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Aerospace

NASA Uses Electric Propulsion in Experimental Plane

NASA is researching ideas that could lead to developing an electric propulsion-powered aircraft that would be quieter, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly than today's...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Graphene Composite Could Keep Wings Ice-Free

A thin coating of graphene nanoribbons in epoxy developed at Rice University has proven effective at melting ice on a helicopter blade. The lab melted centimeter-thick ice from a static...

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Articles
Aerospace

Clamoring for More Entertainment

Consumer expectations for information and entertainment are creating big challenges for airlines that need to provide Internet access while providing inflight services that mirror what’s available in the home...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Researchers Advance Propulsion Toward Low-Carbon Aircraft

Just as hybrid or turboelectric power has improved fuel efficiency in cars, boats and trains, aeronautical engineers are exploring how planes can be redesigned and configured with...

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INSIDER
Test & Measurement

NASA Flies Drones in Aircraft Noise Test

Microphones strung together on an unmanned aircraft system runway were used to record the sounds of remotely piloted aircraft flying overhead as part of a NASA project to measure full-scale aircraft...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA Takes First Steps Toward Drone Traffic Management

NASA recently successfully demonstrated rural operations of its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) traffic management (UTM) concept, integrating operator platforms, vehicle performance, and ground infrastructure. The next steps involve further validation through Federal Aviation Administration...

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Materials

New Methods Detect and Predict Fatigue-Related Aircraft Cracks

Researchers are developing tools and technology to detect the formation of cracks in aircraft components and monitor their progression. The team is conducting comprehensive...

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Global Vehicles
Weapons Systems

Engineering a 1000-Mph Car

Engineering a car designed for a 0-1000 mph (1610 km/h) time of 55 seconds is one of the world’s most unlikely, most daunting, and most exciting challenges. That is the task of Mark Chapman, Chief Engineer of...

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INSIDER
Test & Measurement

NASA Studies How Volcanic Ash Affects Airplane Engines

NASA researchers are poring over data from a recent test that involved sending volcanic ash through an airplane engine. The primary issue, according to NASA, is that volcanic ash forms...

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INSIDER
Sensors/Data Acquisition

Army’s “Robo-Raven” UAV Flies with Flapping Wings

In the future, it's possible that some unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) might sport wings that flap like a bird or a butterfly. The Army Research Lab has been testing such a UAV, known as...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Remotely Piloted Plane Bridges Gap Between Wind Tunnel and Crewed Testing

A new modular, subscale remotely piloted aircraft offers NASA researchers more affordable options for developing a wide range of cutting edge aviation and space...

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News
Defense

SABIC Showcases Customizable Sheet, 3D Seat for Aircraft Interiors

SABIC recently showcased various material solutions for aircraft interiors that it believes can help airlines to reduce weight, differentiate their brands, minimize costs,...

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INSIDER
Software

"Fused Reality" Combines Simulation and Flying to Train Pilots

There are two ways for pilots to gain proficiency in an airplane and evaluate its handling qualities: climb into the cockpit and take off, or practice in a ground-based simulator....

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Researchers Urge Changes to Design of Commercial Aircraft Engines

Virginia Tech researchers are urging changes in how commercial aircraft engines are designed in the wake of a possible new threat to passenger aircraft safety: drones, or...

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News
Defense

Aircraft Advances in Landing Gear, Brakes, and Tires

Two books from SAE International detail advancements in aircraft landing gear, as well as aircraft brakes and tires. Advances in Aircraft Landing Gear is a collection of 11 hand-picked...

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News
Defense

TRB Turns Composites Focus to Aerospace Sector

TRB Lightweight Structures Ltd. recently released an aerospace-grade lightweight honeycomb composite panel designed for interior applications, expanding the application areas for its range of...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Crash Test Helps Improve Emergency Response

NASA’s Langley Research Center hoisted a Cessna 172 aircraft 100 feet into the air by cables and released it. The plane plummeted onto a slab of dirt in a violent but controlled experiment that will...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Database Could Make Airport Ground Movements Quicker and Greener

Growth in air traffic and passenger numbers has led to warnings that airports could become bottlenecks in the global air transportation system. Ensuring efficient movement of...

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News
Aerospace

Lifting 3D Printing to New Heights

Whether it’s through 3D printing jet engine fuel nozzles by the thousands or validating metal rocket injectors for space flight, aerospace has consistently proven itself to be on the cutting edge of the...

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Articles
Aerospace

Let the Good Times Continue to Roll

It is hard to imagine just how radical the change in fortunes for the world’s major commercial aerospace manufacturers has been in the last few years. Just ten years ago the smart money in aerospace pointed...

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Articles
Defense

Big Data, Aircraft, and a Better Future

The hype phrase today is “Big Data.” It is a phrase Mark Bünger, Research Director for Lux Research, believes can have a number of definitions depending on who is doing the defining. Bünger was...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA System Would Enable Unmanned Aircraft to Fly in US Airspace

NASA, working with government and industry partners, is testing a system that would make it possible for unmanned aircraft to fly routine operations in United States airspace. The...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA Tests Aircraft Wing Coatings that Slough Bug Guts

Bug guts create drag, and drag increases fuel consumption. But aircraft of the future could be made more fuel-efficient with non-stick coatings NASA recently tested on Boeing’s...

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Articles
Aerospace

Regional and Bizjets Refined and Redefined

There is definitely a degree of overlap in the regional and business jet sectors, both in terms of airframes and the engines that power them. At the high end of the market are aircraft such as the...

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Articles
Aerospace

Air-Ground Communications System Aims to Make Flying Safer

Reliance on old-fashioned radio contact by pilots and vulnerable tracking systems is still high, but satellites are set to change sky safety, thanks to international collaboration. The...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Researchers Create Jet Fuel Compounds From Fungus

Washington State University researchers have found a way to make jet fuel from a common black fungus found in decaying leaves, soil, and rotting fruit. They used Aspergillus carbonarius ITEM...

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INSIDER
Test & Measurement

NASA Tests Green Aviation Technology

Two NASA experiments designed to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions will fly this spring on a specially outfitted Boeing 757 airplane called the ecoDemonstrator. One includes 31 small devices that...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Airflow Model Could Reduce Time on the Tarmac

New research could lead to more efficient takeoffs on airport runways and improve safety. A mathematical tool was developed to calculate the flow of turbulent air produced by a plane’s wing tips...

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Articles
Propulsion

Fanjet Evolution — the Next Steps

The global aerospace sector has always represented the cutting edge of practical technology advancement. When the first military jet engines emerged in the post-war 1940s it was clear that commercial...

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