From Justin: real-time flight tracking. You can even overlay it on Google Earth. None of them as pretty as Aaron Koblin’s Flightplan, though.

Kent Wien posted this photo of the tail of a Boeing 757 showing what looks like the exhaust end of a turbine.

I had to ask what it was all about, and Kent explained:

Ahh, very good question! There actually IS an engine back there. It’s the APU (auxiliary power unit) and it’s what keeps the airplane cool on the ground without being plugged into the gate. It also provides electrical power and high pressure air that starts the engines after we push back from the gate.

This engine is the same as the one found on the Jetstream 31 commuter airplane, but without the prop.

aircraft, aviation, boeing 757, tail, apu, auxiliary power unit, answer

Perhaps it’s just because I’m in the air again today, but I’m fascinated by Aaron Koblin’s animation of aircraft activity, illustrating the pulsing, throbbing movements of aircraft over North America. Nah, this is hot. You’ll love it too.

Also worth checking out: Koblin’s other works.

Aaron Koblin, aircraft, animation, aviation, flight, path

While we’re still waiting for flying cars (or even just fuel efficient cars) I’m keeping track of tiny helicopters like the GEN H-4 and this one, the AirScooter II, pictured above.

The company, AirScooter Corporation of Henderson NV, introduces the new craft with a tip of the hat to Igor Sikorsky’s earliest designs featuring counter-rotating blades. Company founder Woody Norris (who won an award for acoustics) explains: “what we’ve done is package the coaxial design in a modern light-weight craft that allows for intuitive control and incredible maneuverability.”

By eliminating the need and complexity of swashplates, collective and cyclic control through a coaxial rotor design a number of benefits beyond conventional helicopter designs are immediately realized. First; enhanced, intuitive flight controls are achieved by simple motorcycle-style handlebars and the absence of a tail rotor. To gain altitude, simply throttle up like you would on a motorcycle, turn left or right on the handlebars for craft rotation and move the handlebar assembly as a joystick for directional control (including reverse). No pedal controls are necessary, which means someone without the use of their legs can just as easily fly the AirScooter. Handlebar controls represent the most distinguishable feature of the AirScooter. AirScooter’s patented design also provides an amazing level of stability while in the air and during flight.

The AirScooter II is said to meet the requirements of FAR Part 103 and is classified as an ultralight. Would-be flyers need no FAA pilot’s license, just the steel will and faith in engineering.

Powering the personal helicopter is the custom-designed AeroTwin engine. AirScooter called on motorcycle racing engine specialist Bill White of New Zealand to develop an ultralight, 4-stroke engine producing 50-75 horsepower. The resulting two cylinder, air cooled aluminum engine features ceramic coated combustion surfaces, hollow cam shafts, and the option to run it either vertically or horizontally.

Price is expected to be $50,000 when the production model debuts sometime before the end of 2006. Regulations limit it to five gallons of fuel and a max speed of 55 knots (about 63 miles per hour). Useful load maxes out at about 350 pounds. Flight duration is reported as about one hour, and they recommend a ceiling of about 50 feet. Unlike many ultralight aircraft, the AirScooter will be sold fully assembled, and not in kit form (well, just bolt on the 14 foot diameter rotor blades).

The sky is the limit, literally. The AirScooter is not designed or marketed to just be the “next thing” for recreational hobbyists. “Traditional recreational vehicles like ATV’s and jet-skis are fun, but limited in use,” says Dwaine Barnes, President of AirScooter Corporation, “the AirScooter will provide a simple way for man to achieve the excitement and versatility of flight for recreational and professional use that’s beyond any other product on the market.”

update: there’s video!

aircraft, AirScooter, AirScooter II, aviation, helicopter, personal helicopter, rotary wing, rotorcraft, ultralight

A friend pointed me to PlaneCrashInfo.com and I can’t help but explore. I was told to start with the pictures (which end in late 2001, and so don’t include recent incidents like the flaming nose-wheel at LAX or the overshot runway in Chicago), but it was the collection of “last words” transcripts from the cockpit voice recorder (audio is available for many of them) that really trapped me.

We might get a furtive chuckle over such last lines as “Hey, what’s happening here” or “Uh.. where are we”, but who isn’t touched by final apologies or simple declarations like “Pete, sorry” and “Amy, I love you”?

accident, accident reports, air transport, aircraft, aircraft accidents, cockpit voice recorder, crash, cvr, photos accident photos, plane crash, planecrashinfo.com

Howard Hughes‘ Spruce Goose now rests in McMinnville, at the Evergreen Aviation Museum.

The Goose is as long as a 747 with a wingspan a third again as broad, and for a short few seconds in 1947, it flew.

The docent was incredibly pleased to tell us that the tail almost broke off during those few seconds in the air. He claimed Hughes hushed up the story and maintained the aircraft in flight-ready condition to protect himself from further attacks from government accountants.

The turbine below is one of a number on display, including one from an SR71 Blackbird. The rest of the Blackbird crouches under the Goose’s port wing.

McMinnville, Oregon, McMinnville OR, Howard Hughes, Evergreen Aviation Museum, Spruce Goose, aviation, museum, evergreen aviation, aircraft, flight

It’s nearing the end of 2005 and we still don’t have any flying cars like we were promised, but the GEN H-4 personal helicopter looks promising (and dangerous). Here it is in the air, and I might be crazy, but it looks to be controlled by weight-shift (even more photos).

OhGizmo says it sells for about $31,000. Gizmodo claims it drives its counter-rotating rotors with an eight-horsepower, 125cc engine. And Odd things from Japan wonders if “this is the nearest thing on Earth to ‘Takekoputa.’”

tags: air, aircraft, aviation, flying car, flying cars, gen h-4, helicopter, horsepower, japan, odd, personal aircraft, personal helicopter, rotors, transportation, ultralight, weight shift