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If a flying car doesn't really appeal to you, how about a flying bike? A California company is apparently on the verge of making this dream a reality.

However, much like the flying cars of today, this product too will not come cheap. The company, Hoversurf, claims to have developed their own engines and computerized flight systems to make their ‘aerial motorbike’ effective, safe and manoeuvrable in the air. All this translates into an asking price of $150,000. For this, you get an impressive, drone-like machine capable of propelling you into the air at something like automobile speeds.

What is the Flying Motorbike and Where Does It Come From?

This new type of vehicle is called the Hoverbike eVTOL S3 2019. Its makers, Hoversurf, say that the product is ready for sale.

eVTOL refers to the battery technology found in the product, a form of the lithium-nickel-manganese block that powers the Hoverbike’s four large propellers. Indeed, the vehicle does closely resemble a drone and is even referred to as one in the company’s product-information material. However, this drone is capable of lifting a human (who weighs about 250 pounds or less) up to 16 feet off the ground. This human can sit on the Hoverbike, and control it via front-mounted stalks, much like a regular motorbike.

Hoversurf claims that their new “personal drone” can fly at up to 60 miles per hour. However, as with many other pro-sumer drones, it can only do so for about 25 minutes at a time. The company asserts, however, that the onboard computer is equipped with the flight-modeling and fail-safes necessary to control the risks of collisions or fatal cut-outs in the air. This modeling is also intended to address other dangers, including wind speed and turbulence while flying.

So, Who Gets to Fly a Hoverbike?

As with Terrafugia’s latest 'flying car,' the Hoverbike does not require that the user have a pilot’s license or other specialist training. Hoversurf commented on this saying that it has been categorized as an ‘ultralight aircraft’ by the FAA, thus rendering its use unrestricted and without the need for certification (in the United States, at least).

However, a potential customer may need the financial flexibility needed to rationalize spending over $100,000 on what is essentially a giant bike-sized drone. These enthusiasts could also be advised to wear a helmet while riding their new flying bikes.

Speaking of flying vehicles, the Hoverbike is not the only product its manufacturer has in mind. Hoversurf also seems to be working on developing flying taxis too. This new type of drone is also powered by eVTOL technology and is portrayed as having an enclosed cabin. The “electric flying car” may be propelled by Hoversurf’s new type of engine, the Venturi. The company claims that this is a hybrid between the engines of an aircraft and helicopter but gains additional jet-stream by sucking ordinary air into it, which, in turn, increases efficiency and reduces noise.

New Type of Taxi, New Type of Engine

The Venturi’s moving parts are all contained within a carbon-fiber shell, which is intended to boost safety and also reduce the engine’s volume. The company has also apparently secured a patent for the Venturi engine. These may be incorporated into the ‘drone taxi’ (also known as Project Formula) to give it vertical take-off and landing. This vehicle is also described as containing sensors for a 3D perspective of its surroundings and object recognition, which may be controlled by an AI for safe and effective flight. It is also to be equipped with an airbag, a ballistic parachute and landing gear in cases of difficult landings or adversity during flight.

In addition, from the implication of the title 'drone taxi' and the fact that the scope for only one passenger is mentioned, it appears that this vehicle is also to be driverless. In that case, it is to be hoped that it comes equipped with mapping, traffic control and aerial co-ordination systems like those proposed by a team at MIT for such flying vehicles.

Hoversurf does not mention plans to market or sell this particular product (i.e., the taxi), any time soon. However, it is yet another exciting hint of a future with real, personal flying machines!

Airservices Australia today announced it has reached two major milestones in OneSKY, the world-leading program being undertaken jointly with the Department of Defence.

Air Traffic Management (ATM) service facilities in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have switched over to the Civil Military ATM (CMATS) voice communication system. Brisbane’s air traffic service centre will follow suit in early 2019.

Voice communications are a cornerstone of any ATM system, allowing air traffic controllers and pilots to talk to each other.

“The new CMATS voice communications system enables greater efficiency of our air traffic resources, enhances safety outcomes and minimises service disruptions,” according to Airservices Chief Executive Officer Jason Harfield.

“These benefits will be experienced by all users of Australian airspace, from the major airlines and their passengers right through to the smallest ultralight aircraft.”

The Airservices and Defence project team worked with operational staff and industry partners, Thales Australia and Frequentis, to ensure a seamless transition to the CMATS voice communication system in the first three locations.

