Tag Archive for: takeoff

DARPA moves ahead with radical vertical takeoff aircraft

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency took one step further in building a radically different vertical take off and landing or VTOL aircraft that can fly fast and carry a big load.

Specifically DARPA awarded Aurora Flight Sciences the $ 89 million prime contract for Phase 2 of the agency’s Vertical Takeoff and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) program which looks to:

  • Achieve a top sustained flight speed of 300 kt-400 kt
  • Raise aircraft hover efficiency from 60% to at least 75%
  • Present a more favorable cruise lift-to-drag ratio of at least 10, up from 5-6
  • Carry a useful load of at least 40% of the vehicle’s projected gross weight of 10,000-12,000 pounds

+More on Network World: The iconic Boeing 747 is almost 50!+

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Network World Security

Flight attendants try to reinstate FAA’s ban on mobile devices during takeoff

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The largest union representing flight attendants in the U.S. brought the Federal Aviation Administration to court last week, urging the administration to reverse its decision from last year to permit passengers on commercial airlines to use mobile devices during takeoff and landing, the Associated Press reported today.

The Association of Flight Attendants argued on Friday that mobile devices have been distracting passengers while they should be paying attention to flight attendants’ safety demonstrations prior to takeoff. They also claim mobile devices could become a safety hazard in the hands of passengers, presumably posing the risk that they could fly out of their hands and injure others on the plane, the AP reported.

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Network World Colin Neagle

FAA’s ruling on smartphones during takeoff has had little impact

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Airlines have seen almost no increase in the use of smartphones, tablets, and laptops among passengers since the Federal Aviation Administration ruled in October that they are now allowed to do so during takeoff and landing, a recent study found.

Over a four month period observed by DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development this year, 35.9% of passengers used mobile devices at any point during the flight, USA Today reported. In last year’s study, while flight attendants still patrolled the aisles for devices that hadn’t been shut off, 35.3% of passengers used devices during flight.

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Network World Colin Neagle