Even if you’re excited to be getting away, flying is frustrating and stressful. We’ve seen too many news stories about overly stressed passengers freaking out and punching each other over something as simple as an armrest or a reclined chair.

The Soarigami won’t put an end to all in-plane disputes, but it will help cut down on scuffles over shared armrests. The folding armrest divider is the spitting image of a paper airplane and fits onto the armrest to give you and your next-door seat buddy separate spots to rest your elbows.

The designers were inspired to create the Soarigami when a bout of designer’s block struck. Folding up a discarded design into a paper airplane and letting it sail away provided the spark needed to create the clever armrest add-on.

The small origami-inspired design takes up hardly any weight or space at all; it’s flat until you need it. Then you just fold it into shape and snap it onto the armrest to separate you from the hairy forearm sitting next to you. Soarigami will be available for pre-order in early 2015.

The post Simple Folding Divider Ends Airplane Armrest Disputes first appeared on Gajitz.

In certain areas of the world, the ground transport infrastructure is so poor (or nonexistent) that getting goods to people who need them is as good as impossible. UK-based company 4X4 Aviation sees a way to correct that problem with the monster of a cargo plane they call the VV-Plane. The VV (or Versatile Vehicle) Plane features 16 tilting electric fans that allow for vertical take-off and landing, eliminating the need for airports and runways.

According to the company, the unusual plane would greatly reduce the costs associated with moving goods, making it possible to deliver food, supplies, and equipment to even the most remote places which are unreachable by roads. The cost to weight ratio would be lower even than that of trucks, making the VV-Plane a viable alternative for areas that do have solid existing road infrastructures.

The plane’s four groups of four electrically-powered fans are powered by an integrated combustion engine generator which sends energy to an on-board storage system. The fans are pointed down during take-off to provide lift, then pointed backward while in flight for forward thrust. While similar tilting fan systems require a lot of energy and heavy equipment, 4X4 Aviation say that they’ve developed a new system to make the entire outfit affordable.

The VV-Plane is equipped to carry up to 33 tons of cargo and can even carry a standard cargo container. This is a crucial point because the plane could pick up the containers at sea ports and move them inland easier and for a lower cost than trucks could. The company is seeking investors to help develop their cost- and energy-efficient technology, so there’s no word yet on when we might start seeing VV-Planes hauling our cargo through the sky.

The post Green VTOL Drone Could Take Freight Transport to the Sky first appeared on Gajitz.

You know those tiny porthole-type windows that people clamber to sit next to on airplanes? Their very presence can make a long flight seem a bit more bearable, but they add considerable weight and drag to the plane itself. Spike Aerospace is planning to build a supersonic jet that will take passengers from New York to London in under four hours, and a lack of windows is partially to thank for this incredible speed.

The standard airplane can fly at around 567 miles per hour. Spike Aerospace‘s S-512, however, will cruise at speeds of 1,060 up to 1,370 miles per hour. Its extreme performance can be attributed to its advanced engine and and body technology – and its lack of windows.

Instead of windows, the S-512 jet will feature curved digital screens running the entire length of the passenger compartment. Cameras on the outside of the plane can give a real-time view of the surroundings, or passengers can choose to watch other pre-recorded scenic views.

The advanced design technology that went into designing the S-512 also makes it incredibly fuel efficient, making the jet an eco-friendlier way to fly. Its speed will make it attractive to businesses that need to shuttle their executives around the globe quickly and often. The S-512 is expected to hit the market sometime in late 2018 with whopping price tag of £48 million – or around $80.6 million US (at the time of publication).

The post Supersonic Jet Gains Speed by Ditching the Little Windows first appeared on Gajitz.

Ordinarily when you think of mashing up a car and an airplane, you think about making a car that flies. That’s not exactly the notion that hit police officer Jeff Bloch when he came upon a vintage abandoned Cessna, however. He decided to cut off the wings, add the bottom of a van, and make the whole thing into a bizarre driving plane. The contraption is named Spirit of LeMons, and it was built to compete in a race called 24 Hours of LeMons, an event where unusual and falling-apart cars get on the racetrack and do the best they can.

Bloch modified the vehicle to make it street-legal, giving it headlights, brake lights and turn signals. He’s got the proper plates and insurance to ensure that he can legally drive his crazy car around. According to Bloch, people will follow him for miles when he’s driving the Spirit of LeMons just for the chance to talk to him and find out more about his decidedly unusual mode of transportation. In the near future Bloch wants to drive the vehicle cross-country; we can only imagine how many followers they’ll accrue on that trip.

The post Grounded Airplane is Still Able to Fly Around the Racetrack first appeared on Gajitz.

Frequent flyers know what a pain it is to peel off those sticky luggage tags after a trip. British Airways feel your pain and they’ve decided to try out something completely different: personal electronic luggage tags that you never have to remove. The tags have a battery life of about five years, so they can accompany your luggage on many travels without ever having to be replaced. When you check in at the airport, you can hold down a smartphone provided by the airline to sync your ticket to your luggage data. The small screen on the electronic luggage tag changes to include all of your information encoded in a personalized barcode. A paper printout also shows you the details so you know the tag was encoded correctly.

The information stays on the electronic screens all throughout your trip, so at check-in, departure and collection your tag will still have your flight information, just as it would if you were using sticky plastic tags. When you check in for a different flight the barcode and screen information changes. It stays on the screen but the battery shuts off, meaning that it isn’t using battery power the entire time. As such, the tags can be used over and over. The suits at BA feel that this and other innovations will help streamline the air travel process, making it less of a headache for everyone involved.

The post Sticky Luggage Tags Get a 21st Century Digital Upgrade first appeared on Gajitz.