Update: 18 March - The first vertical landing took place today when pilot Graham Tomlinson landed the BF-01 to a square of only 95sq.ft in the runway in Patuxent River NAS.

17 March - Today the BF-01 prototype of F-35 made its first hover in flight and also its first short take off. This is a major milestone and accomplishment to the program and it paves the way to the most difficult task to be tested, the vertical landing. Read below for more information and videos.

Read more ..

Most people associate aviation in Czech republic with Aero Vodochody but there are other engineering firms like the relatively new Evector which is known for its small sports airplanes and is now making a step to bigger aircraft with the EV-55. The new twin turboprop aircraft is getting ready for the official roll-out in the end of the month and it should make its first flight later this year.

Read more ..

This amazingly restored Toyota FJ is the work of the small company that Jonathan Ward founded in California. The company is called TLC and with its small staff restores old Toyota Land Cruisers (the FJ40 series) by hand with the best available techniques and after market materials. The result is the ICON FJ-series and it is a fully customized modern interpretation of the iconic off-road model.

Read more ..

Tadano is a Japanese company that produces cranes and construction machinery. Last year the company celebrated its 60th birthday with a four leg robotic crane with two arms. The Robot is called Robotops.

Read more ..

There is nothing new with a modified 911 but RGT-8 by RUF is very special. Instead of the usual flat-6 there is a longitudinally mounted V8 in the back and this isn't a simple engine swap from a Panamera or a Cayenne, RUF developed its own V8 which has very impressive specs and is specially suited to the special layout of 911.

Read more ..

Akiyoshi Takagi, a 36-year-old architect from Japan designed this 8-apartment block especially for residents who have a special place for the motorcycle in their lifestyle. Every apartment has its own separate garage in the ground floor which is connected to the respected apartment above it.

Read more ..

Clarence "Kelly" Johnson would have celebrated his 100th birthday three days ago if he still was with us, his name is pretty well known to anyone with an interest in aviation. He founded the legendary 'Skunk Works' department for Lockheed that designed under his command innovative and revolutionary aircraft like the U-2, F-104, SR-71 (photo above), F-117 and more. Apart from aeronautics he is famous for his administrative work and method that is mostly summarized by his motto: "Be quick, be quiet, and be on time." He also established a set of 'rules' that formed the modus operandi of his department and although specific in some areas, could be useful even today in a broad spectrum of fields. The rules first appeared when Skunk Works was working on the XP-80 in 1943 and were officially established in the early '50s.

Read more ..

If there is something more trendy than hybrids in the automotive world that should be the range extended electric vehicles. They seem to combine all the advantages of an electric car (quiet, clean, good acceleration, ease of use etc) without the risk of stuck in the middle of nowhere with empty batteries or wait some hours from then to charge when in hurry. Audi has already show 2 'e-tron' concepts but the 3rd one, this A1 e-tron is the most realistic and also the most clever. It is basically an electric vehicle, powered by an array of Li-ion batteries but there is a small internal combustion engine in the back and it is a one-rotor Wankel unit!.

Read more ..

Tigerfish Aviation is about to introduce a groundbreaking innovation for planes operating from water. It is called Retractable Amphibious Pontoon Technology (RAPT) and it consists of two articulated floaters that can be retracted in a streamlined form in the air. The RAPT has many advantages over conventional planes with floaters or even to bespoke designed hydroplanes. It has been tested in the scale model (1:6 Cessna Caravan) in the photo above and performed very well.

Read more ..