“Achieving this milestone on schedule and with no disruption to existing services is an exceptional demonstration of how civil and military air traffic operations will work together,” Mr Harfield said.

Airservices and Thales have also just completed the system definition review for CMATS, the technical platform that will unite Australia’s civil and military air traffic control systems. The project now moves into the detailed design phase.

“We are proud to deliver these key milestones in the OneSKY program just nine months after signing contracts with our military and industry partners,” said Mr Harfield.

About OneSKY                                                 

OneSKY is a world-leading program to align the needs of civil and military aviation, while catering for the forecast growth in the aviation sector.

Over the coming years, advanced air traffic management technology will be introduced in stages to unlock more than a billion dollars of economic benefits for Australia.

Owning and flying your own small airplane offers a nearly unmatched level of freedom and autonomy. Traveling “as the crow flies” without having to deal with traffic on the ground immediately shrinks your world, and makes possible all sorts of trips and adventures. Unfortunately the crippling downsides of plane ownership (storage and maintenance costs, knowledge that you might die in a fiery crash, etc), keeps most of us planted squarely on terra firma.

But not [iTman496]. His dream of owning an ultralight has recently come true, and he’s decided to share his experience with the world. He’s got a long way to go before he slips the surly bonds of Earth, but there’s no better place to start than the beginning. In a recent blog post he documents the process of getting his new toy home, and details some of the work he plans on doing to get it airworthy.

The plane in question is a Mini-MAX that [iTman496] has determined is not only older than he is, but has never flown. It was built by a retired aircraft mechanic who unfortunately had problems with his heart towards the end of assembly. He wisely decided that he should find a safer way to spend his free time than performing solo flights in an experimental aircraft, so he put the plane up for sale.

After a considerable adventure transporting the plane back home, [iTman496] found it was stored in such good condition that the engine started right up. But that doesn’t mean it’s ready for takeoff by any stretch of the imagination. For his own safety, he’s planning on tearing down the entire plane to make sure everything is in good shape and assembled correctly; so at least he’ll only have himself to blame if anything happens when he’s in the air.

One the plane’s structure is sound, he’ll move on to some much needed engine modifications including a way to adjust the air-fuel mixture from inside the cockpit, improvements to the cooling system, and installation of a exhaust system that’s actually intended for the two-stroke engine he has. When that’s done, [iTman496] is going to move onto the real fun stuff: creating his own “glass cockpit”.

For Hackaday readers who don’t spend their time playing make believe in flight simulators, a “glass cockpit” is a general term for using digital displays rather than analog gauges in a vehicle. [iTman496] has already bought two daylight-readable 10.1″ IPS displays which he plans on driving over HDMI with the Raspberry Pi. No word on what his software setup and sensor array will look like, but we’re eager to hear more as the project progresses.

If you’re not lucky enough to find a mostly-complete kit plane nearby on Craigslist, you could always just make your own airplane out of sheets of foam.

Photo: Courtesy Pal-V

While we devote much ink (both actual and virtual) in our aviation coverage to first-class cabins, business jets, and charter services, planes are by no means the only ways to experience the thrill of flight. In fact, people were enjoying soaring through the air even before the invention of the airplane in a contraption that will actually make an appearance later on this list. The point is, there are plenty of fun ways to get an elevated perspective on things, from functional jetpacks to autogyros.

Hoversurf Hoverbike parked  Photo: courtesy of Hoversurf

Hoverbike

The Hoversurf Hoverbike is technically a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle. However, while most of the full-size VTOLs that hope to come to market will have to contend with strict FAA regulations (many of which still have to be debated and implemented), the Hoverbike was able to receive classification as an ultralight aircraft, which means that riders don’t need to get a pilot’s license or certification (though Hoversurf requires that the owner takes a mandatory training course).

The fully-electric aircraft is ridden like a motorcycle, with four propellers at each corner to provide lift and thrust. Its carbon fiber body saves weight, which means Hoversurf was able to install larger batteries that can keep the personal drone aloft for 10 to 25 minutes (depending on rider weight and other factors). When pressed to its limit, the Hoverbike can fly up to a restricted 60 mph.

The company is taking orders now for the $150,000 machine, which will be delivered in two to six months. The mandatory training package costs another $10,000.

