Tag Archives: planes

Buy Your Own Boeing F-4 Phantom Ejection Seat

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What on earth are you going to do with a non-functional McDonnell F-4 Phantom II two-seat twinjet fighter ejection seat? Who cares?! It’s an honest-to-goodness ejection seat that was once in an actual airplane. It’s been ripped out and refurbished for your owning pleasure.

This genuine Mk.7 rocket-assisted ejection seat from an F-4 Phantom II was made by British manufacturer Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd., the world leader in ejection seats for more than 60 years. The seat has been professionally cleaned and refurbished and riveted to a durable, hand-finished sturdy steel base with a natural-looking weathered finish. It includes a seatbelt, grip handle on right side of seat, empty oxygen tank and release button on left side of seat, Boeing Custom Hangar plaque permanently attached to the seat back, and Certificate of Authenticity. Each piece is unique and may vary slightly from photograph.

Owning a piece of aviation history is rarely a cheap endeavour, and this seat is no exception. You’ll have to pay $15,000 for it, with shipping charges apparently not being included in that pricetag.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

The post Buy Your Own Boeing F-4 Phantom Ejection Seat appeared first on OhGizmo!.

iPhone Controlled SmartPlane Is A Welcome Change From Quadcopters

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It seems that flying devices with multiple rotors are all the rage these days. This is especially true in light of Amazon’s announcement to deliver your goods using quadcopters in the near future. But there are times when all an RC enthusiast wants is a good old flying plane, one that he can control with the accelerometer in his iPhone. Right? These people exist, don’t they? Because how else to justify asking $94 for the above SmartPlane? Its 1g battery keeps the entire rig light enough to fly for 5 minutes on a 15 minute charge, getting its fully-proportional instructions through your iPhone’s Bluetooth 2.0 connection. On your display you’ll get a horizon, so you can keep the plane flying level, and on-board software takes care of other details that normally make the experience more challenging for beginners. Its construction and relatively low flying speed also mean that the SmartPlane is crash proof and is even safe to use in an office environment.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ WalYou ]

Planes Three Disc 3D Blu-ray Great Christmas Gift

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Planes Blu-ray is available at Amazon for $32.99. Dusty is a plane with high hopes—literally. Crop duster by trade, this single-prop plane sees himself soaring alongside his high-flying heroes in an...

Add An Electric Propeller To Any Home Made Paper Airplane, And Control It With Your iPhone

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TailorToys have been making the PowerUp systems for quite some time now, but their new 3.0 version has iPhone control. That’s awesome, but let’s start at the beginning, because we’d never even heard of the 1.0 or 2.0. The PowerUp devices are little electric propellers that clip onto the tip of your paper airplane, and give it some thrust. This way, gravity, aerodynamics and paper airplane engineering aren’t the limiting factors; battery life is. And yes, this works with just about any paper airplane, from the shitty to the elegant. The 3.0 version seems to have added iPhone control, though we don’t have any details on just how well the plane is controlled with this scheme. It would appear that the new device doesn’t just give the plane forward thrust, but would allow you to steer as well. Considering the toy just won Popular Science’s Best of Toyfair award, we’re going to go ahead and assume it’s pretty well done.

They should be available later this year for an unspecified price. Considering previous generation models are going for around $17, we can’t imagine it’ll be that expensive.

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[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ] AND [ Gizmodo ]

This is the Modem World: It’s my movie

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Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

DNP This is the Modem World It's My Movie

"No worries, we can watch this movie on my iPad on the plane," I announced with confidence.

"Oh really? Cool. Let's do that!" she replied, proud of her little nerdy man.

Yup. I was cool. I was going to rip a DVD that we just bought to watch on my iPad on a long flight to Korea. How amazed would she be when that movie so easily pops up on the Retina display as we ease into complimentary wine and processed air for a good 13 hours!

And then I tried to actually complete the task of getting a movie from a DVD to an iPad.

Continue reading This is the Modem World: It's my movie

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This is the Modem World: It's my movie originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA awards $100,000 grant for sideways supersonic plane concept, sonic boom not included

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NASA awards $100,000 grant for sideways supersonic plane concept, sonic boom not included

NASA isn't just interested in extra-terrestrial exploration, but in pushing the boundaries of atmospheric flight as well, which is why it's just awarded $100,000 in funding for the supersonic plane concept shown above. As you can see, the symmetrical plane is basically all wing, and that's because it has two different configurations based on how fast you want to go. For normal, subsonic flight, a plane needs a decent wingspan to get off the ground and sustain flight at lower speeds. But, when you want to go supersonic, large wings become a bit of a drag, which is where the concept's bi-functional design comes in. The plane begins its journey in the long-winged setup, but spins 90 degrees amongst the clouds to use its stubby wings for efficient faster-than-sound flight and "virtually zero sonic boom." Gecheng Zha from the University of Miami has been touting his concept for quite some time, but now he's got the cash to refine the design, run simulations and do some wind tunnel testing, with the potential for more funding in the future. Unfortunately, the concept is, at best, decades from becoming a reality, but we're sold on the ninja star-like design. Guile, however, is not impressed.

