The Epic Elite Is Now The Fastest VLJ In The Sky

Epic Aircraft's twin-engine Elite VLJ flew to Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia to begin an Eastern European demonstration tour, but not before setting the bar for other jets. In test flights over Oregon, the sleek 8 passenger jet consistently logged cruise speeds in excess of 385, making it the undisputed fastest very light jet in the world.Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.SUMMARY: This notice announces the FAA's intent to not re-evaluate aircraft kits previously determined to be eligible for certification as amateur-built aircraft. Although the FAA recently announced its intent to temporarily suspend amateur-built aircraft kit evaluations, this notice announces our intent to not re-evaluate or remove any kits from the agency's current eligibility list as a result of developing new evaluation procedures. Those evaluations were conducted to determine if a prefabricated amateur-built aircraft kit is eligible for certification as an amateur-built aircraft and will continue to remain valid

The supersonic airliner, Concorde, has made a "faultless" maiden flight.The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes before the pilot made the decision to land.The first pilot, Andre Turcat, said on his return to the airport: "Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well."The test flight reached 10,000ft (3,000m), but Concorde's speed never rose above 300mph (480kph). The plane will eventually fly at a speed of 1,300mph (2,080kph).Mr Turcat, his co-pilot and two engineers taxied to the end of the runway at about 1530GMT. Strong winds meant the test flight was in doubt for much of the day.Two previous test flights had to be abandoned because of poor weather conditions.Concorde sped down the runway and there was a spontaneous burst of applause from watching reporters and cameramen as the wheels lifted off the ground.The noise from the four Olympus 593 engines, built jointly by the Bristol division of Rolls Royce and the French Snecma organisation, drowned out any noise from the crowd.Less than half-an-hour later, the aircraft was brought back down to earth using a braking parachute and reverse thrust.The crew emerged at the top of the steps, led by Mr Turcat, who gave the thumbs up signal with each hand.The first British test pilot, Brian Trubshaw, who watched today's flight from the news stand, said, "I was terribly impressed by the way the whole flight was conducted. It was most professional and I would like to congratulate Andre on the way he handled this performance."The British government has so far invested £155 million in the project. It was hoped the Concorde will begin flying commercially in 1973, it the flying time between London and New York from seven hours 40 minutes to three hours 25 minutes.This is so significant because it is the first time the fastest airplane passenger flown in the air

Bravo Delta 1/67 Concorde G-BOAF

A stunning 3-feet long model of the world famous supersonic airliner available for special order!Hand carved from solid, kiln dried mahogany and hand painted this is an highly exclusive model. A superb commemerative model, ideal as a centrepiece for a model aircraft collection display or for a company foyer display. Length 920mm/36¼in, Wingspan 380mm/15in.Upper Picture : 3-feet long Bravo Delta Concorde model.Lower Pictures : One of the last Concorde departures from London Heathrow shown above the 3-feet long model, standing over Bravo

Bravo Delta Airbus A380-800 Virgin Livery

Better display model of the new A380-800 Airbus. Well up to Bravo Delta's normal high standard and finish this is another good size model, measuring 17" in length and with a 18" wingspan. A long lasting and sturdy model excellent for the desk top.

Calm excitement filled the ground control station. Engineers stared intently at their computer screens as the pilot, sitting next to them, flexed his fingers on the controls. Ground crew tending the aircraft finished putting away their equipment. Preparations for the first flight of the unmanned X-48B Blended Wing Body research aircraft were complete. Years of research, design, construction, wind tunnel and ground tests coalesced into this one moment of time.Radios crackled. "Tower, Skyray 48 in position, lakebed runway 23, request clearance for takeoff...""Skyray 48 roger, main base winds 220 at 6, report airborne, lakebed 23...""Wilco""Five, four, three, two, one, brakes..."Quickly, the manta ray-shaped aircraft rolled down the dry lakebed runway trailing a plume of dust as it picked up speed, its three small jet engines whining.With an excitement that only comes with an aircraft's first flight, the triangular red, white and blue X-48B leapt into the air, obviously wanting to fly."Skyray 48's airborne," Boeing pilot Norm Howell called, matter-of-factly. And with that, years of toil blossomed into the sweet fruit of success on July 20, 2007 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB, Calif.One of the latest cutting-edge experimental aircraft, or X-Planes, the X-48B BWB is a collaborative effort of the Boeing Co., NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. The 21-foot wingspan, 500-pound, remotely piloted plane is designed to demonstrate the viability of the blended wing shape. And demonstrate it has.After completion of six flights, the X-48B team began a four-week maintenance and modification period during which removable leading edges with extended slats are being replaced with slatless leading edges in order to mimic a slats-retracted configuration. The change requires a software update to the flight control software. In addition, the team is removing and replacing all of the aircraft's flight control actuators for maintenance purposes.NASA is interested in the potential benefits of the aircraft - increased volume for carrying capacity, efficient aerodynamics for reduced fuel burn, and, possibly, significant reductions in noise due to propulsion integration options. In these initial flights, the principal focus is to validate prior research on the aerodynamic performance and controllability of the shape, including comparisons of flight test data with the extensive database gathered in the wind tunnels at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. The Subsonic Fixed-Wing Project, part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, has long supported the development of the blended wing body concept. It has participated in numerous collaborations with Boeing, as well as several wind tunnel tests for different speed regimes. The team is focused on researching the low-speed characteristics of the design and expanding its flight envelope beyond the limits of current capabilities.In addition to hosting the X-48B flight test and research activities, NASA Dryden is providing engineering and technical support -- expertise garnered from years of operating cutting-edge air vehicles. NASA assists with the hardware and software validation and verification process, the integration and testing of the aircraft systems, and the pilot's ground control station. NASA's range group provides critical telemetry and command and control communications during the flight, while the flight operations group provides a T-34 chase aircraft and essential flight scheduling. Photo and video support complete the effort.The composite-skinned, 8.5 percent scale vehicle can to fly up to 10,000 feet and 120 knots in its low-speed configuration. The aircraft is flown remotely from a ground control station by a pilot using conventional aircraft controls and instrumentation, while looking at a monitor fed by a forward-looking camera on the aircraft.

