Last Sunday, Boeing, Virgin Atlantic and GE Aviation partnered up for the first commercial aviation flight using a sustainable fuel from biomass, mixed with traditional kerosene-based jet fuel. The Virgin Atlantic 747-400 flew using a biofuel blend of babassu oil and coconut oil provided by Seattle-based Imperium Renewables. The babassu nuts and coconuts used in the fuel were harvested from existing, mature plantations and no modifications were made to either the aircraft or its engines. Earlier this year an Airbus 380 flew using a synthetic liquid fuel processed from natural gas. Boeing is planning to use findings from this flight toward helping it plan another biofuel flight later this year with Air New Zealand.

Not everyone sees this first flight as a breakthrough. Wired covers some of the backlash; some environmentalists have called the flight a publicity stunt saying that Virgin is not interested in doing anything substantial toward reducing the airline industry's carbon footprint. Also, there is a growing controversy regarding the environmental benefits of biofuels since using these crops for fuel will drive up food costs and contribute to deforestation. Luckily Branson's got another trick up his sleeve. They are looking at algae as the next biofuel.

This week, eBay saw the sale of a truly unique item, Boeing's Sky Commuter concept. The 400-pound car is a one-of-a-kind remnant of Boeing's 1980s program that was chasing the Holy Grail of the flying car. The Sky Commuter reportedly crashed before it got ten feet off the ground, so of the three prototypes, just the one used for PR purposes survived. It sold for $131,700 on eBay. The winning bidder has said the Sky Commuter will go to a museum. The article from Aero-News Network also references the great red hope of flying cars, the Moller Sky Car, and quotes the seller of the Sky Commuter as saying that the Moller Sky Car project was "recently abandoned after decades of hype." Is this true? The Moller website still seems active.

I've often written about the luxurious Emirates Airlines which operates out of Dubai, now they are expanding at a rapid rate with the announcement of the largest aircraft commitment made by any airline at one time. Fueled by high oil prices and a rapidly booming tourism industries, Emirates has been booming which shows in a $34.9 billion deal that includes orders from both Airbus and Boeing. The deal was announced at the Dubai Airshow and will include 120 Airbus A350s, 11 A380s, and 12 Boeing 777-300Ers. Emirates also comfirmed that they still want the eight A380s they ordered earlier this year and ordered three more bringing their total order of A380s to 58. Their total orders now number 246 aircraft worth a total of over $60 billion dollars.

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.

Google is getting more and more famous for spoiling and splurging on its employees every day it seems. A couple of years ago the two founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, made headlines when they purchased a used Boeing 767 which they converted to a large customized private jet. Now they're making headlines again as they have negotiated a $1.3 million deal to with NASA to both use the Moffett Field runway and to have parking spaces for Google's over-sized private Boeing jet and 2 other smaller jets. The Google execs get an exclusive parking spot within mere minutes of headquarters, and NASA gets both the annual income and the chance to put scientists on board Google flights for research purposes.

All the other high rollers in the area are just drooling with envy.

Need to get someplace in a hurry? Forbes has your back.

Planes made by Dessault, Cessna and Gulfstream offer luxury and speed, most of them traveling at speeds above Mach 0.9 while providing an internet connection and TVs pumping DVD playback or a satellite steam. The Cessna Citation X tops the list, hitting Mach 0.92 and climbing to 43,000 feet in just 30 minutes, followed by planes such as the Gulfstream G550 and G450, which offer perks ranging from lighting sensors to security systems.

On the big commercial passenger jet side, the Boeing 747-8, part of Lufthansa and Emirates Airlines fleets and the Boeing 777, flying for British Airways and airlines, fly at speeds of 650 miles per hour while seating a whopping 400 people or more.

Click through to see a slideshow of the world's fastst passenger jets.

[Source: Forbes]

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which we heard about last October, just might be the fastest selling airplane in aviation history. It seems like all the big dogs want one, the latest being Hong Kong real estate tycoon Joseph Lau with his $153 million dollar 787 Dreamliner VIP Edition order. Once completed the Boeing will have 2,400+ square feet of luxurious space filled with amenities like vaulted ceilings, spiral staircases, and video wall displays.

And on a related note, new pictures have been released of the even bigger 4,786 sq foot 747 Dreamliner, complete with Skyloft feature. Gorgeous!

As is the case with just about everything else in the luxury market, including yachts and homes, private airplanes are getting bigger and more impressive all the time. Instead of sticking with little six-seaters, jumbo jets that are made to carry hundreds of passengers on long-haul flights are being made over to carry only a handful of people in total comfort. Many are owned by companies and used to ferry around important clients, but some are owned by individuals.

The smaller jets include planes like the Boeing 737 and 747, of which there are around 40 privately configured jets, but the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner is going to be one of the best planes money can buy. The Dreamliner will have only 35 seats, as opposed to about 300 as a commercial plane, and most of them will double as beds. The rest of the interior is up to the buyer. Dreamliners will start at about $150 million and will be released in 2008.

I am grateful to the aerospace industry for so many things: Airbus, NASA, SkyMall magazine ...

But I am especially grateful to the aerospace industry for its use of titanium, the space-age metal that used in airplane construction. Simultaneously unbreakable, indefatigable, corrosion-proof and ultralight, titanium is also totally dope.

Equally dope is Seven Cycles of Watertown, Massachusetts, which has been making bicycle frames from titanium since 1997.

With summer around the bend, I've got a jones for the IMX, Seven's flagship  titanium/carbon mountain bike. The frame alone is $3,395. Steep, yes. But think of it like the two-wheeled equivalent of a tailor-made suit.

That $3,395 includes custom sizing, yes, but it also includes dialed-in custom handling and ride characteristics (do you want Cadillac comfortable? Formula-1fast?). Decal choice is also part of the deal, as is making sure the frame is compatible with the exact components you choose.

In other words, the aerospace-quality bike frame you get is an honest-to-god one-of-a-kind.

Can you say that for a Boeing 747? I didn't think so.