A revolutionary wingless aircraft by Austrian company

A revolutionary wingless aircraft by Austrian company

  9:32:00 PM    Science Lover

---

A firm from Austria, Austrian Innovative Aeronautical Technology (IAT21) has unveiled a new type of aircraft that flies without wings or rotors, at the Paris Air Show. Though not actually flown at the show, spokesmen for the new aircraft, named D-Dalus (no doubt after the tragic Greek figure Daedalus, who lost his son Icarus when his wings melted as he flew too close to the sun) claim the aircraft is capable of both hovering and flying forward as fast as a jet, all with very little noise.

The new technology is actually based on old technology; it flies by means of rotating discs surrounded by blades whose angle of attack can be altered in flight. The discs are spun by means of a conventional airplane engine. What’s new is the computer and software that controls the blades, allowing for very precise flying. The company says D-Dalus can hover next to a wall, maneuver though buildings or even lay still atop a moving bobbing ship in bad weather by pushing itself down against the deck.

The power comes from its four 2200-rpm turbines and can be thrust in any of 360 degrees, allowing the D-Dalus to launch vertically, hover, dart around and to remain stable even in turbulent conditions. The company also says the craft requires very little maintenance and would be cheaper than current vertical takeoff aircraft and because of its new “friction free bearing at the points of high G force” the craft should be, according to the company, as quiet as a whisper.



So far, the D-Dalus is still just a prototype, and has been flown only in a laboratory near Salzburg as a pilotless drone. In its current configuration, it has five foot (about a meter and a half) long turbines and is capable of carrying 150 pounds (70kg) of cargo. Information on the company website indicates that the initial primary use for such a vehicle would be to assist in search and rescue operations at sea or after disasters, or possibly for surveillance; though it leaves open the door to the possibility of scaling the aircraft up enough in size to accommodate passengers. IAT21 has formed a partnership with Cranfield University in the UK to work through flight certification. If all goes according to plan, the D-Dalus should be ready for viewing by others very soon.

Read More

The Pentagon Approves a Flying Car! The Pentagon wants a flying car, and one seriously out-there military concept has been given the go-ahead. Here is a look at the Pentagon's next armored, armed, airborne Humvee.

The Pentagon Approves a Flying Car! The Pentagon wants a flying car, and one seriously out-there military concept has been given the go-ahead. Here is a look at the Pentagon's next armored, armed, airborne Humvee.

  9:27:00 AM    Science Lover

---

The race to build the world's first flying military jeep just moved a step closer to the finish line. The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected two companies to proceed with the next stage of its Transformer, known as TX—a fully automated four-person vehicle that can drive like a car and then take off and fly like an aircraft to avoid roadside bombs. Lockheed Martin and AAI Corp., a unit of Textron Systems, are currently in negotiations with DARPA for the first stage of the Transformer project, several industry sources told Popular Mechanics at a robotics conference here in Denver. DARPA has not announced the official winners yet.

It's unclear how many companies competed for the DARPA project, but the competition brought together an unusual mix of large defense companies with smaller aviation firms vying to build the vertical takeoff and landing craft. Perhaps most surprising—and for some competitors galling— is that DARPA selected a rotor-based aircraft for one of the two winning submissions. At an industry day held earlier this year, DARPA officials had initially said they weren't interested in a traditional rotary-wing aircraft, though they might consider a vehicle if the rotor was shrouded.

AAI's winning concept does not have a shrouded rotor, but it is also far from being a traditional helicopter. The company, which produces the Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle, is basing its proposal in part on the slowed-rotor/compound concept, a technology that uses rotor blades heavily weighted in the tips, or high inertia. The rotor provides lift on takeoff, and then as it gains speed, the rotor slows down and the wings provide lift.

Lockheed Martin has declined to detail any aspect of its submission, but those familiar with the Phantom Works project speculated that it might combine aspects of the company's Joint Tactical Light Vehicle, a follow-on to the Humvee, with a ducted fan propulsion system that it would use to fly.

The two companies are still a ways away from building flying Humvees; the first stage of the DARPA project is merely working on conceptual designs. The total funding available for Transformer is about $40 million.

Officials from both companies declined to comment on the record about the negotiations, and DARPA did not respond to request to comment.

Read More

Flying car takes off !

Flying car takes off !

