Gearfuse

I know a lot of you out there are nuts about flying. It’s an expensive hobby, but someone’s got to do it. How else would I be able to get to Bangladesh? If you’re crazy about flying and I mean straight loony about it, then you won’t be afraid to learn how to fly all by yourself. Just kidding. No one in their right mind would let you jump into the cockpit of a plane without hours of experience behind a simulator. That’s where the CAE 7000 Series full-flight simulators come in.

British Airways Executive Club members have access to these top-of-the-line simulators which offer a wrap-around display, seating for a full cockpit crew, automated vocal warnings and full motion feedback. Even better – if you decide you want one in your home, it only costs fourteen million dollars to have CAE install and maintain it for you. Start saving now, because we both know that Microsoft Flight Simulator and Afterburner aren’t getting you anywhere. Neither will this thing, but it’s a better start.

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Scientists at Boeing have developed a hijack-proof piloting system, designed to make it impossible to crash the plane into buildings or ground. The feature would be activated either by a simple switch, in close range, or through door sensors which could sense when the cockpit door was forcefully opened (which we think would lead to many false alarms). Once triggered, no one on board would be able to deactivate the system.

The system, witch was patented secretly through Boeing last week, will connect security services and ground control through radio waves and GPS systems, which would then allow the plane to be piloted remotely from the ground, acting like a sophisticated model airplane. The plane can then be landed at a militairy base or a commercial airport using an autoland system. The key to the feature is that once it is on, no one on the plane is in control of the destination anymore. The system is planned to be fully integrated into planes within the next three years. — Andrew Dobrow

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