airplane

EVERETT, Washington--If you know anything about airplanes, you're no doubt aware of the long travails of one of the most anticipated airplanes of all time, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

First unveiled before thousands of employees, press, and fans on July 8, 2007 (07/08/07), the plane was supposed to begin carrying paying passengers by 2008. But after years of delays of all kinds, the Dreamliner has yet to achieve that milestone.

But on Monday, Boeing is expected to finally reach the top of the hill with the plane, and will host a large crowd eager to see the … Read more

The iPad might be winning the tablet battle on the ground, but Android is on its way to owning the air. Boeing has chosen the Android platform for in-flight entertainment for its new 787 Dreamliner airplane. Once integrated, passengers will be able to play games, listen to music, watch video, and more from the comfort of their seat.

Mark Larson, the technical manager at Boeing's Dreamliner Gallery, told the Australian Businss Traveler that all current 787s will see touch displays built into seats, giving the airliner's passengers something to do on those long flights. Economy seats will see … Read more

Airlines may soon be serving up more than dried out chicken and honey roasted peanuts on tray tables. Skycast Solutions has just launched TrayVu, an Android-powered in-flight entertainment system that is integrated into the seat-back tray.

Instead of staring at a hunk of beige plastic, fliers would get a full view of an Android tablet with an 8.9-inch screen. It can be viewed from the seat back position, or flipped up with the tray table down.

The systems will let customers order food and drinks for themselves or other family members (and maybe strangers) and run up a tab. The usual in-flight movies will be on tap along with ads, shopping, music, and games.

If you happen to work for an airline, you'll want to hear about the installation requiring no seat modifications and that the system adds less than 2 pounds of weight per seat.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to frequent fliers is the ability to lower the device down to a reasonable level.

No more reaching up to activate a touchscreen. You can keep it right there with your cup of watered down coffee and peach danish in a plastic bag.

Be kind to the next passenger and wipe that danish off your fingers before pawing your complimentary in-flight Android tablet.… Read more

The folks at Airbnb could probably use a nice relaxing night away from it all, and I have just the place.

Last week was a roller-coaster ride for the company, which connects people looking for a room with people willing to rent theirs out. It started with raising over $100 million in additional financing and ended with a bad PR firestorm as the story of the trashing of one woman's apartment by an Airbnb renter went viral.

Now that it appears a suspect is in custody, perhaps it's time for a company retreat to get away from it all, debrief, and recharge the batteries. Fortunately, there's a place called Costa Rica that I'm pretty sure was invented for just this kind of occasion. And even more fortunate for the folks at Airbnb, one of their users has made this unbelievable treehouse suite available.… Read more

English engineers have produced what is believed to be the world's first printed plane. I'm not talking a nice artsy lithograph of the Wright Bros. first flight. This is a complete, flyable aircraft spit out of a 3D printer.

The SULSA (Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft) is an unmanned air vehicle that emerged, layer by layer, from a nylon laser sintering machine that can fabricate plastic or metal objects. In the case of the SULSA, the wings, access hatches, and the rest of the structure of the plane were all printed.

As if that weren't awesome enough, the entire thing snaps together in minutes, no tools or fasteners required. The electric plane has a wingspan of just under 7 feet and a top speed of 100 mph.… Read more

LEVIGNAC, France--I'm looking up toward the sky at two things you wouldn't expect to be right next to each other. One is the "boulangerie" sign outside the bakery in this tiny French village. The other is the "Airbus A380" logo emblazoned on the protective cover on one end of a segment of giant airplane fuselage.

Why would two such things be next to each other? Because late Friday night, a truck convoy carrying all the major components of the next A380 that Airbus will build--the world's largest passenger plane, a full double-decker … Read more

BLAGNAC, France--What would you do with nearly 6,000 square feet of private airplane?

That's the question I'm asking myself as I look up at what will soon be one of the largest private planes in the world--an Airbus A380 slated for an unknown buyer. Two full decks of luxury in the sky, right in front of me, and sadly, I won't get to see what it looks like.

But I do get to see how A380s are made. As part of Road Trip 2011, I've come here to Airbus' Jean-Luc Lagardere plant, just outside Toulouse, … Read more

MetalStorm: Online is a free--and impressively executed--multiplayer flight sim, but with a potentially frustrating in-game economy and erratically balanced matchmaking.

The interface and basic gameplay of MetalStorm are a joy: with smart use of your accelerometer and a few thumb controls on your "HUD" (arrows for brake and afterburner, buttons for guns and missiles), MetalStorm immerses you effectively in a jet cockpit for a tense dogfight experience, with cinematic music and great-looking terrain to complete the effect. You fly a modern jet equipped with an upgradeable cannon and missiles, and you can duke it out with increasing numbers … Read more

Boeing said late Sunday that ANA, the airline that is the first customer of its 787 Dreamliner, has begun flying test routes in Japan.

In a statement, the aviation giant said that during the step, which it considers a vital one leading to first delivery of the Dreamliner, likely in August or September, ANA pilots flew actual routes in Japan using what it called "airline dispatch and flight rules."

The first 787 landed in Tokyo Sunday at 6:21 a.m. (local time) in front of a thousand ANA employees, press, and airplane fans. The plane is the … Read more