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New Supersonic Air Force One Development

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California Startup Exosonic Developing Supersonic Air Force One                                                                           Source:  Exosonic Traveling Close to Twice the Speed of Sound California startup Exosonic is working with the US Air Force to develop a supersonic jet to carry the President of the United States.  It's a supersonic version of Air Force One.  Exosonic has secured a contract with the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate (PE) to develop its concept for a Mach 1.8 twin engine SST jet aircraft with a low sonic boom. Travelling at Speeds of 1,381 mph The Exosonic SST is a luxurious business jet for the President and his entourage.  It has 31 passenger seats, private suites for work and rest and leather, quartz and oak fittings.  The vehicle cruises at twice the speed of current aircraft or 1,381 mph. Brand New Technologies The SST Air Force One is a spinoff from Exosonic's 70 seat commercial SST concept.  The Presidential version is expec

Flying Cars To Go Racing in Australia

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  World First in Remote Australia                                                   Source:  Alauda F1 Race in the Sky Alauda Aeronautics of Adelaide, Australia is finalizing the manufacturing of 10 electric, flying car racing vehicles to participate in the world's first flying car race.  These vehicles contain highly advanced technologies never deployed before in e-VTOLs or electric, vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.  The flying racing car eVTOL is called the Airspeeder mk3.  The vehicle has been developed by a team that includes Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Boeing, among others.  The races will get underway this year. First of its Kind Aviation Technologies The Airspeeder has unprecedented, breakthrough innovative technologies.  They include LIDAR and a radar collision avoidance system, that according to the company, creates a "virtual forcefield" around the vehicle to allow for close but safe racing. It has a carbon fiber frame and fuselage which is lightweight but str

Unique e-VTOL Electric Plane-Drone Launch

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  Combination Plane and Drone - Tayln Air                                                  Source:  Talyn Air No Need For an Airport Los Angeles-based Talyn Air has designed a unique e-VTOL, an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle.  The vehicle is a concept that flies like a plane but launches and lands with the assistance of a large drone. The unmanned drone flies the e-VTOL to its flight level where it releases the e-VTOL once its rotors reach a flight sustaining speed. The drone returns to its base to be recharged for another takeoff or landing.  Talyn Air says this system is so efficient it can travel three to five times farther than most other electric planes. Rocket Science Talyn Air was co-founded by two astronauts, Jamie Gull and Evan Mucasey, who both worked on Crew Dragon and the Falcon 9 rocket at SpaceX.  Both of those space vehicles are reusable.  The Talyn system works like a rocket separating the first stage and transitioning to the second stage for forward flig

NASA Helicopter Touches Down on Mars

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  Ingenuity Lands on Mars                            Source:  NASA Ingenuity Landing on Mars First Helicopter on Another Planet NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity is an aviation wonder.  It is the world's first helicopter to land on Mars after being dropped out of its mother ship Perseverance Rover.  The final drop was 4 inches and Ingenuity's legs fully deployed.  The helicopter's first flight is scheduled for April 11 with data on how its systems performed and what it observed on Mars coming back to NASA on April 12.  These history making milestones are occurring 293 million miles away from Earth.  Technological Marvel Ingenuity is a technological marvel.  It weighs just 4 pounds and unfolds like a butterfly.  The vehicle is solar powered and relies on a rechargeable battery to power an internal heater to stay warm during the harshly cold Martian nights that can go down to -130 degrees F.  The helicopter interior needs to be about 45 degrees F to preserve the sensitive

Swiss Robot, COVID, Planes

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  Robots Using UV Light to Sanitize Aircraft                                                            Source: UVeya Test Trials Now Underway Swiss startup UVeya is testing its new robots armed with COVID-19 killing UV light on Swiss passenger planes at Zurich Airport.  The test trials are taking place onboard Embraer jets from Helvetic Airways.  Helvetic is a charter airline service, owned by Swiss billionaire Martin Ebner.  In 2020, Hevetic's business dropped 75% due to fears of flying because of COVID-19.  The hope is that the robot cleaners will reduce people's fear of flying as COVID continues to spread.  The target for the robot is the airline industry. Antidote to COVID on Planes One UVeya robot can disinfect a single aisle plane in thirteen minutes.  Larger planes take longer.  The company has produced three robot prototypes.  The robots are priced starting at $15,930.  They may enjoy a brisk business as governments around the world are requiring new measures to ensure

Japan Leading the Way on Flying Cars

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  Flying Car Testing in the Public Domain by 2022                                        Source:  SkyDrive Flying Cars on the Roads & in the Sky by 2023 The government of Japan is a big believer in the importance of flying cars in the Japanese transportation mix.  In fact, it wants flying cars operational on the roads and in the sky by 2023.  To facilitate that goal, it is allowing public domain testing in 2022.  Clearly, Japan is a global leader in the effort to deploy flying cars. Japanese Collaborative Effort What differentiates Japan is strong collaboration between the government and private companies to bring flying cars into widespread use.  The government wants to deploy flying cars and passenger drones as short distance transportation solutions in cities, rural areas and in disaster relief zones. SkyDrive An outstanding flying car vehicle in the R&D pipeline is being developed by Tokyo-based startup SkyDrive.  The company has successfully completed the first manned flig

1 of World's Top Flying Cars

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  Klein Vision's Flying Car                                           Source: Klein Vision's Air Car Vehicle Goes From Flying to Driving with the Push of a Button Klein Vision of Slovakia has created the AirCar.  The flying car can change from the driving to the flying mode with the press of a button in 3 minutes.  AirCar is a prototype that is still being worked on, but it has been successfully flown over Slovakia with two take-offs and landings.  It is one of the world's most promising flying cars being prepared for commercialization. Tech Specs The AirCar has an estimated range of 621 miles.  It is the invention of Professor Stephan Klein.  The vehicle is powered by a 1.6-liter BMW engine with 140 hp.  It is lightweight at only 2,425 pounds. Klein designed the AirCar for commercial taxi service and for leisure driving and flying.  He envisions a future with airports specifically designed for flying cars and their easy access.  The AirCar is a look at the exciting future