FlyDoo light sport balloon in flight  Photo: courtesy of SkyDoo

Hot Air Balloon

The oldest form of air transportation on this list, unmoored ballooning has been around for more than 200 years (fun fact: The world’s first balloon passengers were a sheep, a duck, and a rooster). Although many people think of ballooning as fodder for cheesy romantic dates or remember it for its Mandela Effect–like non-role in Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, there are still enthusiasts out there who turn what is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people into a serious hobby. And why not? While most of the vehicles on this list are meant to stir up your adrenaline, ballooning is about relaxation and killer views.

One exciting new development in the field is the two-person FlyDoo, which could become the first hot-air balloon in the light sport category if the FAA approves the design. This development would make ballooning much more accessible to those with a casual interest. A complete FlyDoo is priced at around $21,000, but for an extra $14,000, you can add a vectored thrust unit (aka a motorized propeller) to help you direct your course.

Apollo Flight Labs JetPack  Photo: Courtesy Apollo Flight Labs

Jetpack

In most people’s minds, jetpacks are the stuff of science fiction and action movies. However, while no practical working model has been produced at scale, there are a few designs out there that you can actually get your hands on.

Recently, Gravity Industries put a number of their Jet Suits on sale at Selfridge’s for $373,310. The suit employs a main thruster that attaches to the pilot’s back and two thrusters on each arm to control direction (yes, just like Iron Man). You may also want to comb the back alleys of eBay to get your jetpack fix. In September, Apollo Flight Labs put one of their used jetpacks up for auction to clear out some space in their shop.

The Calidus AutoGyro has been flying in Europe since 2009  Photo: Courtesy Calidus

Autogyro

The technology behind autogyros is not new; It was developed nearly a century ago by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva with the goal of creating an aircraft that could fly safely at low speed. Classified along with helicopters as rotocraft, an autogyro is different because instead of a motor driving the rotor blades, it has a free-spinning rotor that provides lift simply by the aircraft moving forward—thrust that is usually provided by a motorized propeller at the rear.

Thankfully, autogyros are much easier to pilot than helicopters and revised FAA regulations have made it easier for models to get certified. The Calidus Autogyro, one of the most popular designs in Europe—where autogyros are a more common sight—was recently certified in the U.S. and can now be purchased for around $100,000 from its U.S. distributor, AutoGyro USA.

If you’re in no rush, you can also check out the Pal-V, an autogyro design that’s in development, with certification planned for 2020 (though this date has moved back a few times in the past). This unique vehicle is not only an autogyro; when it lands, its rotors and tail fold away, transforming it into a road-going three-wheeler. The Pal-V Liberty version is priced at $600,000, while the PAL-V Liberty Sport costs $400,000.

DJI Goggles give you an immersive view from your drone.  Photo: courtesy DJI

Drone with VR headset

The consumer drone revolution has made the buzzing little aircraft the easiest way to begin a lifelong obsession with flight. But controlling a drone from the ground while watching its camera feed through your phone isn’t quite the same experience as being up in the air yourself. That’s were another revolutionary technology that’s picking up steam comes in. Many drones now support VR headsets that give pilots a completely immersive first-person view. Alternately, you could let a friend wear it while you pull off your most daring aerial maneuvers and try to make them sick.

Market leader DJI offers a pair of $350 VR goggles that work with its popular Mavic, Spark, Phantom, and Inspire series. This pair also features headtracking mode, in which the viewer can control the pitch of the camera and yaw of the drone with just their head movements, letting you take in the scene as if you were a passenger in the drone itself.

Rising interest in sports involving aircrafts including aerial acrobatics, and airplane racing has greatly put the focus on the usage of ultralight models of aircraft around the world. Moreover, the increasing application of ultralight aircraft in public and defense operations such as reconnaissance flights, search and rescue operations and more. Rising importance on aircraft operation and production regulations along with technological innovations by manufacturers is anticipated to boost the demand in the ultralight aircraft market in the years to come.

Relaxation in Regulations to Boost Production of Ultralight Aircrafts

Rising amounts of investments are being put towards the use of ultralight aircraft for sports and recreational activities for learner pilots, especially for travelling short-distances. With manufacturers giving increased importance to enhanced performances and flight speed for new ultralight aircraft designs, the demand for these aircraft is bound to increase in the near future.

One more vital aspect that must be considered, is the recent increase in the number of short-term aviation courses, which allow new pilots to gain the requisite skills and authorized certificates that are required to fly ultralight aircraft, as a result boosting the demand for ultralight aircraft.

