airplane

Sky Hummer: The AVX Flying SUV

The Hummer may be going the way of the dinosaurs but a new, improved version is on the way – and it flies.The AVX Aircraft Company's new airborne SUV, a sort of Hummer with retractable wings, or a helicopter with wheels if you prefer, was originally designed for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The AVX (above) does everything a Hummer can do with the addition of Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capability. The four-person all-terrain vehicle converts from road to flight mode in a mere 60 seconds, has a cruising speed equivalent to a light aircraft and features automated takeoff / landing flight control. With a payload of 1,040 lbs., it has a range of 250 nautical miles on one tank of fuel and can cruise at an altitude of 10,000 ft. fully laden. The AVX can do an impressive 80 mph on the ground and hits 140 mph in the air. We're holding out for the luxury version with a full leather and wood interior.

[via JamesList]

Tags: aircraft, airplane, ATV, AVX, helicopter, Hummer, private jet, SUV

22 Ct Gold Leaf Airplane Trolley

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wings

Everything is better when gilded in gold, right? Designer Günter Hammersfahr seems to think so as he's come up with this gold-plated airplane trolley for SkyPak that could be fun for use in a private jet or in your home for keeping drinks handy while entertaining. The design is made using a real used airplane trolley that's covered meticulously by hand leaf by leaf in 22ct gold foil. They offer both brand new trolleys and used ones that have actually flown and been used and have the character dents to prove it. This gold version sells for $4,290 but if it's not quite your taste they have plenty of other trolley designs to choose from starting at $1600.

Gallery: Designer Airplane Trolleys from Skypac

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Tags: airplane, cart, entertaining, gold, trolley

MySky Aircraft Available For Order

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

MySky Aircraft, Inc., developer of the MS-1 second-generation light sport aircraft, has announced that orders are now being accepted for the new airplane. The first deliveries of production models are expected in November, 2010. The all-composite plane has a fighter-style bubble canopy and a side stick control. It has a cruise speed of 120 knots with a range of 636 nautical miles.

The MS-1 Mentor model comes equipped with front panel flight and engine instruments, ELT, nav lights and wing tip strobes, and has a base price of $124,500. The MS-1 Elite is equipped with the MySky Flight Information Center in both front and back panel, back up analog airspeed and altimeter indicators, magnetic compass, Garmin VHF com with intercom, and GTX-327 encoding transponder. The base price of the MS-1 Elite is $132,500. Upgrade options are available, including Porsche-style leather-and-rosewood interior, AmSafe seat belts with airbags, night flight package, and flight automation options. MS-1 customers may secure their positions on a first come, first served basis with a refundable deposit of $3000.

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Tags: aircraft, airplane, plane

Aeroyacht 110 by Wally Comes with Icon A5 Plane

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wings

Gregor Tarjan, designer of the Aeroyacht 110, a superfast 110-ft. catamaran equipped with an Icon A5 exploration airplane, has commissioned Monegasque yachtbuilder Wally to construct the avant-garde craft. Representing the first model of a sleek, new range "embodying the ultimate high-performance, supremely styled world yacht," the Aeroyacht 110 will be one of the largest composite multihulls in the world. As standard equipment the craft will come fitted with a two seat Icon A5 amphibious, retractable and fold-able sports plane, launched and retrieved from a specially designed pod. The yacht, which is expected to do 35 knots at full speed, will be ready for delivery in 2011.

Tags: airplane, catamaran, Icon A5, IconA5, Wally, yacht

Piaggio Planning a New Ferrari Jet

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wings

Piaggio chief executive Alberto Galassi just announced that plans are finally in place for a new Ferrari jet based on the Avanti turboprop plane (above) at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. Piaggio, which is partly owned by Ferrari and is licensed to use its prancing horse logo, says its shareholders in Abu Dhabi and India are backing the project but declined to release many details. "I promise you one thing, this [will be] a beautiful airplane," Galassi said. "You would not expect anything more from Italian style and Ferrari."

They're not taking orders yet, however. "Who wants to hear about a new airplane, take orders and then wait 10 years for delivery?" Galassi asked. "You don't see Ferrari announcing a new model and then spending years developing it. Ferrari designs the car, builds it and then launches it. I want us to be close to first flight and with the latest technology before we tell people about it." He also joked, "It costs the same to design an ugly aircraft as it does a beautiful one, so we have the beautiful one."

