NASA revealed the Lockheed Martin X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft today at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The team will use the data collected to revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound.
Photo credit: Seanathan Bates
Remember the Alaska Airlines emergency a few days ago? Someone apparently lost their iPhone when the emergency door / window blew out and it landed on Barnes Road in Portland, Oregon, where game designer Seanathan Bates tumbled upon the device.
The all-electric Moog x NASA air taxi successfully completed phase 2 of its acoustic hover test this past summer at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio. NASA’s team collected data from the eVTOL during departure, landing, and while it hovered at 60 feet, while a Moog operator remotely piloted the aircraft from a nearby ground station.
When you think of helicopters, the words uncrewed and autonomous don’t usually come to mind, that is unless, you’re talking about the Rotor R550X. It’s based on the Robinson R44 platform and comes equipped to lift heavy loads up to 1,212 lbs (550 kg) in all weather conditions.
Rolls-Royce successfully tested their UltraFan jet engine to maximum power at its facility in Derby, UK. Even more impressive is the fact that Rolls-Royce performed the initial stage of the test using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Joby Aviation’s electric air taxi successfully performed an exhibition flight around New York City yesterday, marking the first time ever that it has flown in an urban setting. This eVTOL was engineered to have a dramatically lower acoustic footprint than today’s helicopters, allowing it to operate in densely populated areas.