Relatively lower costs for purchasing, maintaining, and using ultralight aircraft is a key contributor behind the rising sales of ultralight aircraft. Moreover, the capability to take off and land in very small airstrip will also boost demand.

Recently the usage of ultralight aircraft within the United States has been freed from regulations. This move by the government authorities in the country is expected to attract more end users and generate enhanced opportunity for the growth of manufacturers.

The fact that there are no fixed standards developing ultralight aircraft along with the recent losses in the market value of the aviation sector, coupled with concerns about the safety of ultralight aircraft on the other hand are expected to significantly constrain the progress of ultralight producers.

Technology and Material Improvements Gain High Importance

Major producers of ultralight aircraft such as Evektor Spol. S.R.O, Quicksilver Aircrafts, P&M Aviation, and Cirrus Design Corporation, are giving great importance to aspects such as improving material, design, and technological improvements to gain benefits over the competition.

For instance, the EuroStar SL+ range of ultralight aircraft by Evektor Spol S.R.O. is designed with ergonomically shaped interiors that include modifiable pedals, intelligent ventilation control, high seat backrest, and the use of corrosion resistant body material that allows to significantly lessen aircraft weight, to enhance load capacity for fuel, cargo, and crew. The design also enables pilots to recover easily incase the aircraft goes into the spin, thereby ensuring improved safety standards.

Similarly, the the Sport 2SE special light sports aircraft ultralight by Quicksilver Aircraft is designed to comply to regulations for FAA approved and it provides pilots with an open cockpit design, that allows unfiltered views and maneuverability, at low costs.

Widespread Presence of Market Players to Play Vital Role

The rapid growth of the tourism sector in the emerging countries including Brazil, China, and India, are expected to generate lucrative opportunities for ultralight aircraft manufacturers who are operating internationally. Moreover, Vietnam is also gaining importance in the international scene as a key hub for the production of such aircraft.

It is important to note that the ultralight aircraft are gaining in usage, in the United States of America owing to the deregulation these aircraft types, thereby enabling ultralight aircraft producers to put efforts towards innovative aircraft designs and materials.

Yes you can...they are your blogs and there is generally no moderation except for anything that is negative towards the site (nudity, foul language, legal etc) but then you can also set your own permissions like making the blog only accessible to invited users etc

Turbs, when they started I believe the CASA advised them NOT to try under 95 which would have all been sorted by now but to only apply under 149 which was supposedly coming soon at the time and allows for extra SAOs but 95 doesn't without great amounts of pressure so they did what they were told and given the extra time and the then supposedly 149 allowances they were able to add extra things in the mix...they were led along a long and winding road with RAAus given them the mud map that says turn left at every intersection...think about where you would turn up if you turned left at every intersection

I was actually talking to one of the directors a couple of days ago on this and yes, CASA is the culprit, one day they wanted things this way and then the next it was that way, one day day it was to 149 then it was 95 then it was back to 149 but then their 149 was changing each day and now it may not even be 149. To my knowledge ELAAA has been trying their hardest

No, you are doing nothing wrong...the default view I have set is to show the latest blog entries on the blogs home page. If you select the List view you can see the blogs at their top level. I can change the default view to List view if it is considered better

Announcements

Information sessions – proposed new GA maintenance regulations

To help people interested in the development of the new general aviation maintenance regulations, we are conducting a series of information sessions 10-14 December 2018. Bankstown and Archerfield have sold out—seats are still available at Moorabbin, Parafield, Cairns, Darwin and Jandakot. Join our experts to hear what the proposed changes mean for you and have your questions answered. Registrations close 5 December 2018.

Live webinar – modernising Australia’s fatigue rules

Public consultation will commence soon on a draft of Modernising Australia's Fatigue Rules - proposed CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019. Now, we are conducting a live webinar on Tuesday 4 December 2018 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm (AEDT) to encourage as many of you as possible to have your say on the proposed CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019.

Spread the word and encourage your aviation colleagues to be part of the conversation and register by 6pm 4 December 2018.

Consultations

Proposed new GA maintenance regulations

Our public consultation on our proposal to develop new general aviation maintenance regulations will open on 7 December 2018. Go to our Consultation Hub to find out more and have your say before the 13 January 2019 deadline.

Modernising Australia’s fatigue rules - proposed CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019

Public consultation on the proposed CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019, which aims to address 12 of the actions contained in CASAs response to the independent review of fatigue rules, will commence on 10 December 2018. Go to our Consultation Hub to find out more and have your say before the 15 January 2019 deadline.

