Massive Narrowbody Aircraft Orders Rattle Dubai

After failing to clinch a much-anticipated A380 order from Emirates Airlines and watching Boeing secure additional orders for its 777 and 787s, Airbus unveiled an order for 430 A320 jets from low-cost airline investor Bill Franke’s Indigo Partners worth $49.5 billion based on list prices. This makes it one of the largest single orders in history, at least in terms of aircraft numbers.

continue reading http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/massive-narrowbody-aircraft-orders-rattle-dubai

 http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/11/indigo-partners-doubles-existing-a320neo-family-order.html


http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/11/cdb-aviation-confirms-order--for-90-a320neo-family-aircraft-.html

http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/11/wataniya-airways-to-add-25-a320neo-family-aircraft-.html

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2017-11-15-Boeing-flydubai-Sign-Historic-Deal-for-225-737-MAX-Airplanes 

Geely, Chinese automobile manufacturer, buys Terrafugia flying car company

https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/13/16643342/volvo-geely-terrafugia-flying-car-acquisition

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/volvo-parent-geely-acquires-flying-car-startup-terrafugia/

https://jalopnik.com/volvo-parent-geely-buys-the-flying-car-thats-always-two-1820427641

https://electrek.co/2017/11/14/geely-flying-car-terrafugia/

Experimental X-56A's thin, bendy wings herald a revolution in airliner design

According to NASA, the future of long-range aircraft lies in very long, thin, flexible wings, with a very high aspect ratio, to give same lift than legacy wings, but with less weight and drag. Main problem with this kind of wings is flutter, that destroys them.


Working with Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, NASA has been building and testing UAVs that use active flutter control measures to detect when the vibrations are beginning, and intervene to smooth out them, so that passengers can enjoy their ride while their aircraft is also not tearing itself apart and falling to a fiery doom. Continue reading:
In New Atlas https://newatlas.com/nasa-lockheed-x-56a-anti-flutter/52178/
In NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/highly_flexible_wings_tested.html

NASA's Mars 2020 Mission Performs First Supersonic Parachute Test

Landing on Mars is difficult and not always successful. Well-designed advance testing helps. An ambitious NASA Mars rover mission set to launch in 2020 will rely on a special parachute to slow the spacecraft down as it enters the Martian atmosphere at over 12,000 mph (5.4 kilometers per second). Preparations for this mission have provided, for the first time, dramatic video of the parachute opening at supersonic speed. Continue reading: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2017-294&rn=news.xml&rst=6999

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLTiv_XWHnOZpzQKYC6nLf6M9AuBbng_O8&v=mTAbj8aRVvg