Flying your Bell Ranger in a ball cap is something of a fashion statement. But it lacks that iconic, ant-head panache that until recently only military pilots wearing restricted, government-use-only night vision-equipped helmets could pull off.
(Credit:
Nivisys)
The NVAG-6 Night Vision Goggles change all that. They're the first night vision goggle certified by the FAA for civilian use, according to manufacturer Nivisys. Of course, looks are not what will sell this gear. It's the safety margin they can potentially add to low-light and nighttime flying (PDF).
"This is a historical moment for civil aviator night vision safety. Nivisys is now the first and only company certified for the production of night vision goggles under FAA TSO-C164," said Nivisys CEO Allen Harding.
The unit can be used with fixed and rotary winged aircraft, according to the company. You'll probably want one just to avoiding doing a "Bill Graham," but the company foresees wide use in many after-dark flight operations, such as offshore oil rigging, logging, power line and high-rise work, and search and rescue.
The NVAG-6 comprises a lightweight binocular made of anodized aluminum that can be mounted to a variety of helmets. The 25mm eye relief eyepieces are individually adjustable and even work for operators wearing prescription glasses or contacts. A flip-up base allows for fine tuning for fore/aft adjustments.
The goggles automatically turn off when the helmet mount is flipped up, which prevents tube damage in case of exposure to bright lights. They run on AAs, which are presumably not included.
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HotSeat Chassis)
VRX may have trumped other racing simulators with the "Triple Screen Limited Edition 001," but what about gamers who would rather take their skills to the air? The aptly named HotSeat, which is no stranger to ground racing either, has taken its efforts aloft in a big way with its latest Flight Sim Ultimate Chassis."
In addition to the panoramic view created by its three 22-inch LCDs, the chassis features six speakers, 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, and a custom quad-core PC with 4GB of memory and a 512MB Nvidia graphics card. And Dvice says the FAA-approved software can even count toward 2.5 hours of actual training for a pilot's license. The only catch is the $17,250 price. But if you didn't choke on that, and you're looking for even more nausea-inducing adventure, consider checking out FAO Schwarz's "Morphis ESP" for $300,000.
Apparently putting your iPhone in airplane mode is not the digital equivalent of returning your seatback to the upright position.
Don't try to watch movies on an iPhone if you're flying on ATA.
(Credit: ATA Airlines)A flight attendant for ATA Airlines recently asked a flier watching a movie midflight on the way to Hawaii to shut off his iPhone, not for the perfectly reasonable reason that the man was watching the inane Jennifer-Love Hewitt vehicle I Know What You Did Last Summer, but because you're not allowed to use cell phones inflight. Casey, the iPhone user, told Consumerist that he tried several times to explain to the flight attendant that the iPhone was in "airplane mode," with all the radios disabled. But the flight attendants did not accept that explanation, and continued to insist that FAA regulations prohibit talking on cell phones when the cabin door is closed, despite the fact that Casey wasn't actually talking and the fact they were over the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
As happens with these things, people got huffy, tempers flared, and Casey eventually found himself talking to a few bemused policemen in Hawaii. He reported that the flight attendant changed his story several times, first telling police that the airplane wasn't shielded for any type of electronic device (although apparently everybody else's MP3 players were fine), then telling police the plane wasn't shielded for "ONLY (emphasis his) phones in airplane mode." Casey was allowed to go, and apparently was not sentenced to watch Heartbreakers in its entirety to get a better sense of what might have provoked the flight attendant.
I'm sure there's more to this story. I'm playing a game of phone tag with ATA, and decided to post and update later if I hear back from them. It also brings up a few interesting points.
First of all, "airplane mode" doesn't appear to be a universally defined state of being by the FCC, FAA, the airlines or the mobile phone industry, and perhaps it should. Apple's Web page on the iPhone's airplane mode clearly states, "If you turn on airplane mode, the wireless features of iPhone are disabled, and if allowed by the aircraft operator and applicable laws and regulations (emphasis mine), you can continue to use the non-wireless features after takeoff.
Some airlines explicitly state that you can use a mobile phone in airplane mode over 10,000 feet. Others don't get into it, and just say you can't use mobile phones while in the air. So it might very well be ATA's policy to prohibit the use of mobile phones under any circumstances, just like it's their policy to shoehorn passengers into seats best suited for those under 5 feet tall.
I also wonder if smartphones will eventually force the FAA to make a decision about the use of mobile phones during flights. There may be legitimate reasons to disable wireless networking or calling on airplanes, whether those are technical concerns both in the air and on the ground, or whether it's merely a nod to flyers who don't want to hear one end of a five-hour conversation. But there's an awful lot of things you can do with mobile computers that don't involve wireless networking, from listening to music or watching movies to playing games or even composing documents with an expandable keyboard. As long as people are allowed to use their iPods, laptops, and portable DVD players above 10,000 feet, it seems silly to prohibit the use of a properly silenced smartphone just because it also happens to be a phone.
But we're talking about airlines and the government, so silly things happen all the time. Some consistency on mobile phone usage would be nice from the airline industry, but I'd prefer they figure out an whole new operating model that actually works before taking on matters such as these.
(Credit:
Cyber Defense Systems)
If, on your next flight, you look out the window and see something that resembles a 15-inch, folded cellophane glider zipping by, don't call the USAF crank line. Chances are it's a newly certified Cyberbug.
While unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of all sizes swarm over Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza and other war-torn venues, they are much more restricted in the skies above the United States, especially those that are experimental. For instance, the Cyberbug is the recipient of one of only 12 "Experimental Airworthiness Certificates" (EACs) issued by Federal Aviation Administration, which allows it to be flown in National Air Space, according to Cyber Defense Systems of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Until now, it's been mostly Hamas rocketeers and other assorted jihadis who've had to keep an eye on the sky, but look for a boom in domestic applications to come. For example, the Charles County Sheriff's Office used the Cyberbug to monitor the 12th Annual Southern Maryland "Blessing of the Bikes" for unruly behavior and reportedly found it quite effective.
The Cyberbug comes in three sizes, weighing anywhere from 2.5 to 15 pounds, and can be assembled and launched in minutes. Top speed is 25 mph with a 5-kilometer range.
Now remember, the next time you and junior decide to launch his shop project at the local football field, first pull an EAC from the FAA to fly your UAV in the NAS.
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