Draft CAAP 166-01 v4.2 - Operations in the vicinity of non-controlled aerodromes

Following extensive consultation with the aviation community, we have finalised the policy in relation to the appropriate frequency to use in the vicinity of non-controlled aerodromes. Public consultation on draft CAAP 166-01 will commence on 7 December 2018. Please go to our Consultation Hub and provide your feedback on these editorial changes via our Consultation Hub by 16 January 2019.

Guidance material

AC 39-01 v4.2 - Airworthiness Directive

We published an amended AC 39-01 v4.2 – Airworthiness Directive to update parameters for defining ADs as urgent. View the AC on the CASA website.

Civil Aviation Advisory Publications

We published three amended CAAPs during November.

CAAP 234-1(2) - Guidelines for aircraft fuel requirements

Updated to align with recent amendments to the fuel rules. Key changes include clarification of existing definitions and new definitions; inclusion of additional fuel quantity and an expanded description of methods of determining fuel quantity; inclusion of a detailed description of in-flight fuel management procedures and practices, sample fuel calculations and detailed worked examples. View the CAAP on the CASA website.

CAAP 215-1(3) - Guide to the preparation of operations manuals

Updated to align with the recent amendment to the fuel rules. View the CAAP on the CASA website.

CAAP 43-01 v2.0 - Maintenance release

Updated to reflect changes to CAO 100.5. Key changes include clarification of requirements for making or clearing an endorsement on Part 2 of a maintenance release for defects that are not a major defect; explanation of requirements relating to issuing of the CASA maintenance release outside of Australian territory; and explanation of requirements for issuing a maintenance release for an aeroplane engaged in an aerial application conducted at night if the aeroplane is not equipped and certificated for night VFR flight under Part 21 of the CASR. View the CAAP on the CASA website.

Visual Flight Rules Guide

We have released the 2018 print edition of the Visual Flight Rules Guide. To order your copy visit our online store.

Development projects

We have closed Project FS 11/39 - Post Implementation Review (PIR) of CASR Part 67 – Medical. The issues and objectives identified in Project FS 11/39 will now be addressed through Project FS 16/08 – Medical certification standards.

A new Project FS 18/07 - Proposed amendments to Part 60 Manual of Standards - Synthetic training devices has been approved.

For memory I think there is a clause in the contract with RAAus where they pay them to Administer the low end that they can audit for compliance every 2 years...if my memory serves me but with the mad cow setting these days I can't be sure of anything...now what was I saying??????

Great to see some BLOGS starting up...where is your BLOG??????

Thanks mate

Now added:

[ATTACH]37945[/ATTACH]

Coming soon in a whole new section that is searchable and more

Account settings and then on the right notification settings

Yes I do however it is on the list of things to do but it is a lot harder with IPS to create

Is No 7 Builders' Blogs? ...or any old Blog?

I really like the way the site is coming on - very nice!

 

I have noticed that the individual posts used to be numbered which was useful for saying, for example, "See post #1234 for photos of XYZ" - could that numbering be re-instated?

 

Also - just a very small point but a nicety - a long while ago the Notifications icon used to open and drop-down if you hovered over it which was better than having to click it.

 

Yeah, unfortunately there is no numbering system in the threads now so you can refer to a specific post in the thread unless @Ahmed Zayed can come up with something. The only other thing you can do is put a specific link to the post you are referring to. To do this go to the post you want, click "Posted (date)" text at the top of the post, then copy the address in the browser address bar and add that in your post.

So if I wanted to add a link in this post to post #3 in this thread it would be:

Notice how the link turns into a "Brief" of the post and clicking the Brief will take you to post #3

I know it isn't ideal but at the moment it is all we have...maybe remind me some time down the track and I will see what I can do if @Ahmed Zayed can't come up with anything

It looks more like a chicken carcass than a drone. Wishbone-thin struts hold together a skeletal scaffold that seems too fragile to fly.

But don’t be fooled. It may not look it, but this design is one of the strongest among thousands of alternatives. We know because an artificial intelligence has dreamed up and tested every one of them.

The use of massive computing power to conjure radical new designs automatically – a process known as generative design –  is revolutionising the way human designers work, letting us build things we previously couldn’t have imagined.

