Qatar Airways said it won’t take delivery of five A380 super jumbos until the airline knows plane-maker Airbus has a permanent fix for faults in the aircraft’s wings.
From Gizmodo: Never Before Seen World War II Fighter Plane Found in the Sahara Desert After 70 Years
In what historians are calling the aviation equivalent to finding King Tut’s tomb, a World War II fighter plane has been found in the Sahara desert 70 years after it crashed. Even more impressive, the plane is perfectly preserved—it hasn’t been touched and hasn’t even been seen until now. More »
from Gizmodo
From WSJ.com: What’s News US: Space-Taxi Race Gets New Player
ATK?! Â Really?!!!
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A team led by Alliant Techsystems will propose a new space-taxi project it contends could blast U.S. astronauts into orbit two years earlier than competing plans.
From Gizmodo: F-22 Ground Crews Are Also Having Mysterious Breathing Problems
We knew the F-22 has a mysterious problem that causes breathing problems in pilots. Well, the plot is now thickening. It seems that ground crews are having hypoxia-like symptons too and, of course, we don’t have a clue about what’s causing this: More »
from Gizmodo
From Wired Top Stories: Some Pilots Refuse to Fly as Stealth Jet’s Oxygen Problems Worsen
The Air Force’s F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and their faulty oxygen systems are choking their pilots. So now, Maj. Jeremy Gordon and Capt. Josh Wilson, both experienced Raptor fliers with the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing, have refused to fly an airplane that they claim is fatally flawed.
from Wired Top Stories
From Engadget: XCOR Lynx propulsion tech tests well on motorcycle, suborbital trip still pricey
Before parting with $95,000 to secure a spot on the Lynx suborbital flight, you’d want to make sure the spacecraft was safe, right? XCOR doesn’t blame you: it recently tested out its piston pump technology on a Triumph Street Triple motorcycle with great results. Sure, it’s not the same as flying to the edge of space, but the Triumph has the same cylinder arrangement as the Lynx’s liquid oxygen and kerosene fuel pumps and develops a similar amount of horsepower. It’s also loads cheaper than testing in the laboratory. The bike took a 20-hour drive (the equivalent of 400 Lynx flights, according to XCOR) along Route 66 without the piston pump suffering any wear and tear. So if propulsion-related safety concerns — and not the depth of your wallet — were holding you back from nabbing a seat on the Lynx, you might feel a tad more inclined to whip out the plastic now. Head past the break for the full PR, plus a video of the piston-pumped Triumph in action.
from Engadget
From Wired Top Stories: Commercial Space Shuttle Replacements Complete Wind Tunnel Testing
Two of the companies competing in NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program have been busy in the wind tunnel. The overly secretive Blue Origin broke its silence this week with pictures of its unique capsule design and Sierra Nevada Corporation also released news of its Dream Chaser, completing scale-model wind tunnel testing in Texas.
from Wired Top Stories