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Boeing 787 Gets Its Wings Snapped, For Science
Posted by John Herrman at 9:17 PM on November 19, 2008
In order to get certified by the FAA, every new plane must undergo wing tests to prove that it can withstand 150% of the load that it could ever be expected to encounter in flight. Engineers usually try to pass the test, and continue to stretch the wings to see just how far they can get, resulting in spectacular wing-snappings. The Boeing 787 cleared the 150% with no trouble at all, but engineers stopped short of snapping the wing. Why? Because the 787 uses revolutionary composite wings, and breakage could result in an explosion of thousands of shards material spreading around the construction hangar. After a little time and some (in all likelihood, hilarious) rationalising, they've finally done it with a 50ft section of wing — thankfully on video. [Boeing via Reddit]
In order to get certified by the FAA, every new plane must undergo wing tests to prove that it can withstand 150% of the load that it could ever be expected to encounter in flight. Engineers usually try to pass the test, and continue to stretch the wings to see just how far they can get, resulting in
A couple of lucky ducks at genius factory MIT have been chosen by NASA to create the planes of the future. The future in this case is the year 2030, to be precise, and they'll have $US2 million with which to do it. The Seaquest DSV-inspired image above is one of the initial designs pumped out by the team, led by MIT professor Edward Greitzer. In addition to designing sleek planes that will probably never see the light of day, the team will also be studying ways to make tomorrow's big metal birds quieter, greener and more energy efficient. And MIT, let's work on *insert lame leg room joke here* too, ok? [
Arthur van Poppel took our 
Not far from a kick arse gadget that Batman would own, the Solar Com-Bat Spy Plane is a surveillance device which is powered by solar, wind and vibrations, making it seem like the perfect device to use in the heat of battle. Although this bat-like spycam is only 6 inches long, it will be a huge help in gathering real-time data for soldiers, which includes tracking down sound detection, and detecting nuclear radiation and poisonous gasses. The only thing that could make this gadget cooler is if its parents—a stapler and a coffee machine—were shot by a mugger in front of its eyes, giving it a more brooding personality. [
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the 284 passengers on board Quantas Flight 12--a Boeing 747-400 flying from Los Angeles to Sydney--couldn't believe their eyes when they looked through their windows to see another Boeing from Air New Zealand flying just a few thousand feet from their aircraft. The explanation, as the commander announced, was simple: He was "flying blind" after their aircraft's weather radar broke three hours after take off. Fortunately, as Qantas explained, the Air New Zealand flight was able to relay the data their 747 needed all the way to the other side of the Pacific:
Aviation experts in the U.K. are arguing that the industry should push to convert their planes from using fossil fuel to using nuclear energy, an idea that's sure to illicit a visceral "holy crap, god no!" reaction from the get go. But while it's hard to separate the idea from the mental image of flying hydrogen bombs, there ARE actually a lot of good reasons to go nuclear in the sky.
Now that's a headline you won't see often, and yet that's exactly what this gizmo does. You pop it in your ear, and squeeze it to create negative pressure outside your eardrum, thus compensating for the sometimes painful inward-flex caused as the aircraft you're flying in descends from altitude. Or you climb back down a mountain. There is a safety vent, so nothing should go bang (ouch!)... as befits a device developed by a professor from the Tinnitus Research and Balance Clinic in Melbourne Australia. Still, since it costs a surprising $US60, I'll be sticking with my Eustachian tubes, thankyouverymuch. [
The NYTimes's Bits blog 
Intel has developed a system to cool laptops that's not so different from that used on the surface of 
The UK Ministry of Defence has just declassified nineteen secret files detailing UFO encounters over the past decades, one of them involving a USAF Sabre fighter pilot who was ordered to fire at will against an unidentified flying object in British airspace. Unfortunately--or fortunately--lieutenant Milton Torres lost the contact after the UFO left the scene at a whooping 16,000 kilometres per hour. According to him, it had the proportions of an aircraft carrier:
