Everything Else
News: Martin Jetpack Climbs to 5,000 Feet Above Sea Level
As of right now, Guinness World Records claims that the highest human flight with a rocket belt is 152 feet, accomplished by Eric Scott in 2004. But they may need to update their records soon thanks to Martin Aircraft Company in New Zealand, whose Martin Jetpack finally showed the world it can fly—really fly.
News: Jetman Does Acrobatics in the Sky
Looks like Yves Rossy is getting better at flying (his previous stunt sent him plummeting into the Atlantic). Other than some slight initial engine trouble, last week's record breaking aerial loops went off without a hitch. Watch below. Rossy's site states:
News: Space Tourism, Here We Come!
A family vacation to Mars might be in the not-too-distant horizon, with the first successful manned solo flight of Virgin Atlantic's VSS Enterprise this past Sunday morning. Taking off from the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, the commercial spaceship separated from its mothership at an altitude of 45,000 feet, piloted by Pete Siebold and Mike Alsbury for a period of eleven minutes before safe landing.
News: The World's First Victorious Human-Powered Ornithopter
A major milestone in aviation occurred this past August, when the human-powered Snowbird, an aircraft made of carbon fiber and balsa wood, achieved the first successful flight of its kind.
News: Real Life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: World's First Wonkavator
Charlie, Willy Wonka and Grandpa Joe's soul-stirring ride in the Wonkavator (Wonka's glass-bottomed elevator) was one of the most magical moments of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If you can't recall, here's the scene (ride begins at 3:15): Wonka: An elevator can only go up and down, but the Wonkavator can go sideways, and slantways, and longways, and backways...
News: Rocket-Powered Helicopter Drinks Hair Bleach, Emits Water
In the market for a personal helicopter but anxious about increasing your carbon footprint? Pick up a peroxide-powered single-seater like Avimech International's Dragonfly and chop till you drop. WIRED's Autopia blog reports,
News: Hello, Mach 6! Hypersonic Scramjet Shatters Speed Records
Holy *&@!... imagine flying faster than a speeding bullet. Or traveling at 1 mile per SECOND. Or being propelled 6 X the speed of sound.
News: Shhh, Don't Tell the Neighbors
This is one serious secret door. In fact, you can hardly call it a door, being it is the entire exterior of a house(!)
News: Chopper Brothers Build Haiti's First DIY Helicopter
Three Haitian brothers, with no training of any kind, have constructed a working, flying helicopter. Total cost? 45,000 Haitian dollars, which comes out to approximately 1100 American bucks. Their chopper is the first helicopter to every be produced in Haiti.
News: $27K and Climbing- Bid Quick For Your Own Personal Hovercraft
Via Urlesque, "Designed by New Zealand inventor and mechanic Rudy Heema, the fiberglass WIG is all hover, all the time, until it hits 70kph at which point it starts to fly... The auction runs through next Saturday, so act quickly if you want to be ready for church."
News: Up, Up & Away - Get Your Own Jet Pack for $75K
The age of personal flight has finally arrived. You can now purchase your very own jet pack for the extremely high price of $75,000. The Martin Aircraft Company Jetpack gets 30 miles to the tank, sails along at 60 mph, and can reach heights of almost 8,000 feet. Oh, and bonus: since it weighs less than 254 pounds, you won't need a pilot's license to operate. Previously, NASA's Wicked Cool Take on the Classic Jetpack.
News: Build-It-Yourself Airplane for $2000
Shell out a mere two grand and you can build yourself your very own operating airplane. Back in 1928, Bernard H. Pietenpol decided everybody should have the option of personal flight. So Pietenpol drew up the plans for the Pietenpol AirCamper, and guess what? His family is still selling the plans for it.
News: NASA's Wicked Cool Take on the Classic Jetpack
NASA recently unveiled the ultimate sci-fi geek's transport dream: the Puffin, an electric vehicle that takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane (at 140 mph). Did I mention "boost mode"? Hit that button, and this baby can speed up to nearly 300 mph.
News: Jetman Flys Over Atlantic with DIY Wings - Plummets!
Yves Rossy, AKA Jetman, attempted to fly across the Atantic from Morocco to Spain yesterday. His homemade, jet powered wings "span 8 feet and are powered by four kerosene-fueled jet engines."
News: Chinese Farmer Builds Psycho-Copter From Scratch
There's been a lot of craziness from the far East lately on WonderHowTo... A Chinese farmer builds an army of robots, a Thai baker makes horror movie-esque bodies out of bread, a Chinese James Bond enthusiast hacks together his own submarine, and don't forget the Japanese cooking show narrated by a poodle named Francis...