a single little vehicle," writes Jason Paur. "It takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane. It can cruise at 140 mph and, with a boost mode, hit about twice that. Oh—and it’s electric," he writes for Wired . More»

Boeing runs a shortened test flight of its long-awaited plane

(NEWSER) - Boeing's Dreamliner passed its first test today by completing a three-hour flight over Puget Sound. The round trip—rain and wind shortened it by two hours—means Boeing can begin a 9-month certification process with the FAA, reports the Post-Intelligencer . After that, the company can presumably begin shipping the 840 jets on order from 55 airlines. The jets are lighter than those in service today, which should mean big fuel savings. More»

(NEWSER) - Above the Hudson River west of Manhattan, where a helicopter and a light plane fatally collided on Saturday, a pilot can have as many as a dozen other aircraft to monitor at busy moments. Flight instructors describe the river corridor as dangerous and tunnel-like, and government is once again facing calls to step in. "It's the Wild West out there, totally unregulated, and no one knows where these pilots are," one official tells the New York Times. More»

(NEWSER) - The hijacker of a Canadian jet demanding to fly from Jamaica to Cuba has freed the six crewmembers he was holding and surrendered, reports the BBC. The man, whom authorities described as "mentally challenged," appeared to check in normally last night, then forced his way aboard the CanJet charter flight brandishing a weapon. No one was injured. More»