[via JamesList]

Tags: airplane, EBACE, Ferrari, Italian style, ItalianStyle, Italy, jet, Piaggio, turboprop

PiperJet Has Its First Flight

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

We first wrote about the PiperJet back in 2006, the small plane is the first pure, jet-powered, turbofan design in the company's 71-year history. The pane has now made its first flight from Piper Headquarters in Vero Beach, Florida. The plane flew for one hour, reaching a maximum altitude of 10,500 feet and a speed of 160 KTAS as per the flight test plan. The PiperJet is powered by a single Williams FJ44-3AP engine and is set to carry six passengers with an option for a seventh or an enclosable lavatory. It will have a range of 1,300 nautical miles and a full-fuel payload of 800 lbs. The jet is priced from $2.199 million and will be certified to a maximum operating altitude of 35,000 feet. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011.

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Tags: airplane, jet, piper, piperjet, small plane, SmallPlane

Japan Airlines Unveiles New First Class and Business Class Seats

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Japan Airlines (JAL) has created a new suite for JAL first class and a new seat for their business class which they will be introducing on US routes. The airline will launch the JAL Suite in first class and the JAL Shell Flat Neo Seat in business class when the airline introduces new 777-300ER aircraft on US routes, starting with the Tokyo - New York route on August 1, 2008.

The suitse in JAL First Class are 20% more spacious than the airline's current seat in first class and only suites are available in the JAL First Class cabin set in a 1-2-1 configuration. The suite includes a seat upholstered in gray leather which converts into a full-flat bed. In the 180° position the seat combines with an ottoman located at the opposite end of the compartment to create one of the largest and widest, most comfortable sleeping areas in first class. When the seat is in the upright position, the ottoman can be used as a seat for a guest. The sliding table can be placed between the seat and ottoman. Passengers, seated in the pair of suites who are traveling together can lower privacy partitions located between them. Each suite comes with Bose noise-cancelling headphones and a personal 19-inch personal TV screen and stowage spaces for bags and small items and a laptop power point. Those in the suites can also whatever they like off the menu whenever they would like with choices of Japanese or Western full-course menus. For sleeping a cabin attendant can place a Tempur-Pedic mattress on the seat bed along with a down comforter and a pillow a well as offer special JAL loungewear.

The new business class seat reclines to 171 degrees and has a 15.4 inch personal TV screen. The business class cabin also features the "Sky Gallery," one wall of the cabin shows a a photographic exhibition that will be regularly changed over the year. The first exhibit, in collaboration with Fuji Film, will be a series of photographs of forests in Japan entitled 'Forest Forever'. The gallery will be located directly opposite a self-service bar counter, where passengers can enjoy snacks and beverages at anytime.

Gallery: Japan Airlines New Seats

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Tags: airplane, flight, japan airlines, JapanAirlines, plane

Gulfstream Announces Biggest, Fastest Private Jet Yet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Gulfstream has announced their fastest business-class jet ever. The new G650 jet can fly nearly as fast as the speed of sound, .85 Mach and is their biggest plane to date. It will have a nautical range of 7,000 nautical miles meaning it can fly nonstop from Los Angeles to London. The plane will cost $59.5 million and is aimed at the highest end of the private jet market. The Savannah, Georgia-based company plans to begin test flights next year and will start deliveries in 2012.

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Tags: airplane, g650, gulfstream, private jet, PrivateJet, wings

8 Reasons to Get A Private Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

I hardly think that anybody with the means to fly in a private jet versus a public plane has need of being convinced which is better, but just in case this list of 8 reasons to get a private jet will certainly seal the deal. Massages, gourmet coffee and catered meals are just the beginning. Forget leg room and a lap tray, on your own plane you can have luxury sleeping arrangements (your own huge bed) and all kinds of other conveniences like wireless internet access, big screen televisions, and even a better view out the windows.

I was convinced at "massages."

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Tags: air travel, airplane, AirTravel, jet, plane, private, travel, traveling, wings

Gobosh Aviation Introduces Luxury Sport Aircraft

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Gobosh Aviation unveiled a new luxury sport aircraft at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida last month. The new 800XP is an all -composite Light Sport Aircraft which will be manufactured in the Czech Republic. It has a Dynon ERIS-D100 glass cockpit and an airframe parachute system. The top of the line 800XP Elite+ Edition is designed fro the private owner and has leather seats, Garmin 396 with XMWX capabilites, Bose headset jacks and much more. The Elite+ Edition starts at around $130,000.

