Well done, NASA. Skycranes for everyone!
(Hat Tip: The Next Web)
NASA chief talks about the future of aviation
The Wall Street Journal’s News Hub has put together a short video segment where NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden talked about the future of aviation. In the segment, Bolden stated that now is the time to be bold and think big. Hence, NASA is developing technologies that will make aircraft safer, faster, quieter and greener by being more fuel-efficient. Bolden also pointed out that NASA’s work is actually the most seen and felt by the general public because you will find NASA DNA in just about every military and civilian aircraft.
NASA awards a green aviation prize for a fully electric four passenger aircraft
The Wall Street Journal’s News Hub has recently put together a short video segment about NASA’s green aviation competition where team Pipistrel-USA.com of State College, Pennsylvania won $1.35 million – the largest green aviation prize in history. The green flight challenge competition had invited citizen innovators and aviators from around the US to compete on the basis of fuel, speed and noise level standards with the winners being the designers of a first fully electric four passenger aircraft that is capable of 2 1/4 hours of flight at 100 mph (The runner up for the prize also had entered a fully electric aircraft).
Of course, it was mentioned that fully electric commercial planes are still a long way off but electric general aviation and recreational aircraft may be here sooner than we think. However, the Wall Street Journal’s News Hub segment did leave one technical or scientific question unanswered: Can you use your cell phone on an electric aircraft?!!
NASA Icing Courses
NASA has developed two courses for general aviation pilots and operators. They cover ground icing and in-flight icing. Using multimedia presentations, case studies and pilot testimonials the courses provide tools pilots can use to deal with in-flight icing. Emphasis is on avoidance, detection and exit. Very useful. Free. Available online or for download to your PC for offline study.