The technology is already designing everyday industrial components from seatbelt brackets in cars and motorbike chassis to cabin partitions in passenger aircraft. Not only are these computer-generated designs stronger and lighter than human-crafted solutions but they’re weird – designs that no human would have come up with in the first place.

“The computer can really surprise you,” says Lilli Smith at Autodesk in Boston, a software design company which has several generative designs under its belt, including the unusual drone chassis.

Instead of waiting for inspiration to hit, computers go looking. Handed a set of design constraints – such as making it lightweight, strong and low-cost – generative design software identifies and assesses hundreds or thousands of candidates that all fit the bill, before selecting the pick of the crop.

By trawling through an exhaustive set of options, computers typically find ones that a human would have missed. Designers can simply choose from a handful that the software predicts will do the job better than the rest. Humans switch from being creators to curators.

The basic idea is simple: here’s what I want, show me the best. But the software and cloud-based computing power needed to pull it off have only appeared in the last few years. For one of its first generative design projects, in 2015, Autodesk Research teamed up with the Bandito Bros, a US multimedia studio known for its wacky stunts, and asked an AI to design a car.

The team wired up a custom-built off-road buggy with hundreds of sensors and raced it around the Mojave Desert. This let them capture a vast amount of data about the stresses that extreme driving placed on different parts of the vehicle. They then fed this to the generative design system with the instruction to produce something that could handle this. The resulting design, dubbed the Hack Rod, gave a glimpse of the future: more strength from less material – and alien-looking.

There’s a reason generative designs look weird, as if they were the result of a natural process rather than made, says Erin Bradner at Autodesk Research in San Francisco. “The algorithm will fine tune the structure so that not a single piece of material is added that’s not needed,” she says. “Some people relate it to erosion.”

Generative design combined with 3D printing allows structures to be made that were impossible before (Credit: Autodesk, Inc)

This process of elimination applies not only to the amount of material in a structure but also the number of parts needed to make it. “That can mean fewer suppliers, faster assembly and fewer points of failure,” says Bradner.

The trouble with favouring organic structures is that they can be hard to manufacture with traditional machines. Additive manufacturing – or 3D printing – can be used to make most shapes, but not all industries yet use it. To get around that, you can instruct the design software to generate something that can be made by certain kinds of equipment.

“A designer can specify that she wants to make a part on a three-axis mill with a specific diameter cutting tool and the algorithm will only produce parts that can be made by that mill, with that cutter,” says Bradner.

Manufacturing limitations become yet another design constraint that the software takes on board. “Designers are faced with a myriad of choices every day that they don’t have the time or mental resources to fully explore,” she says. “If I could make my part in aluminium or steel what would it look like? If I could manufacture by 3D printing or milling, what alternatives could I consider?”

The cabin partitions in passenger aircraft can be made lighter but stronger when designed by AI (Credit: Alamy)

Generative design is still a new technology, with many projects one-off experiments, such as the Hack Rod and drone. But companies like Autodesk and Frustum, based in Colorado, are starting to take the tech mainstream via collaborations with a range of major manufacturers. “We’re doing a lot of work with aerospace companies,” says Frustum’s chief executive Jesse Blankenship.

When designing components for aircraft, a small reduction in weight can makes a big difference. Blankenship says his company’s software has been used to design lighter components like heat exchangers and acoustic baffling. Frustum has clients in the defence industry as well, but they’re tight-lipped about what they’re designing. “I just know they buy the software,” he says.

Autodesk has also been helping aircraft lose weight. The Airbus A320 now has lightweight partitions between cabins that were designed by an AI that Autodesk Research co-developed with New York-based software company The Living. The partition’s skeletal design has rods criss-crossing at odd angles.

Others have also been looking at AI’s ability to improve aircraft design. Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) have been investigating its role in helping to tune combat aircraft to specific missions. Aerospace engineers at Delft University in the Netherlands have also been developing a tool that produces conceptual aircraft designs.

Airbus estimates that the new cabin partition design can save up to 465,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year (Credit: Airbus)

It’s not only planes that benefit from being lighter. Autodesk has worked with US car maker General Motors to create a seatbelt bracket that is 40 percent lighter and 20 percent stronger than the previous version. At its annual trade show in November this year, Autodesk also showed off an AI-designed suspension system for a Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 racing car and a frame for a BMW motorcycle.

Even Nasa is in on it. Next to the car and bike parts was a lander that Nasa is developing for missions to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Autodesk’s generative design for the lander’s legs is 35 percent lighter than previous human-made designs.