[via General Aviation News]

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Tags: aircraft, airplane, gobosh, gobosh aviation, light sport aircraft

Could the Airbus A380 Get Even Bigger?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The Airbus 380 is barely into its official reign as the ruler of the skies and Airbus is already planning a bigger model. Airbus says that the A380-900 would be able to carry as many as 900 passengers in a single-class configuration. The current configuration seats 500 to 800 depending on the configuration. Development on the supersized version of the already supersized jet would start in 2010, after the A380 reaches full production.

Of course, Emirates is already getting their deep pockets ready to buy this plane too. Their plan is to likely outfit the plane with around 750 seats so that it would have both premium and first-class accommodations for higher-paying passengers. There is also the possibility that other carriers could go in the opposite direction, putting as many as 1,000 seats on the plane. The new plane will likely be ready in 2015.

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Tags: a380, airbus, airplane, expire-images:2008-11-18, jet, jumbo jet

Dallas Billionaire's Jet Does Double Duty

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Sports

Dallas billionaire and sports team owner, Tom Hicks is able to do something a lot of other billionaire sports owners are not, he gets double duty from his new Boeing 757. Not only is his hockey team, the Dallas Stars using the plane but his baseball team, the Texas Rangers, will use the same plane once their season comes around. The plane probably won't be too much help for his other sports ownerships, Mesquite Championship Rodeo and 50 percent of the English football (soccer) team Liverpool FC.

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Tags: airplane, baseball, boeing 757, dallas, expire-images:2008-10-25, hockey, sports, tom hicks

Google Founders Get Yet Another New Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Those Google guys must really be into over-sized private jets, because they're at it again! Apparently having 3 private jets, including a Boeing 767, with landing rights on NASA's Moffett Airfield wasn't good enough for them as they've now added a Boeing 757 to their ever-growing fleet.

Although smaller than the 767 they already have, obviously the 757 is still a large aircraft. Why does Google need so much in the way of wings? Who knows really, but a move like this sure is to get people talking.

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Tags: 757, 767, air, airplane, boeing, boeing 757, boeing 767, Boeing757, Boeing767, google, jet, jets, NASA, plane, private, private jet, private jets, PrivateJet, PrivateJets

The Spice Girls Posh Plane

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Celebrity Shopping

This isn't the actual plane the Spice Girls have leased for their upcoming world tour, but the real deal will likely look quite similar. Nicknamed Spice Force One, the Boeing 757 that will carry the reunited girl group around the globe will sport official Spice Girl reunion artwork on the fuselage and interior accommodations fit for both diva and child. In addition to a makeup parlor and a creche, the plane will be outfitted with a dining room, business center, state-of-the-art bathrooms, a media center and sleeping quarters.

Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell will all travel aboard the flying palace with their families, management, assistants and bodyguards. Also on board will be chefs, nannies and assorted VIP types. Dancers, staff and stage hands won't be roughing it either, making their way to the tour stops aboard two other jets - Spice Force Two and Three. All told, the Spice Girls will reportedly spend between £7million and £10million moving themselves and their entourage around the world for their highly-anticipated reunion tour, which kicks off December 2 in Vancouver.

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Tags: airplane, boeing 757, Boeing757, plane, spice-force-one, spice-girls, spice-girls-plane, spice-girls-tour, spice-girls-tour-plane

Luxury Luggage: Style Meets Airlines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Luxury Travel & Hotels

What kind of luggage you carried used to be a simple choice of personal style and durability, but in the post 9/11 world things are different. Regulations for air travel are not only much stricter than they used to be, but they're also changing all the time. Having a set of luggage that you both love and can use/is in compliance for more than one trip is a valuable thing these days!

But thankfully the luggage market is stepping up the the challenge, especially the brands with upscale globe-trotting clientele bases. They're coming out with bags that are lighter than ever, tougher than ever, and of course, more stylish than ever. Many companies are even providing carry-on essentials like ziplock plastic bags and appropriately sized plastic bottles. And that's helpful, seriously.

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Tags: air travel, airline, airlines, airplane, airplanes, AirTravel, bag, bags, luggage, plane, planes, travel