Inventions of tomorrow

The KC-46A Pegasus Has Landed

2015-04-15T21:16:00.003-07:00


(Courtesy US Air Force)

(Courtesy US Air Force)

The Air Force has recently announced that Tinker Air Force Base, Seymour-Johnson AFB, Westover Air Reserve Base, and Grissom ARB, are all possible bases for the first fleet of KC-46A Pegasus refuelers. The Air Force first awarded the contract to Boeing in 2011 with Boeing set to deliver the first 18 of 179 aircraft by 2017, as of now it looks like the first tankers will be arriving around fiscal 2019. The first successful test flight was completed back in Dec. 28th 2014.
With a flight deck packed with modern glass and advanced avionics, these new tankers look sleek and highly capable to take over the KC-135's mission well into the future. The capability to refuel multiple aircraft and the slick fly-by-wire boom will give the new war fighter the cutting edge they need.
Specs:
Width: 156ft
Length: 165 ft
Height: 52 ft
Max Takeoff Weight: 415,000 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 212,219 lbs
Engines: Two Pratt and Whitney PW4062 with 65,000 lbf thrust
Max Landing Weight: 310,000 lbs
Max Airspeed: .86 mach (650 mph)

2 Million Hours Down

2011-02-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Boeing C-17 surpassed a 2 million hr milestone on December 10th as it broke ground over Bagram airfield in lovely Afghanistan. That number is staggering until I think about all the man hours I spent fixing that beast and how much the Air Force fly's them. Overall the C-17 is a really advanced and powereful airplane that sometimes just needs the power to be reset and a couple of tires kicked. I'm sure we can expect to see the 3 million mark soon.

Boeings A160T Hummingbird

2011-01-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

When I think of a hummingbird, I think of a small sleek bird that beats his wings fast enough to hover all day drinking nectar. Boeing's idea of a Hummingbird is an advanced UAV that has a range of 2,500 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 30, 000 ft, 10, 000 more than conventional helicopters. She can speed along at 140 knots with a max of 180 and can carry up 2,500 lbs of cargo. Pretty impressive for a little hummingbird....

The Phantom Ray Flown to Edwards AFB to begin testing.

2011-01-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

Catching a ride on the back of NASA's 747, the Phantom Ray will start high speed taxi tests at Edwards AFB with the first flight taking place early this year. The Ray concept had been drafted up a decade ago by the famous Boeing Phantom Works and was finally built in a quick two years. The unmanned Ray has a 50 ft wingspan and cruises at 0.8 mach just under the speed of sound with a 40,000 ft operating altitude. The high tech UAV is powered by a GE F404-GE-102D turbo fan engine that can produce up to 17,700 pounds of thrust. Another great system designed to support the war fighter on the ground and save lives.

Meet the JetLev-Flyer

2011-01-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to take this bad boy out on the lake and do some flying. The JetLev-Flyer uses a 250 hp engine to push low pressure, high volume water through it's two fly by wire nozzles. You can cruise around the lake for 1-2 hours depending on how much you rap on the throttle. With up to 500 lbf of thrust and a maximum service ceiling of 28 ft, this thing is cool. Go check out the flyer here Click and watch some videos.

Have you seen the Jetman loop?

2011-01-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

In 2006 Yves Rossy became the first to fly a jet powered wing. As his career progresses, so do his great achievements. In 2008 Rossy took his jet-wing to the skies over the English Channel and in that instant became a legend as he landed on the other side. His latest achievement can be seen here on the Jetman's website Loop Video as he performs the first jet-wing loop ever. Individuals like Yves Rossy are the ones that inspire and spur innovation in flight, he has proven to be an amazing aviator.

Spaceport America

2011-01-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) is currently building the worlds first commercially built spaceport and it's almost operational! With an elaborate building design that looks like it could suddenly rise from the dirt and take off, Virgin Galactics commander in chief Richard Branson's dreams are becoming reality. The 225 million dollar project is well underway and should be done in late 2011. If you want to reserve a seat your going to have to cough up a 20,000 dollar deposit and a space ticket price of 200,000. I think I will start saving today!

140 mph Parajet Automotive

2010-12-29T11:04:00.000-08:00

The Sky Car took its first maiden flight back in September 2008 and started accepting purchase orders in 2009. In drive mode this thing is fast! 0-60 in just 4.2 secs and she has a top speed of 140 mph! In flight mode she does 100 mph and a take off speed of 37 mph. In my opinion this machine is far more superior than I-Tecs Maverick in styling, airspeed and range. With all new technologies, the price tag is a little high but hopefully the price will fall with demand.

