SportCopter 2 Flights

This is Sport Copters NEW SportCopter 2 Gyro in action. LINK: Youtube

EXTREMELY SMALL AIRPLANE

Have you ever seen a small aircraft like this?

This airplane is named "CriCri"

It is small enough to store in the garage.

This is the real private owned airplane!! LINK: Youtube

Airventure 2010 - World's Greatest Airshow

Check out this amazing footage from the 2010 Airventure aviation show “Salute to our Veterans”. This week-long show is the largest in the world and truly displays why America is the leader in aviation. Enjoy this compilation and share with some friends! LINK, Via: Youtuibe

Check out the Airventure website to see more and to learn about the upcoming 2011 airshow! www.airventure.org.

Strange Yet Somehow Cool Aircraft Takeoff

Wouldn't this be fun to try? LINK: Youtube

Be-200 MULTIPURPOSE AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT

The basic configuration of the Be-200 amphibious aircraft is indended for fighting the forest fires using the fire extinguishant fluids. While doing this, the aircraft can fulfill the following tasks:

Stop and restrain the spread of the big forest fires by developing the protecting strip due to multiple drops on the fire edge;
extinguishing the small fire and fire which only starts to develop;
delivery of fire brigades and fire extingushing equipment to the fire region by landing on preselected water area of aifield, and return to the base. LINK: Youtube

Combat aircraft of the future unveiled

A new 142.5 million unmanned stealth jet aircraft named Taranis has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence. . LINK: Youtube

Flying Car Gets Go-Ahead From US Air Authorities

The Terrafugia Transition, a light aircraft that can convert into a road-legal automobile, is to go into production after being given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The Transition was designed as a 'light sport' aircraft, the smallest kind of private aeroplane under FAA classification.

But the manufacturers found it impossible to fit the safety features that are required for road vehicles into that weight. Uniquely, however, the FAA has granted the Terrafugia Transition an exemption - allowing it to be classified as a light sport aircraft despite being 120lb over the limit. LINK: The Presurfer

Watch a Supersonic Jet Hover With Breathtaking Stillness

Lockheed Martin video of the Mar 17 first hover the a STOVL F-35B Joint STrike Fighter, aircraft BF-1, at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The flight began with a conventional takeoff before F-35 lead STOVL pilot Graham Tomlinson initiated conversion to STOVL mode at 200 knots airspeed. He then slowed the aircraft to 60 knots and flew a decelerating approach to a zero airspeed hover at 150 feet above the runway. This marked the first free air hover by the F-35B. Upon reaching zero airspeed, the pilot executed test points to confirm the controllability of the aircraft in the hover. After completing all hover test points, the pilot executed a STOVL landing at 70 knots airspeed. LINK: Youtube

Russian 5th Gen PAK FA T-50 fighter makes first ever flight

A new era for Russia's airforce has begun with the successful flight of a state-of-the art fighter jet. Prime Minister Putin said the first T-50s which is now at its final stage of testing will enter service in three years. And within a decade, as the manufacturer says, one in three fighter jets in the world could be this new aircraft. LINK: Youtube

Fastest Aircraft – Sky’s No Limit For Them

"Mig 31 FoxHound"
The Mikoyan MiG-31 FoxHound is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by Russia. It was designed to replace the MiG-25 FoxBat which though an outstanding performer, lacked the maneuverability at interception speeds. The Foxhound breathes through a large twin-engine, which provides an aspect ratio of 2.94 with a shoulder-mounted wing, side-mounted air intakes and twin vertical tail-fins. These specs render it one agile flying machine. The passive array radar for terrain ranging and the four R-33 air-to-air missiles under its belly make it a deadly fighting machine. The twin Soloviev D-30F6 afterburning turbofans produce a thrust of 34,172 lbf which propels the aircraft to a top flying speed of 1,860 mph! That’s 2.83 times the speed of sound. LINK, Via: Youtube

Solar Aircraft Flies

The first successful flight of an aircraft powered by the sun was completed in Switzerland yesterday as the Solar Impulse HB-SIA took off and landed safely. Solar Impulse founder Bertrand Piccard had dreamed of the day his plane would take flight for a decade.

