Concorde Une Fois

[KLA2]

The first, aircraft manufacturer EADS's Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport (ZEHST), will be powered by biofuel made from seaweed, carrying passengers above the Earth's atmosphere and dramatically cutting flight times.

EADS says the plane's three engine types -- conventional jets, rockets and supersonic "ramjets" -- will allow it to speed at Mach 4, around 5,000 kmh.

That would cut the journey time from Paris to Tokyo from its current 11 hours to less than 2.5 hours.

There is a catch: The plane is not due to take-off until 2050.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation ... ?hpt=hp_c1

Uh. Huh.

I am still waiting for my flying car.

Hell, even Mactep will be 60 by then.

[Enzo]

I'll be a distant memory... or not...

[rmercure]

Slight highjack: "Stand and remember:" The "Flymo" lawnmower if you will (or won't). Pulled one of these wonders out a trashpile the other day - installed a new power cord and handle (this al deck but a chromed steel handled that rusted apart) - and it whirred up while neatly cutting the lawn. Of course being a hover craft whose only off setting "thrust" was my grasp on the handle I can see how this would would tend produce "digitwurst" or, worse, "toe jam" with a slightly careless user (the ever-so-fashionable steel toed boots came out for this one). But, just for "zuch's" I turned the handle straight up (it will drive from either side), drove four vertical bamboo post guides in strategic places, plugged up a six foot power cord (when I "replaced" the old cord I installed a male "IEC" connector - having an infinite supply from recycled computer power supplies it both allows "trimming" the cord the needed length and also prevent cord tripping since it pulls out), stood in the center of the machine and flipped the switch. The danged thing just barely cleared the grass but after flipping it over and twisting the blades into more of a propeller shape I managed to rise about 3/8 - 1/2" on pavement for a few minutes before I smelled hot insulation!!!!

But I dood it! I actualy experienced a personal "flying car" before I kicked off - something that I had totally despaired. Now were I to live somewhere perfectly flat that I controlled, have a slightly larger motor that would fit along wth a side thrust motor, and some way to reasonably feed power (the electric powered locomotive parrellegram-type over head assembly and a couple of cabled that I could secure at least two feet above me head (I could get the overhead pick up and cables from an old coal mine shuttle car - still fairly common around here if you can find one where the copper hasn't been stripped off) I'd make a little 100 yard play track just for the hell of it if I could find someone to help me put up the cables (having my bamboo patch I've always got far too many light heavy duty poles that I need to do "something" with - just the winter kill from the past three years gave me around 90 2.5-3" thick 28' poles a great part of which I had the town haul off on their brush day.).

Anyway, just hadda tell you my flying car tale.

Rob

[tubeswell]

I know its an old thread but what the heck, Rob's post reminded me of this:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5384756 ... raft-death

[KLA2]

That is very sad. But given that

Dr Senior had a PhD in mechanical engineering and he had been designing and building the hovercraft for six to seven years.

he should probably have known better.