Ripsaw Tank!

2010-12-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already seen Black Ops Brothers on the Discovery Channel you need to watch it! This show is as cool as it gets and the vehicles they build are even cooler. The Ripsaw is the fastest tracked vehicle in the world speeding past 60 mph and can be configured for manned or unmanned operation. I love the styling, strength and innovation this brings to the UGV market. I can't wait to see this on the battlefield and saving our soldiers lives. Keep up the good work boys, I'll be watching.

Personal Air Land Vehicle

2010-12-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Started in 1999, PAL-V Europe NV pushes the envelope with a solid gyrocopter/carver inspired design. There has not been too much information released recently as to when we can expect a working prototype. I strongly believe that gyrocopter technology is the future in a flyable car. It has been around long before the Helicopter ever took flight and it is safer than fixed wing aircraft. With gyro's the rotor is free spinning and is not powered by an engine. Thrust comes from a pusher propeller in the rear that moves the aircraft along at around 120 mph. The ability to land on a dime and not stall is something fixed wings could only dream of.

The ICON A5

2010-12-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have already seen this cool light sport aircraft floating around the web and I wanted to show it to those who have not. ICON was founded in 2005 by Kirk Hawkins a former F-16 pilot who served in the U.S. Air Force. What a great looking aircraft, the lines are fast and the field of view is wide. With the ability to land on water or pavement you will be able to explore remote lakes far away from any civilization. What a great way to spend a weekend camping and fishing or maybe just flying the whole time!

The X-51A is the new face of the Air Force

2010-12-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

With the number of unmanned aircraft being produced rapidly by our nations Air Force it is only a matter of time until scramjet technology will be implemented. The Air Force has found their prototype and it set a new record in May of 2010 at a slow speed of mach 5. I feel this is the future of supersonic flight and soon you will be sitting in a first class seat in San Fransisco on your way to London and be there in little over an hour. No more 10-14 hr trips to Europe and no more stale peanuts, they won't have time to go bad.

Floating Pistons?

2009-04-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

What the heck is a floating piston? Well, a floating piston is literally a stroke of genius. Connect to pistons together with a single rod and you have yourself a floating piston. This type of engine is as efficient as most fuel cells. It produces electricity by moving a permanent magnet back and forth over coils surrounding the rod. The first engine was built by this man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Pateras_Pescara . It's been around for decades and we are just now unlocking its potential. This type of hybrid efficiency could be used in automobiles and I think could do very well in light hybrid aircraft.

Hybid Semi-Truck!

2009-03-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

The picture of the vehicle at the top of my page is a rough draft of a hybrid semi that I designed. If you study your standard big rig, you will soon notice the inefficient aerodynamics that plague these type of trucks. Companies like Peterbilt have built a good hybrid, but still the basic structure has not changed much since the early 1900's. The answer is a more aerodynamic body with good hybrid capabilities. Change the position of the driver, put him way up front like an F-16 pilot. Give him cameras instead of rear view mirrors for backing and blind spots. Slim down the front and gradually slope the fuselage back to the trailer. I basically took an airfoil and turned it sideways to slip through the air. If you could reduce drag by even 10 or 20% the money saved would be extraordinary. I understand that these vehicles don't go 120 mph, but they do cruise at around 70-80. I've been next to trucks that are literally hauling! We design aircraft to have minimal drag, why don't we build trucks that way? Less drag equals more money in the pockets of companies and less fuel used.

Start Today!!

2009-02-27T00:52:00.000-08:00

Do you have an idea that has potential? If you do, the first thing to do is WRITE it down! Illustrate a rough sketch and write a detailed description, then sign and date it. You can't let time go by if you believe you really have something. You need to do whatever it takes to turn your thoughts into reality. Don't let anyone and I mean anyone tell you your idea is not good enough, that is for you and your research to decide. For me, I take an idea and I bring it to life by designing a 3D model on my computer. There are so many different types of software these days, some expensive, others free! If your a college student with a valid college E-mail address, you can access some free trail software for a year. Check it out! http://students6.autodesk.com/?nd=home After working your idea out on paper or computer, the next big thing is to protect it. If you think obtaining a patent is out of your reach, your mistaken. Anyone can file for a patent or trademark, it takes time and extreme effort on your part. There are great books at your local library on how to start a patent application by yourself. Look into it.