Cavalon Gyrocopter

A peculiar factoid that’s been oft ignored is a lot of the so-called “innovations” in modern helicopters were invented when the technology was still being experimented with. This includes the configuration for a gyrocopter, which was the idea of some clever Spaniard in 1923. If history ran a different course, the lightweight and rugged gyrocopter should’ve been around for several decades now. As consumer tastes and shifting trends would have it, only now is the gyrocopter getting the attention it deserves–in Germany and neighboring countries.


Pictured above is a gyrocopter model displayed at the recent Aero Friedrichschafen, It’s a two seat affair that’s got enough space for a modicum of comfort without getting forgetting its lightweight ideals. Dubbed the Cavalon, the propeller driven gyro is aimed at private owners and small commercial outfits who want cheap cost-effective aircraft that can operate n rugged conditions. Imagine the gyrocopter working perfectly in places like the African bush or Siberian tundra.





Source: geeky-gadgets.com & gizmag.com

NASA’s Space Plain X-34

The space plane was a project that NASA didn’t put too much effort into because at that time it was realized that expendable machines were much cheaper to build and maintain. But things apparently will go in a different direction because they just announced the X-34 a model that manufacturers hope will return safe to Earth once the outer space mission will end.
It was designed at Orbital Sciences and it was presented to the public back in 1999. At that time its mission was simple: launch into orbit, release some devices and turn back home safe. But in 2001 after some comprehensive analysis they realized that the project will be too expensive to build.

Their new approach will go towards the Virgin Galactic space program in which the company simply boosts a spacecraft towards the orbit. They will try to combine this revolutionary thinking with the old X-34 model.
It’s about time they try something different because technology has advanced greatly and for sure there are the means to make this a dream come true.
Source:  Soft Sailor