Hasta La Gadget!

Boeing is making a big push to outfit its airplanes with more connectivity. By 2013 all new Boeing 747-8 and 777 planes will have built-in systems so that you can make calls on your cellphone while flying. In addition, Boeing already offers a kit to make its monster 787 Dreamliners phone call friendly as well. Incredible, right? No, not just incredible—GAME CHANGING. Clearly the company thinks this is safe. But there’s still the issue of the Government and the airlines giving the OK. We hope it happens, since the rule against it is ancient and based on old technology. It should be possible now. Hear that FAA? The ball is in your court. [Boeing via CNET] More »

You don’t have to wait for an FAA rethink to use your iPad on an airliner below 10,000 feet — if you’re part of an American Airlines crew, that is. As of this month, the air carrier is the first cleared by the FAA to use iPads in the cockpit at every point during a flight. The program starts just with Boeing 777 pilots at first, but it should eventually grow to save $1.2 million in weight-related fuel costs per year across the airline, not to mention a few trees and the strain of 35-pound flight bags. American is confident enough in the tablet switchover that it plans to stop handing out any paper updates to its charts and manuals as of January, just days after its entire fleet gets the regulatory nod for iPads at the end of this year. We just wouldn’t anticipate Android or Windows tablet rollouts anytime soon. American isn’t opposed to the concept, but it’s only promising that slates beyond the iPad will be “evaluated for use” if and when the FAA applies its rubber stamp.

Continue reading American Airlines becomes first FAA-friendly carrier to use iPads through whole flights

Filed under: Tablets

American Airlines becomes first FAA-friendly carrier to use iPads through whole flights originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The Next Web  | Email this | Comments

Despite being a total success, the USAF’s Airborne Laser was killed by the Pentagon back in December 2011. Now she’s resting wrapped in her death shroud with the rest of planes in “permanent storage” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. More »

The latest attempt to go past Mach 5 with the X51A has finished badly again, as a broken fin caused the missile to lose control before its air-breathing “scramjet‘” motor could even kick in. It happened just after the booster rocket phase, which accelerates the craft to at least Mach 4, a high enough velocity for the hypersonic scramjet to work. The craft ended up in the Pacific shortly afterwards instead, and this latest affair may end up dunking the entire $300 million program. The Air Force initiative is already short on funding, and the previous two tries were equally dismal failures — meaning a fourth missile, already built, may end up a museum piece.

Filed under: Transportation, Science

X-51A WaveRider hypersonic mission doomed by bum missile fin originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Inhabitat  |  Wired Danger Room  | Email this | Comments

When a military contractor is trying to sell some wacky superweapon to the Pentagon, or when the Pentagon is trying to sell some wacky superweapon to Congress, it draws a cool action picture. But why are they so horribly terrible? More »