boeing

Here at Geek Gestalt, every day is different. The world of geek culture is broad--sometimes bewilderingly so. A typical year's coverage can easily include stories on everything from Burning Man to Lego, aviation to 3D printing, NASA to tech startups, MythBusters to Pixar movies, and so on.

That makes coming up with predictions for next year in culture a difficult task--but we're here to serve, so that's just we're offering. Of course, trying to settle on just five ideas for 2012 means leaving a lot of things out.

Still, prognosticating culture's next steps meant talking … Read more

Starting in the spring, the Hummingbird will be on sentry duty in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army is getting ready to deploy a trio of prototype A160 Hummingbird drones as it evaluates the aircraft for a more full-fledged development program. One key characteristic that sets these unmanned air vehicles apart from others, such as the Predator, already more famously serving in the war zone is that the Hummingbirds are rotorcraft--that is, they fly like helicopters rather than planes.

The Hummingbirds will be equipped with DARPA's Argus-IS sensor system, which features a 1.8-gigapixel color camera--gear that the Army a … Read more

In 2011, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner carried passengers for the first time, and the space shuttle landed for the final time.

For aviation buffs and aerospace junkies, those were the signature events of the year. In the case of the shuttle, there were actually three such moments, and each time we got more verklempt: Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis all flew their final missions. But as the door closes on that 30-year piece in history, a window is opening to private space ventures like SpaceX and the newly unveiled Stratolaunch effort from Paul Allen and Burt Rutan.

Boeing got a lot … Read more

Boeing said today that it has received FAA certification for its flagship 747-8 Intercontinental, putting the plane on course for first delivery to its launch partner Lufthansa "early next year."

The company said the certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration "validates that the design of the 747-8 Intercontinental is compliant with all aviation regulatory requirements and the production system can produce a safe and reliable airplane, conforming to the airplane's design."

The aviation giant first unveiled the Intercontinental last February, and the plane made its first flight last March 20.

The new 747 … Read more

It's been only two weeks since taking paying passengers skyward for the first time, but Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has already had its first mechanical glitch.

According to published reports, Boeing and All Nippon Airways--the Dreamliner's launch customer--are investigating a landing-gear deployment problem that hit ANA's first 787 on Sunday. The pilots of the next-generation plane had to "deploy the landing gear using a manual backup system," Reuters reported, "after an indicator lamp suggested the wheels were not properly down."

No passengers were injured, and the plane is said to have already been … Read more

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--Boeing will process its proposed CST-100 commercial manned spacecraft in a now-vacant space shuttle processing hangar--a first-of-its-kind deal valued at up to $50 million in state incentives, facility upgrades and financing, officials said Monday.

Using Orbiter Processing Facility No. 3 next to the Kennedy Space Center's huge Vehicle Assembly Building, Boeing expects to eventually bring up to 450 jobs to Florida's Space Coast, producing a flight-ready capsule by 2015. That's assuming the program is fully funded by Congress and Boeing's design wins NASA development contracts.

"Today, I'm happy to announce … Read more

After years of waiting, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is finally flying passengers.

With an All Nippon Airways charter flight yesterday from Tokyo to Hong Kong the Dreamliner commercial era began, and not a moment too soon.

As anyone who follows aviation knows, the new airplane is one of the most anticipated in history, largely because it is made from composite materials and promises airline customers better fuel efficiency than almost any other plane in the sky. But while excitement for the aircraft is high, there is also a lot of eyes on it because of the fact that it has … Read more

TOKYO--Boeing's long-delayed 787 Dreamliner jet finally began commercial service here today, taking off from Tokyo's Narita airport at 12:42 p.m. on a charter flight to Hong Kong with some 230 passengers.

Operator All Nippon Airways (ANA) will have seven Dreamliners in its fleet by the end of December, ANA President Shinichiro Ito told those attending a press conference marking the event, which included a ceremonial breaking of a barrel of sake.

After receipt in September, ANA is the first airline to operate the plane, billed as the first to be made mostly of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. ANA will start regular 787 services November 1, linking Tokyo with regional Japanese cities Okayama and Hiroshima, and long-haul Europe services with a flight to Frankfurt on January 21.

Boeing has called the much-ballyhooed Dreamliner "the first all-new airplane of the 21st century." It's supposed to use up to 20 percent less fuel than earlier generations of Boeing jets because about half of its main structure is made of composite materials. … Read more

After years of delays, and several months of preparations, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is about to make its first commercial flight.

If all goes according to plan, All Nippon Airways--the first Dreamliner customer--will initiate 787 service next Wednesday on a regularly scheduled flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong, USA Today reported Friday.

The flight is planned to take place a month to the day after Boeing handed over the first Dreamliner to ANA at a rain-soaked but gala celebration at the aviation giant's mammoth Everett, Wash., assembly facility.

Though the handoff was probably the most important event in the … Read more