With a good weather window on Thursday, test pilot Markus Scherdel was given the go ahead to take the spindly aircraft to up to take-off speed shortly after one o’clock local time. With the airplane lined up on the runway, Scherdel powered up the four motors using the on-board batteries and HB-SIA gained speed until he was able to lift off the pavement.

In a flight very reminiscent of the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903, Scherdel flew 350 meters down the runway at an altitude of only one meter in a flight lasting 28 seconds.

The team hopes to achieve a 36-hour flight by next summer. Link to story. Link to website. -Via: the Presurfer Via: Neatorama

Fanwing - Incredible New Form of Aircraft

http://www.fanwing.com First public practice flight, grass take-off, of FanWing STOL airframe and interview with FanWing inventor/developer Pat Peebles, filmed by OnScreen Productions, UK at ParcAberporth, Wales. LINK, Via: Youtube

A380 Wake Turbulence

Most people are unaware that airplanes make waves in the air much like boats make waves in the water.

The shape of an aircraft's wing causes the area above the wing to have lower air pressure then the area below the wing. This generates lift, but also creates an undesired side affect.

At the tips of the wings, higher pressure air swirls up, around the wingtip and into the lower pressure area on top of the wing. This creates a sort of a sideways tornado known as wingtip vorticies.

This video provides a visulization of this very dangerous type of turbulence. LINK, Via: Youtube

Aurora Excalibur VTOL UAV First Flight

Aurora Flight Sciences video of the first flight of its Excalibur experimental vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft. The 13ft-long UAV is powered by a tilting jet engine and three battery-powered lift fans. The aircraft made its first hover flight, lasting just under 2min, at Aberdeen proving Gorund in maryland on June 24. Excalibur is a proof-of-principle testbed for a 400kt VTOL unmanned combat aircraft. LINK: Youtube

Photoblog of experimental aircraft

x planes is a blog about "experimental aircraft. exotic aeromachines. oddities. sleek silver cigars. pedal-o-trons. soviet hive-mind bombers. aerial joy. the olden days. action shots. propaganda posters."

The Gyrodyne Model GCA-55 single-seat ground cushion vehicle of the annular jet type, powered by a 72 h.p. Porsche four-cylinder engine. It was developed under a U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics contract and flew for the first time in October, 1959. LINK

Five Tracks

This picture of tracks in Lakehurst, New Jersey looks quite intriguing. Can you guess what they are for?

In order for a plane to safely land on an aircraft carrier without racing off the end, its tailhook needs to be ‘caught’ by arresting cables attached to the carrier’s deck (see here). these cables need to be extremely strong and durable but also flexible enough so as not to stop the plane too quickly. these 5 test tracks, located at navair in lakehurst, are dedicated to testing these very systems and the emergency barricades. LINK

See more pictures of vehicle testing facilities at deputy dog. Link

Diamonds: The Air Force's Best Friend?

Future Air Force jets like this one could be equipped with diamond-based windows designed to protect the jets from the weapons on board. | Discovery News Video.

The U.S. Air Force may soon be adding some serious bling to its aircraft, in the form of windows made from 80-carat diamonds.

In theory, the diamond windows would protect aircraft carrying high-powered microwave (HPM) emitters -- used to disrupt or destroy enemy electrical systems -- by allowing the HPMs to pass harmlessly through the aircraft's fuselage. Without such protection, HPMs would blow a hole through the side of the aircraft. At the same time, the windows would protect the HPM emitter itself from bird strikes and other airborne dangers. LINK

LEGO Aircraft Carrier

Put simply, this LEGO aircraft carrier is one of the most detailed models we've ever come across. LINK