Slashdot Mirror

lba writes "Boeing's plans to offer broadband on their planes (as in this earlier /. article) gets into the next phase... BBC News has a story about them now getting FCC approval for this project. Protoypes of Connexion, as the service is called, would be installed on Lufthansa planes in about a year. Three US Airline companies canceled their support for the project last November."

gilgsn writes: "From Yahoo News: Boeing is working with a light airplane manufacturer in Spain on a fuel cell powered plane. The efficiency of electric motors, with their reliability, acceleration, lack of vibrations and noise has a lot to offer to general aviation. The project aims at exploring environmentally friendly modes of propulsion. I can easily imagine a hybrid aircraft using fuel cell technology for take-off and altitude gain, coupled with solar cells to sustain flight. I hope a kitplane manufacturer in the United States will read this. I can't wait to fly a fuel cell powered ultralight!" CD: The question is can a fuel cell deliver enough energy for a flight long enough to be practical.

John Warden, architect of the Gulf war air campaign, believes that by 2025 90% of combat aircraft will be unmanned. Next spring, the first armed aircraft without pilot, the X-45A UCAV will make its maiden flight. Replacing the pilot by a ground controller cuts the price of each unit by two-thirds, and makes it easier to transport. The Economist has more, and states 'the decision to fire weapons should be made by a human, to reduce the risk of "friendly fire."' This is not logical: Since the planes can be networked and thus know each other's relative positions, preventing friendly fire is a much simpler problem than the visual recognition required to determine what to shoot at, unless you don't mind hitting non-military targets. I wonder what Asimov would think.