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Airbus says that by 2050 we’ll have transparent planes and biometric boarding passes
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Science, Transportation, Videos
If you've ever been cheated out of a window seat on a flight, you'll appreciate the concept plane Airbus just revealed at an airshow in Paris. In its vision of what air travel might be like in 2050, the aircraft manufacturer showed a plane with a transparent fuselage, giving all passengers a panoramic view of what's outside.
"The idea is to have a technology for the fuselage that's a bit like bones of birds that allows to have large spaces that can turn transparent, in order to look outside and 'live' the panorama in which you are flying," Charles Champion, Airbus' head of engineering, told London's Telegraph (see video below).
Airbus didn't hold back its designers' imaginations in conceiving features for the future plane. Besides a see-through hull that would make Wonder Woman consider a copyright infringement lawsuit, the concept aircraft would also discard the traditional class system of first, business, and economy. Instead, the Airbus from the future would have three zones: a Vitalizing Zone, with "organically grown" seats that can massage you; a recreational Interaction Zone, with pop-up "pods" for things like private dinners and a holographic gaming wall; and a Smart Tech Zone, where the seats adapt perfectly to individuals' size and shape.
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US House bars limitating lithium-ion battery shipments on planes
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Misc. Tech, Transportation
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a law that would bar the Obama administration from limiting shipments of lithium-ion batteries by air.
The proposed rule by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the FAA would have eliminated exceptions for small lithium batteries, classifying them as "Class 9" hazardous cargo, and requiring a number of labeling and other safety regulations.
The House will have to reconcile its legislation with the Senate before President Obama can sign a unified joint bill, as Bloomberg noted.
There have been numerous incidents of batteries short-circuiting, and many of those have involved airplanes. (The last major battery incident involved Sony, in 2008; that recall then, however, did not cover airplanes.) The proposed rule noted that out of 21 and 44 incidents involving lithium batteries since 1991 involved passenger aircraft; of those, 16 involved carry-on luggage, and one involved checked baggage. Twenty-three incidents involved cargo aircraft, presumably in pallets of batteries being transported by air.
Click to continue reading US House bars limitating lithium-ion battery shipments on planes
LISA Airlines Solar/Electric Hy-Bird
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Transportation
Yesterday a solar powered golf cart, and today we found that LISA Airlines is developing the Hy-Bird, a 100% electric plane powered by hydrogen and solar electricity. The prototype will contain Trina solar photovoltaic cells on the wing and tail for takeoff. In addition, a fuel cell will assist its cruise flight. An electric engine will keep the plane in the air. LISA is hoping that the the plane will be out by the end of 2009.
Read More 
| LISA Airplanes
Southwest Airlines Takes the Internet Skyward
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi
Southwest Airlines is now testing broadband Internet access on its flights. The company has gotten together with Row 44 to access WiFi sometime this summer. Row 44 has already been working with such companies as Alaska Airlines, so it is a pleasant thought that once you actually get off the ground, you will get more than a really bad B movie and stale peanuts if you fly business class. Watch for this one to be a trend on other airlines once it gets started.
Read More | Mashable
Spare Batteries Fly Under New Rules
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Cell Phones, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Storage, Transportation
There are now different rules if you intend to fly this year with spare batteries. Here are the basics from the our ever-wary government and the FAA:
- Spare batteries are the batteries you carry separately from the devices they power. When batteries are installed in a device, they are not considered spare.
- You may not pack a spare lithium battery in your checked baggage.
- You may bring spare lithium batteries with you in carry on luggage - see our spare battery tips and how-to sections to find out how to pack spare batteries safely!
- Even though we recommend you carrying your devices with you in carry on baggage as well, if you must bring in one in checked baggage, you may check it with the batteries installed.
While all this seems a bit too obvious to us, we figure that the elementary way of explaining the rules isn’t just for the casual business traveler. Check the site for more details.
Read More | Safe Travel
Air France To Allow Inflight Phone Calls
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cell Phones, Transportation
Air France-KLM has decided to try out cell phone service on some of their flights. Calls and messages are routed through a cellular base station located in the plane, then transmitted by satellite to on-ground telephone networks. The system was designed by OnAir, a company co-owned by Airplane builder Airbus. There is an illuminated sign when passengers can use them, which is above 10,000 feet. We wonder if they will also come up with a way to keep those annoying callers’ voices down to a minimum.
Read More | MSNBC
Inflight Power Recorder Takes to the Sky
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Misc. Tech, Transportation
If you do a lot of flying, the Inflight Power Recorder plugs into any passenger seat audio jack and outputs regulated power to the attached USB charging cable/connector. It’s available in four units, the basic one for $34.99, the iPod/iPhone bundle for $44.99, the Blackberry model with a mini-B tip that will also work with some MOTOs and RIMs for $44.99. For heavy gadget hogs, the Power Executive comes with with both tips for $49.99.
Read More | Inflight Power
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