flight

En route home, Endeavour soars over Golden Gate Bridge

SAUSALITO, Calif. -- With thousands of fans looking on from around the San Francisco Bay, the space shuttle Endeavour soared over the Golden Gate Bridge this morning en route to its final home in Los Angeles.

After taking off a little after 8 a.m. PT from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Mojave Desert, and piggybacked on top of a specially-outfitted Boeing 747, Endeavour made its way north to Sacramento and then turned west toward San Francisco. The journey was a farewell tour for what was called the "Baby" space shuttle, a replacement for the ill-fated Challenger, which exploded after liftoff in 1986. Endeavour made 25 launches during its lifetime, the first in 1992, the last in May 2011. … Read more

Gogo quietly hikes up its in-flight Wi-Fi prices

It's kind of strange timing for Gogo to quietly raise its in-flight Internet prices -- with airplane Wi-Fi usually being frustrating rather than helpful and JetBlue just announcing it's offering it for free -- but according to PandoDaily, the wireless service has upped their costs.

In what used to be $17.95 for Wi-Fi on a long flight on Virgin America now costs at least $30. Because rather than offering a one-time flight pass, Gogo is now charging by the hour. One hour of in-flight wireless costs $10, so a cross-country flight could be about $60. That's … Read more

JetBlue to launch fast free in-flight Wi-Fi in 2013

JetBlue will begin offering free in-flight Wi-Fi that is supposedly faster than anything its competitors have, according to The Verge.

An internal company e-mail recently sent updated employees about the new high-speed wireless plans that should be hitting the fleet in the first quarter of 2013. The official announcement is expected to be made at the World Low Cost Airlines Conference this week, but The Verge got a copy of the e-mail today.

Here are some more details from the e-mail:… Read more

American Airlines pilots to use iPads for flight manuals

American Airlines will be the first commercial carrier to have all of its pilots replace their paper-based reference flying manuals with Apple's iPad.

The airline announced today that it received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to "to use the Apple iPad in the cockpit during all phases of flight."

All pilots fly with a kitbag that contains necessary flight information, navigation charts, and reference materials for when they're in the air. American is dubbing its new kitbag with the iPad an "Electronic Flight Bag." Switching from paper manuals to the iPad will save … Read more

FAA may change in-flight gadget rules

Keep your seat belt fastened for Tuesday's tech news roundup:

The Federal Aviation Administration has formed a committee to reconsider its policy on when electronics can be turned on during a flight. But this does not include making a cellphone call, so no worries about noisy neighbors. This group will look into how (or if) today's smartphones and tablets interfere with communication and instruments, and perhaps future electronics could have some new certification standard that marks it as safe for use during a flight.

Android users might have to thank the Apple vs. Samsung trial for speeding up … Read more

FAA could reconsider electronic device policy for flights

Airline passengers may soon be able to use their smartphones and tablets during flights with fewer interruptions.

The Federal Aviation Administration has formed a committee to reconsider its policy on when electronic devices can be turned on during a flight.

"With so many different types of devices available, we recognize that this is an issue of consumer interest," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement released today. "Safety is our highest priority, and we must set appropriate standards as we help the industry consider when passengers can use the latest technologies safely during a flight." … Read more

In Mojave, the world's most exciting planes take flight

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif.--It's hard to imagine a more complete -- and impressive -- collection of aviation facilities and aircraft anywhere on the planet than the one in this vast, arid, wide-open wasteland northeast of Los Angeles.

Thanks to its endless amounts of dry, flat terrain, useless to most people, and the fact that there are only a few ways in -- vital for security -- the Mojave is, and has long been, the beating heart of the aviation world. It's here that Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier. And where Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne ushered in … Read more

Flight+ has a ton of flight tracking tools

When you're taking a vacation or just picking up mom at the airport, a flight tracking app can be an invaluable tool. Indeed, I've downloaded more than my share with Mobiata's FlightTrack Pro holding its place one of my top picks. Recently, though, I discovered a more comprehensive app called Flight+. Developed by International Airport Flight Track Technologies, Flight+ combines flight tracking with a trip diary and an airline/airport information hub. It's complete, slickly designed, and for an airline geek, almost perfect.

Before I get started, though, it's pretty irritating that you have to … Read more

At NASA Dryden, the futuristic X-48C gets ready to fly

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.--If you want to know what the future of airplane design looks like, you might have to make your way out to the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Tucked away inside a nondescript warehouse building at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center here, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, and Cranfield Aerospace are working on an entirely new kind of plane, one which they hope could someday revolutionize aviation.

Known as a hybrid wing body, the plane design, which NASA describes as a cross between a conventional plane and a flying wing design, is … Read more

Free summer travel apps for iOS

Summer is here in the northern hemisphere and many probably already have their vacation plans set for a short getaway to enjoy the weather. But if you haven't made any plans yet, I've gathered up some highly rated apps to help you get out of town.

This week's collection of apps will help you plan the perfect trip. The first is a popular app that checks for the best flights to your chosen destination and looks for the best deals. The second will help you find the best food in your location once you get there. The third is a mapping and guide app that lets you download the information so you'll never get lost -- even when you have no connection on your iPhone.… Read more