  9:27:00 PM    Science Lover

---

The first flying automobile – equally at home in the sky and on the road – took to the skies on Wednesday. Dubbed the Transition, the two-seat aircraft – designed by US-based company Terrafugia (terra-FOO-gee-ah), Inc – is capable of taking off and landing at local airports, and even being driven on any road.

In fact, transforming from plane to car takes the pilot less than 30 seconds.

“This breakthrough changes the world of personal mobility,” said Carl Dietrich, CEO of Terrafugia – a name that means “escape from land” in Latin.

“Travel will now become a hassle-free, integrated land-air experience. A pilot who encounters bad weather could simply land at a small airport and continue the trip by road. It’s what aviation enthusiasts have been striving for since 1918,” he said.

Dietrich claimed that Transition is capable of flying 720 km on a single tank of petrol, at a speed of 180kmph.

While on land, the vehicle boasts of top speeds of up to 150kmph, he added.

For its first flight, the Transition was flown by Phil Meteer, Colonel, USAFR at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York.

Categorised as a Light Sport Aircraft, the Transition will now undergo additional advanced flight and drive testing, and a pre-production prototype will be built and certified before first delivery.

Dietrich said he had already received 40 orders despite an expected price of $2,00,000 (Rs 1 crore approx). Still, he accepted concerns over its price.

Left: Terrafugia CEO Carl Dietrich refuels the petrol-based Transition flying car at a
regular petrol pump Right: The Transition at take-off

“For an airplane that’s very reasonable, but for a car that’s very much at the high end,” he admitted.

Fabricated out of modern composite materials, the plane has front wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight. Both the modes are powered by unleaded petrol from a regular pump.

Also, with its wings folded, it can fit in an ordinary garage or parking space.

“This is the first really integrated design where the wings fold up automatically and all the parts are in one vehicle,” Dietrich said.

As for learning to fly, the company CEO believed that almost anyone could become a pilot in as little as 20 hours of flight time in a Transition-specific course.

“Existing pilots,” he said, “could get comfortable quickly with the familiarisation training included with every Transition delivery.”

If you like this post, buy me a beer at $3!

Read More

Holographic Projection Glide Paths

Holographic Projection Glide Paths

  8:58:00 PM    Science Lover

---

Holographic Technologies are getting closer to becoming reality and soon we can see the data on our computers in 3D, 4D and 5D. We will enjoy Virtual Reality on our 360 X-Box in our living rooms. Military strategists and war fighters can play out the battle in the virtual battlespace in advance and then watch it un-fold in real time. Great, great grandchildren will be about to meet their past ancestors and watch a holographic video. We will communicate in video conferencing with the image of the other people sitting next us, but not actually there. All this is on its way and even more, as the applications are endless indeed.

One application, which has not been mentioned, yet is the potential for pilots to have projected glide paths in front of them as they fly, actually watching their aircraft (full-size) in front of them. All they will have to do is follow the projection and match their aircraft to the angles and speeds of the holographic aircraft ahead. The projection will be set for safest glide path, avoid wake turbulence and be the most fuel-efficient decent. This will make flying easier and become a great training tool for new pilots building hours and their skills.

This will insure a proper downwind to base and base to final approach, with perfect angles, no steep banks and help the pilot land at the perfect speed on the threshold. Additionally these Holographic Projections will be recorded and used for training air traffic controllers and used by flight instructors to watch to make sure the student pilot is coming along fine. The instructor will be able to reduce the scale of the aircraft to 1:24 or 1:48 scale and show student how they did. This can help in training new fighter pilots in the military as well. This can add to the simulator experience. Such technology will come in handy for the NASA SATS Program making general aviation safe as we move more private automobile traffic from our ground transportation infrastructures into the air and help with the Virtual Control Tower Simulation Training Systems to help commercial aviation.

http://sats.larc.nasa.gov/main.html

http://www.simlabs.arc.nasa.gov/vast/vast.html

Imagine eliminating wake turbulence accidents by helping pilots avoid wake turbulence, by using net-centric systems inside the aircraft, which will re-project the holographic aircraft in front of them. Good for collision avoidance as well. This will alleviate issues with the 3-minute rule, when it should be extended or when it is not a factor. The increased efficiency will help the traffic flow at the larger airports, moving more aircraft on their way in less time.

http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/AVOSS.html

The Holographic Technology is almost here and it such advances in science has the potential of literally solving many safety and efficiency issues in aviation in the present period and safety in space in the next period. Think on this.

Read More