All the 787 Dreamliners—Boeing’s most advanced passenger airplane ever—have been grounded because of what you can see above: a melting battery made by the Japanese company GS Yuasa Corp, integrated in the airplane at Boeing Everett Factory, in Everett, Washington. Looks pretty bad to me. More »
Today American Airlines announced and unveiled their first new look since 1968. And to catch up with modern times, CEO Tom Horton says that the new livery is meant to be light, vibrant, and modern. The airline is also making some strides in implementing more technology into their workflow, like outfitting pilots and flight attendants with tablets and smartphones.
The new logo and livery will be introduced on the airline’s new and upcoming Boeing 777-300 airplanes at the end of the month, and have ordered hundreds of other new planes that will be delivered throughout the coming years. Many of the new planes will be made of composite materials to make them lighter. However, they must be painted over, making the iconic unpainted silver look of current AA planes no longer an option. Instead, though, the airline plans to paint them using silver mica paint that will at least maintain AA’s long-lasting heritage.
The new planes will features redesigned first- and business-class seats, and every seat on the new planes will feature all-new in-flight entertainment systems, as well as power outlets and WiFi access. The entertainment systems will feature a huge selection of movies, TV shows, music, and games.
Flight attendants will be equipped with Samsung Galaxy Note Tabs to better assist passengers, and pilots will be given iPads to “fly more efficiently” and to cut down on paper products to save on fuel costs. Gate agents at the airport will also be given mobile devices to help passengers check-in quicker by speeding up the boarding pass process and checking-in luggage.
[via Gizmodo]
American Airlines unveils new look, more tech is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It felt like only a matter of time, and now it’s reality. After numerous problems occurring with multiple Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to ground all 787s in the US for inspection, but plans to get all of the new planes back in the air as safely and as quickly as possible.
After two fires caused my malfunctioning lithium-ion batteries were reported, the FAA has ordered all US airlines to ground their entire 787 fleet, and the administration also warned international airlines as well, and all of them have heeded the news and grounded their respective 787 Dreamliners.
The battery failures in question are said to possibly start a domino effect with on-board critical systems and structures, as well as the possibility of fire starting on board. The FAA has said that it’ll work with Boeing to come up with a plan to fix the issues and put the new aircrafts back in commission safely and quickly.
Currently, there are only six 787 Dreamliners in commission in the US, all which are operated by United Airlines. Furthermore, Japanese airlines operate 24 Dreamliners, with other international airlines operating 20 of the new planes. In total, there are 50 787 Dreamliners in operation, all of which have been grounded until further notice. United Airlines has said all passengers who were scheduled to fly on a 787 will be flying on different aircrafts for the time being.
[via WSJ]
FAA grounds all US Boeing 787 Dreamliners after multiple battery failures is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner began joining US airline fleets last year, but a fire started by the plane’s lithium ion batteries last week put it on the docket for a review by the FAA. After a second mishap caused by the bird’s batteries, the FAA is now requiring US airlines to temporarily ground all Dreamliners. In addition, the agency said it’s given international aviation authorities a heads-up so they can take similar measures. According to the regulatory outfit, the battery failures could botch critical systems and structures, in addition to starting fires. In order to sort things out, the FAA says it’ll work with Boeing on a plan that’ll fix the issues and put the craft back in commission as “quickly and safely as possible.” Hit the jump for the FAA’s full statement.
Update: A United spokesman shared the following statement, confirming that passengers scheduled to fly on the Dreamliner will travel on other aircraft, instead:
“United will immediately comply with the Airworthiness Directive and will work closely with the FAA and Boeing on the technical review as we work toward restoring 787 service. We will begin re-accommodating customers on alternate aircraft.”
Continue reading FAA grounds all US Boeing 787 Dreamliners after second lithium ion battery failure
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Reuters (Twitter, 1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), Wall Street Journal
Finally tired of being trounced by its competitors in the on-board internet arena, United Airlines has outfitted its first international widebody plane with satellite-based Wi-Fi. The service should be rolled out to 300 additional aircrafts by the end of the year. More »
A fire onboard a super-spec 787 Dreamliner last week has led the FAA to order a review of the aircraft’s critical systems and assembly. The Dreamliner has had its share of teething problems, not least because it does things differently — including using space-saving lithium ion batteries that have since been implicated in the fire on the All Nippon Airways jet. Qatar Airways also temporarily grounded one of its planes last month due to electrical problems and a United Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing for much the same reason. No one has been hurt and the FAA hasn’t shown any intention to stop the 787 from flying while it investigates. Meanwhile, Boeing insists that none of these “introductory issues” give it cause to “doubt the capabilities of the airplane.”
Source: CBS News
The Boeing EA-18G Growler is designed to jam enemy electronics from the air so that the US can kill people. But here, it’s just sitting in the Japanese snow, looking pretty as can be. More »
In November of 2011, American commercial airlines consumed 48.3 million gallons of fuel—every day—and paid a total of $49.8 billion that month to do so. And with increasingly tight operating budgets, fuel efficiency has quickly become a primary concern for the airlines. Boeing thinks one possible solution is its new plug-in hybrid jet concept that burns 70 percent less gas per flight with the help of the local power grid. More »
More fun out of MIT’s AI lab. Grad student Peng Yu happily showed off a couple of flying demos on our visit, controlling an Ar.Drone with a number of methods, including keyboard, tablet (touch), voice and gesture, each naturally presenting their own positives and negatives, in terms of ease of use and specificity. The latter was certainly the most intriguing of the bunch, executed via a Kinect hack that allowed Yu to direct the flying robot over a small model town in the middle of the lab.
Voice, meanwhile, played an important role in a computer demo that keeps in line with a vision from Boeing of a future (some 20 or 30 years out, according to its estimates) in which citizens utilize personal aircrafts capable of carrying two to four people to, say, commute to work. Speaking into the system, the user essentially negotiates with the aircraft, giving a destination, hoped for flight duration and any pitstops to be made along the way. The system in the demo adjusted for storms and let Yu know how quickly it thought it would be able to make the run.
Demos of all of the above can be found after the break.
Filed under: Robots
MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab envisions a future of personal air transport (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Nov 2012 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Boeing‘s latest creation, the 787 Dreamliner, has officially launched in the US and begin its domestic service with United Airlines yesterday morning. It completed its first public flight in the US when the aircraft landed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from Houston, TX, and arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
The official launch began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Bush Intercontinental Airport before the 787 Dreamliner took off at 7:20 AM for its first US domestic flight. The aircraft touched down two and a half hours later at O’Hare International Airport, greeted by a water cannon salute and applause from the passengers and crew.
The Boing 787 Dreamliner first landed on American soil back in April, when the aircraft flew from Tokyo, Japan to Boston, MA on a Tokyo Airlines flight. However, yesterday marked the first day that the 787 entered its US domestic service with United Airlines. The airline is the first US airline to fly the Dreamliner, and they have ordered a total of 50 Dreamliners to add to their fleet over the next couple years.
The new 787 Dreamliner may not be the biggest commercial aircraft (the Airbus A380 still holds that crown), but the Dreamliner is unique because it’s the first commercial aircraft to use a lightweight composite fuselage, which saves on fuel costs tremendously. Plus, It features extra comforts for passengers, such as bigger windows, larger overhead bins and better ventilation. Currently, there are around 30 Dreamliners built, with over 800 orders yet to fulfill.
[via Chicago Sun-Times]
Boeing 787 Dreamliner enters service in the US is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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