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NASA awards $100,000 grant for sideways supersonic plane concept, sonic boom not included originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gogo gets the green light to provide in-flight WiFi over Canada

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Gogo gets the green light to provide in-flight WiFi in Canada

Folks over in the US of A have been utilizing Gogo's up-in-the-air wireless amenities for quite some time now, which isn't something we can say about our dear neighbors from The Great White North -- unless, of course, you count the company's current Aircell's Gogo Biz service. That said, Gogo's finally received the go-ahead to bring its in-flight WiFi goods to both commercial and business planes that are traveling within Canada and cross-border to the States, allowing the internet provider to deliver "seamless service" all-around. According to Gogo, the network will be fully operational by the end of next year, with the company assuring fellow Canadians that they, too, can "soon experience the same technology that has a proven track record of performance and reliability in the U.S." Hit the PR below to delve into the formal nitty-gritty.

Continue reading Gogo gets the green light to provide in-flight WiFi over Canada

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Gogo gets the green light to provide in-flight WiFi over Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA’s X-48C hybrid wing-body plane completes first test flight

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NASA's X48C hybrid wingbody plane completes first test flight

After planting a rover firmly on Mars' surface and testing a new methane-fueled lander, NASA has squeezed in the first test flight of its X-48C hybrid wing-body aircraft. Thanks to its design, which combines those of flying-wing and conventional planes, the X-48 could offer 20 to 30 percent more fuel-efficiency, greater fuel capacity and a quieter ride in its final form than traditional craft. The finished model has a projected range of 11,000 nautical miles and a 240-foot wingspan. As an 8.5 percent scale of the full-sized airplane, the remotely piloted prototype weighs in at 500 pounds with a 20-foot wingspan. During the test, it successfully took to the skies for nine minutes and peaked at an altitude of 5,500 feet -- though it's capable of soaring for 35 minutes and climbing nearly twice as high. Another version of the craft (likely with a human behind the flight stick) is estimated to be at least four years down the road, and the final model isn't expected to arrive for another decade.

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NASA's X-48C hybrid wing-body plane completes first test flight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boeing prepares to deliver United’s 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour (video)

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DNP Boeing prepares to deliver United's 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour video

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is the hottest bird in aviation, and while the American-made airliner has already taken flight with passengers aboard, it has yet to land with US-flag air carrier livery along the fuselage. Japan's All Nippon Airways was the first to take delivery, with the premier pair making their way from the assembly line in September of 2011. Last year Japan Airlines made its first scheduled voyage across the Pacific in a Dreamliner of its own, and we were fortunate enough to fly roundtrip on a domestic ANA flight leaving from Tokyo a few months later. But now the 787 is making its way to an American carrier. As the first US airline to operate the plane, United Airlines is about to take delivery of its first of 50 Dreamliners, which will join the carrier's fleet to service both existing and new routes, such as Denver to Tokyo, which is set to launch in late March of next year.

We traveled to Boeing's Everett, Washington factory today for a first look at United's aircraft. While the Dreamliner looks physically identical to ANA's plane, the on-board experience is decidedly different from what we saw in Japan. Though the Dreamliner has a very similar layout to United's bigger 777, it feels roomier thanks to larger windows with dimmable shades, expanded overheard bins and higher ceilings. There's plenty more to see, though, so jump past the break for a video tour of United's new mid-size flagship, and a closer look in photos.

Gallery: United Dreamliner interior

Continue reading Boeing prepares to deliver United's 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour (video)

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Boeing prepares to deliver United's 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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United 787 Dreamliner emerges from Boeing factory, complete with golden head-to-tail ‘swoop’

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United 787 Dreamliner emerges from Boeing's Everett factory, complete with golden headtotail swoop

The first US-based 787 carrier is inching closer to its Dreamliner service launch. United Airlines celebrated the plane's rollout today at Boeing's Everett, Washington factory. The aircraft, which is set to begin international service later this year, received a custom livery, which includes a curved "swoop" -- which oddly enough appears to be the focus of design chatter. That may just be because the public has yet to take a peek inside, though we did have an opportunity to hitch a ride on ANA's variant last year, which has been flying throughout Japan since late 2011. Despite All Nippon's head start, United's flavor has garnered much attention domestically, marking a massive milestone in the Dreamliner's delayed launch. Hit up our source link below for a few more (exterior) views, courtesy of United.

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United 787 Dreamliner emerges from Boeing factory, complete with golden head-to-tail 'swoop' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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