Newer buildings place outlets with the ground at the top, as general code, so this may not work in the future. The reason being is pretty simple: If a plug is not pushed in all of the way, and the 2 parallel pieces are on top, it is very simple to drop something conductive, like a paperclip, across them, and short…

The Citation is a spotting aircraft, like a forward air controller, he is probably a half mile to a mile abreast the drop here.

I love how cutting a USB cable and taping it to 9 volt battery snap is probably considered hacking to some people. I wish people who have no expertise in electronics, would stop doing this dumb shit. I have an electronics degree, and this kind of crap makes me cringe.

This is a terrible idea. Do not do this. No regulation or protection circuitry. Get a protected lipo cell (not a pack) and a proper charger.

This guy literally just hooks up a USB cable to 4 AA's with no resistor or regulation circuitry. Thats 6 volts instead of 5. NiMH may be 1.2v nominal but they can reach 1.5 hot off the charger. Go ahead and try this if you want to burn out your expensive devices.

Legend has it that ever since that flight, the president of Boeing meets the test pilot right as he is about to board the newest passenger plane for it's maiden flight and reminds the pilot, "No Barrel Rolls".

The Boeing 707 wasn't designed to do stunts, but Tex Johnson did a barrel roll with it on its maiden flight anyway to impress customers. A legend in his spare time.

The next thing I'd look at is aerodynamics. NASCAR cars have a spoiler on them, which are like the opposite of an airplane wing. An airplane flies because, as it moves forward and wind rushes over the wings, the wings throw air down. By throwing air down they generate lift that keeps the airplane in the air. Car…

>A Boeing 747 taking off right next to your head is much quieter

So we are finally starting to (publicly) see the results of the DARPA Autonomous Car challenges.

What an awesome video! That was so cool. :)

You're right about the pinger being pretty limited in range. I don't know how powerful it is, but if it has to run on a battery for 30 days then I have to assume it isn't very powerful at all.

There is also a strong correlation between range and frequency - I would bet…

Anything and everything that shows up at the annual Valdez STOL competition

former P-3 pilot here. I just want to clear up some misconceptions about our mighty Maritime Patrol Hunter.

MAD is a secondary or tertiary method at best. It requires a metal object to influence the magnetic lines of force created by the earth, so it needs a target that is made of ferrous metal. A Boeing 777 has…

Not sure where you're getting your information from but feel free to listen to the actual audio of his Mayday call: http://www.lohud.com/article/201401…

When you're this adamant and rude about something, you should try to be right. You're correct that is direct drive and there's no transmission, but it's not hard for airflow to drive the prop enough to overcome an engine's compression when the engine has been starved of either fuel or spark. If the engine is starved…

FAR 91,3(b) in any declared emergency, the PIC has the right to deviate from any rule but (c) states that any such deviation must upon request from FAA write written report as to why.

Last time this happened, whether it was Gawker site I read it on or elsewhere, they said that as long as it is an emergency it isn't illegal. Though still likely costs the owner/pilot a good chunk of change. I'm assuming there are still potential fines and the typical cleanup/removal of the plane fees to look forward…

I don't know about New York but here in Alaska Its perfectly legal for a small aircraft to land on a public highway in case of emergency