Model Airplanes

OAKLYN, N.J. (AP) — DJI Phantom 3. Hubsan X4. Blade Nano QX.

These aren’t names of new characters in the upcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

They are the most popular personal drone models available.

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that hover in the air, guided by GPS to collect imagery. You can buy drones for personal use and customize them with various modifications, including a GoPro camera, a WiFi signal or apps.

According to DroneLife.com, the drone business has been booming since 2010. Drone manufacturer 3D Robotics estimates at least 500,000 drones were sold in the U.S. in 2014.

The FAA estimates the drone industry will total over $90 million by 2020, as more hobbyists emerge and more companies receive permission to use them commercially.

Drone models are selling for as little as $30. However, many hobbyists spend upwards of a few hundred to a few thousand dollars on modifications.

Drone hobbyists, like the members of the Oaklyn Rotor-E Drones Club, frequently meet to discuss the physics of flight, go over safety tips, share drone stories and— of course —fly their drones. The club formed in 2014 and has hosted several successful gatherings in New Jersey.

“The drone movement in the United States isn’t just a hobby,” club President Lavon Phillips told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill (http://on.cpsj.com/1HZJGVs).

He says it has a significant impact on technology development and growing local economies. One of the ultimate goals of the Rotor-E Drones Club is to enhance community engagement with technology and facilitate connections among New Jersey residents.

“We

Article source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Drone-movement-soars-in-southern-New-Jersey-6296262.php

Differential equations are scrawled across an old-fashioned blackboard in Rob Hoyt’s office. On another wall, he’s framed the cover of a sci-fi novel he hasn’t had time to finish.

Hoyt runs a space-technology company with the unlikely name of Tethers Unlimited that’s dedicated to figuring out how far-out ideas can be made practical.

His growing team of nearly 30 engineers has built a space-propulsion engine that uses water as fuel; invented a spiderlike robot to build large structures in space; and is researching how to capture an asteroid for study by enveloping it in a giant bag and towing it to lunar orbit.

Science … Fiction?

No surprise, space entrepreneurs are really into science fiction. For instance:

• Planetary Resources named its satellite family Arkyd, derived from Arakyd Industries in Star Wars.

• Paul Allen created an entire sci-fi museum, though the name Vulcan is derived from the Roman god of fire, not from “Star Trek.”

• Rob Hoyt, who co-founded Tethers in 1994 with the late sci-fi author and space physicist Robert Forward, has in his lab a custom-built 3D printer labeled “matter compiler,” in a nod to sci-fi author Neal Stephenson.

Article source: http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/greater-seattle-area-companies-embrace-space-quest/

Google I/O 2015 was like a proud mother showing off about her children’s latest grades at school. Her favourite child, Android M, may not be top of the class, but that didn’t stop the praise being heaped on about the progress being made and how it’s going to rise through the classes next term.

The message was loud and clear: Google’s mobile OS may be a late bloomer but it is improving and Android M is one to watch. From optimised power management to introducing Android Pay to giving users more control over app permissions, Android M is a step in the right direction for Google.

Continue reading to discover all of Android M’s new features.

Android M new features (at a glance):

• – Control over app permissions
• – Google Now in-app integration
• – Android Pay
• – Improved power management
• – App streamlining

Android M release date

Android M is available for developers to download and install from today. Sadly, Sundar Pichai said the new OS is not going to be pushed out to the public until late 2015. Experience tells us that phones with close ties to Android – Nexus and Motorola devices – will be the only ones to get Android M this year. Most other manufacturers – unless they’re new releases – usually wait until the new year to start rolling out the new operating system to their handsets.

Android M gives you more control over your app’s permissions

With Android M, Google

Article source: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/google/1000844/google-io-2015-latest-news-android-m-google-photos-android-pay-maps-google-now-and

Six US Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighters have departed the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp following a one-and-a-half-week trial that included 108 test sorties and an F135 engine delivery from a V-22 Osprey as the first combat fighter squadron stationed in Yuma, Arizona, prepares to declare initial operational capability this July.

According to deputy commandant for Marine Corps aviation Lt Gen Jon Davis, each of the 10 F-35 pilots involved are now qualified for daytime carrier operations and another three have received their night-time flying qualifications.

The six aircraft have accumulated 85.5 hours of flight time collectively since arriving on the USS Wasp May 18. Two squadrons participated: Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 of Beaufort, South Carolina, and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-121 from the Air Station Yuma.

The squadrons will now continue their land-based preparations with the aim of passing a final operational readiness assessment due to take place over a two-week period in July if all goes according to plan.

“We’re going to run actual flight events with ordnance for all the mission profiles they’re supposed to be able to accomplish,” Davis said during a media teleconference from Oslo, Norway today. “Right now it looks like we’re tracking for that squadron to be able to declare initial operational capability in July, and when they think they are, we will confirm they are with an operational readiness inspection.”

The first squadron will become operational with 10 short-takeoff-vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35Bs, including some that are still being modified to correct deficiencies identified during testing. “There’s one

Article source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/marine-corps-f-35bs-depart-uss-wasp-after-carrier-tests-412909/