Bob Bogash's diatribe spells out the saga of a corporate trainwreck regarding the Boeing 787 widebody project, his readers responding with a slew of theories. Bob, incidentally, was a manager at Boeing's commercial group. The Boeing 787 rollout was celebrated in 2007 right here on MeFi when the prototype was rolled out. Two years later the plane remains grounded with development costs approaching $10 billion, and Boeing announced further setbacks in a conference call yesterday. The hobbyists and pros and the press weigh in on the news. Bob's site not only addresses the 787 program but raises larger questions about oblique technical and management dichotomies in America's Fortune 500 board rooms.
posted by crapmatic on Jul 23, 2009 - 44 comments

Ultra-High Bypass (UHB) or "propfan" jet engines received attention in the late eighties as an economical and greener alternative to currrent GTF and ATF jet technologies. Adoption was partially prevented by industry fears that the external propellers would being seen as a step backwards. Evidently, General Electric and NASA are reinvesting in the technology.
posted by ...possums on Jul 9, 2009 - 29 comments

Today Boeing completed the first test flight of a commercial jet-liner using a mix of conventional jet-fuel and a fuel created from algae and the african weed jatropha. Boeing hopes that biofueled flights will be common in just three years.
posted by Artw on Jan 8, 2009 - 28 comments

If Wile E. Coyote entered the Tour de France, this would be his ride. Brought to you by some guy who always wanted to be a human missile. No word if he's going to move from eBay to Acme one day. (The bike running briefly at ear-shredding volume. The slightly more elegant European version. And, of course, Jeremy Clarkson on a jet-powered bike with a pretty basket in front.)
posted by maudlin on May 28, 2008 - 25 comments

Wednesday morning plane pr0n.
posted by saladin on Dec 19, 2007 - 46 comments

Ever wonder what all those instruments and controls on the Boeing 777's flight deck do? How about all the stuff on the rest of the plane? Photographer and former United Airlines employee Jerome Meriweather brings you flight deck simulations, aircraft cutaways, and random technical information for a handful of civilian and military planes.
posted by grouse on Feb 1, 2007 - 26 comments

Watch as the jet blast from a 747 tosses cars as if they are toys! Would Flight 77 Have Really Thrown Cars & People Off The Highway? Perhaps.
posted by augustweed on May 22, 2006 - 73 comments

[NewsFilter] Landing Gear Redux: Another airliner with stuck landing gear--this time a Nike corporate jet--may be forced to make an emergency landing, like that JetBlue airliner back in September. Story developing.
posted by fandango_matt on Nov 21, 2005 - 36 comments

Wood burning jet engine Lots more fun from the folks at Nye Thermodynamics
posted by warbaby on May 26, 2005 - 13 comments

Journey Through a Jet Engine [flash]
posted by srboisvert on Mar 13, 2005 - 13 comments

suck squeeze bang blow (SFW)
posted by jonah on Jan 20, 2005 - 22 comments

Oh, the fun things a man can build with $10,000! "Some folks like to take their time on the can. Not Paul Stender. When the 43-year-old former pit mechanic feels the need for speed, he straps himself into his jet-engine-equipped toilet and roars off, trailing flame."
posted by miss lynnster on Jan 1, 2005 - 9 comments

Build your own ramjet for under $60.
posted by clockwork on Oct 1, 2004 - 8 comments

Veepfilter: The well-kept secret about Kerry's running mate might just have broken... on an aviation message board, of all places.
posted by moonbird on Jul 5, 2004 - 171 comments

Buy a Flight Manual, Get a Grand Jury Subpoena? A guy qualified to fly and instruct on the Boeing 737 buys a CD on Ebay that contains the ground course for the same plane. Then the FBI gets involved, and, courtesy of section 501 (d) of the "USA Patriot Act", he can no longer even discuss the issue. [more inside]
posted by Irontom on Dec 23, 2002 - 24 comments

You're the king of a small african nation. You have an annual health budget of $15 million. Two-thirds of the people in your nation are HIV positive, and two-thirds are living below the poverty line. What do you do? Why, you buy a $31 million private jet, of course!
posted by Reggie452 on Jul 8, 2002 - 27 comments

"Writer William Langewiesche, a pilot in his own right, explains why a jet packed with 217 passengers plunged 33,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean in the dead of night--and why it took so long for the U.S. and Egyptian governments to issue an explanation. Using black-box transcripts and radar records, Langewiesche meticulously reconstructs the last minutes of the so-called suicide flight. In a feat of storytelling, he reveals the nasty combination of politics and culture clashes that delayed the official investigation."
posted by semmi on May 3, 2002 - 25 comments

Remember the missing boeing? Well, the man behind that revelation has now come out with a book that will blow all previous conspiracy theories out of the water. (and by conspiracy theories i don't mean 9/11 - but also who shot JFK, etc). Interesting way to get rich.
posted by dabitch on Mar 18, 2002 - 18 comments

Speaking of famous people and religion, Jet Li talks about religion, and his views on them.

"...upon closer inspection, the underlying heart and central principle in every religion is the same. Every religion boils down to love, to a respect for all living things, to choosing peace over violence as a means of resolving a conflict."

posted by jcterminal on Sep 29, 2001 - 13 comments

For the CEO who has everything... how about a 1985 Toyota MR2 powered by 3 turbojet engines? You start it with a leaf blower. Seller says it is "probably street legal except for this little 'excessive noise' issue". Up for grabs at eBay, currently $7,700 will take this baby home!
posted by JParker on Mar 7, 2001 - 4 comments