Guinness World Records has recognized the world speed record set by NASA's hypersonic X-43A aircraft earlier this year in an experimental flight over the Pacific Ocean. Using a scramjet engine, the unpiloted, 12 foot-long aircraft achieved Mach 6.83 -- almost seven times the speed of sound -- or nearly 5,000 mph, in a March 27 flight.The accomplishment will be included in the 2006 Guinness World Records book, set for release this time next year, as follows:"On 27 March 2004, NASA's unmanned Hyper-X (X-43A) airplane reached Mach 6.83, almost seven times the speed of sound. The X-43A was boosted to an altitude of 29,000 m (95,000 ft) by a Pegasus rocket launched from beneath a B52-B aircraft. The revolutionary 'scramjet' aircraft then burned its engine for around 11 seconds during flight over the Pacific Ocean."If NASA researchers have their way, the record won't stand long. The final flight in the Hyper-X program is scheduled to take place in October, when another X-43A aircraft will attempt to fly at Mach 10 -- ten times the speed of sound -- or 7,200 mph.The March 27 flight was part of NASA's Hyper-X program, designed to demonstrate advanced high-speed propulsion system concepts to overcome one of the greatest aeronautical research challenges -- air-breathing hypersonic flight. The advantage of air-breathing flight is that the vehicle, whether it is aircraft or spacecraft, scoops the air its engines need from the atmosphere rather than carrying heavy, bulky tanks, as rockets do.The challenge is to introduce fuel, ignite it and produce positive thrust while highly compressed air rushes through the engine in mere milliseconds -- roughly analogous to lighting a match and keeping it burning in a hurricane-force wind.Compared to rocket-powered vehicles like the Space Shuttle, scramjets promise more airplane-like operations for increased affordability, flexibility and safety in ultra high-speed flights within the atmosphere and into Earth orbit.The X-43A flight easily set a world speed record for an air-breathing engine aircraft. The previous known record was held by a ramjet-powered missile, which achieved slightly more than Mach 5. A ramjet operates by subsonic combustion of fuel in a stream of air compressed by the forward speed of the aircraft itself, as opposed to a normal jet engine, in which the compressor section (the fan blades) compresses the air. A scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is a ramjet engine in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic.The highest speed attained by a rocket-powered airplane, NASA's X-15 aircraft, was Mach 6.7. The fastest air-breathing, manned vehicle, the SR-71, achieved slightly more than Mach 3. The X-43A more than doubled the top speed of the jet-powered SR-71.Guinness World Records' science editor David Hawksett has already expressed an interest in attending the fall flight."Operating an atmospheric vehicle at almost Mach 7 is impressive enough, but to be able to use oxygen from the air, instead of a fuel tank, as it screams into the engine intakes at 5,000 mph is a mind-boggling technical achievement. It's wonderful to see scramjet technology finally begin to take off," said Hawksett.The Hyper-X program is conducted by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate with the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., as lead center with responsibility for hypersonic technology development and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., responsible for flight research and testing.

2010 Toyota Camry

The unexpected reveal of the 2010 Toyota Camry and 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show has left many of us speechless. Speechless as in, we weren't really that surprised to see the next version of the number one selling car in America. The 2010 Camry is expected to go on sale in March.