Lifeboat Foundation

During the Cold War, there was a need for a new reconnaissance aircraft that could evade enemy radar, and the customer needed it fast. At Lockheed Martin’s advanced development group, the Skunk Works, work had already begun on an innovative aircraft to improve intelligence-gathering, one that would fly faster than any aircraft before or since, at greater altitude, and with a minimal radar cross section. The team rose to the nearly impossible challenge, and the aircraft took its first flight on Dec. 22, 1964. The legendary SR-71 Blackbird was born.

The first Blackbird accident that occurred that required the Pilot and the RSO to eject happened before the SR-71 was turned over to the Air Force. On Jan. 25, 1966 Lockheed test pilots Bill Weaver and Jim Zwayer were flying SR-71 Blackbird #952 at Mach 3.2, at 78,800 feet when a serious engine unstart and the subsequent “instantaneous loss of engine thrust” occurred.

The following story told by Weaver (available in Col. Richard H. Graham’s book SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of THE BLACKBIRD The World’s Highest 0, Fastest Plane) is priceless in conveying the experience of departing a Blackbird at an altitude of fifteen miles and speed of Mach 3.2.

Lamborghinis are already marvels of engineering but they become even more so when people decide to upgrade them. This is what designer Michael Hritzkrieg did with this new model called the Lamborghini LMXX2.

You can see from the pictures that it’s got some impressive treads that run all around the car making it clear that it can tackle even the most difficult terrains such as sands, rocks and soil. IE spoke to Hritzkrieg about his innovative design and he surprisingly described it as “a rush job to meet an Instagram competition deadline.”

The competition he is referring to is the AGP Contest on Instagram which asked participants to conceive of a design using the keywords “Desert + Lamborghini + Future”.

Automation in maritime transportation has been picking pace and from a few hundred miles gone transoceanic.

John ClaytonVirtual children, Virtual marriages, Virtual relationships. That’ll keep the human race going and in a great direction as well. Nothing like staying away from reality.

2 Replies.

Adrian ScottConstructing arguments from bad assumptions; there’s no overpopulation now or any time soon amid declining birth rates…

Continue reading “Ksh7.8M Electric Car From Jeff Bezos Company Attracts Attention in Kenya” »

In 2008, when gasoline was even more expensive than it is today, the world dreamed of cars that could run on nothing but air.

Circa 2021

Unlike other plasma jet engines, this new Chinese one can actually work in the atmosphere. This could prove revolutionary for the aerospace industry.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said Tesla Inc.’s total headcount will increase, a day after telling employees he plans to reduce salaried staff by 10%.

The number of salaried employees will be “fairly flat” even as overall headcount rises, the billionaire said in a tweet Saturday. Musk had previously told staff that the job cuts won’t apply to those who build cars or battery packs, according to people who received an internal memo Friday.

CBC Radio.

Bob McDonald’s blog: The movie’s fictional Darkstar aircraft is based on historical innovations in hypersonic flight.