For David Kirsh, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, San Diego and visiting researcher at University College London’s Bartlett School of Architecture, generative design lets us outsource a kind of hands-on problem solving.

Kirsh is interested in how human thinking is embedded in our physical environment. Imagine you’re putting together a jigsaw puzzle. You could try to fit all the pieces together in your head, using what we might call the mind’s eye. Or you could build it. For any puzzle with more than a handful of pieces, solving the problem with our hands rather than our head is far easier. “Cognition is a product of the interaction between brains, bodies and the world,” he says.

The intritcate legs of Nasa's new interplanetary lander are nearly a third lighter than anything a human could come up with (Credit: Autodesk, Inc)

Many problems can’t be solved (just) in our head at all, which is why design typically involves prototyping to see how pieces fit together and work as a whole. Here’s another example. If you have a peg that you need to fit into a tight hole you don’t study the peg and the hole and calculate how it’s going to go in. “The trick is actually to put it part-way in and then jiggle it,” says Kirsh. “There is no counterpart in the mind for jiggling.”

Trying out thousands of different ways to meet a set of design constraints – like different positions for the peg in the hole – is a form of virtual jiggling

But generative design could be the next best thing. Trying out thousands of different ways to meet a set of design constraints – like different positions for the peg in the hole – is a form of virtual jiggling.

In fact, some design problems are a lot like puzzles. When Autodesk Research wanted to set up a new office in Toronto, they worked with The Living again to design the layout. Most offices stick to a standard floor plan, with meeting rooms in the middle or around the edges and the desks grouped together.

The design generated for the Toronto office is different. As with the Hack Rod, the designers collected as much data as they could, this time about people’s working preferences – how much natural light, how much social interaction, their working hours and so on. They also noted which groups needed to be close to which other groups.

The designs often appear similar to shapes and structures found in the natural world (Credit: Airbus)

Feeding these constraints to the software produced hundreds of possible layouts for the office’s desks, meeting rooms and social spaces. The one that the designers picked from the few most recommended by the AI has small groups of desks interspersed with communal areas and teams arranged in a way that maximises interaction.

Van Wijnen, a construction company based in the Netherlands, is doing the same thing for entire neighbourhoods. The firm has changed its entire construction process to make the most of its generative design tools.

Its houses are now made from prefabricated parts, which means working out the best way for them to be built and arranged along a street becomes another puzzle.

To design its neighbourhoods, Van Wijnen gives its software a large number of constraints, from the requirement that all apartments should have at least 3,000 square metres of floor space and at least one parking space to the requirement that all roof-mounted solar panels get enough sunlight and that there is a variety of different house designs in a street.

For now, arranging these pre-designed pieces of a large puzzle pushes the software as far as it can go. Designing a whole house from scratch would involve many more variables – and regulations – than designing a new part for a vehicle. But eventually we might get computers to come up with new architectural designs. It might possible to teach them to design a building in the style of Le Corbusier, the famous Swiss-French architect, says Smith. Or the load-bearing structure of a skyscraper could be designed in the same way as a car chassis, which could let us build taller buildings than we ever could on our own.

There is certainly an appetite for using AI in design. According to Blankenship, sportswear companies like New Balance and Adidas have started looking at generative design as a way to make personalised trainers, offering customers huge variety in the style and function of their footwear. Add in 3D printing –letting you manufacture unorthodox shapes on the spot – and you could generate your customised design on a website and have it made in the shoe shop down the street.

This changes the relationship between product designers and their customers. To paraphrase Maurice Conti, who helped pioneer generative design at Autodesk before moving to experimental tech company Alpha in Barcelona: instead of making people want to buy your stuff, you invite them to make stuff they want to buy.

There are of course limitations to the technology. ”It’s not magic,” says Kirsh. Some things will be harder for computers to make. For example, many of our most celebrated objects or buildings give us a particular experience or make us feel a certain way. But that’s hard to put into code. “We might not be able to pin down what causes that feeling,” says Kirsh.

What’s clear is that designers have a powerful new tool and the best designs will come from a back and forth between human and machine. “Computers will do what computers are good at, people will do what people are good at,” says Bradner.

“It’s a fascinating opportunity to think in new ways,” says Smith. “People think it’s going to take away their jobs but it’s going to make them so much better.”  Blankenship agrees. “We could certainly get to a future where a lot of design work is fully automated,” he says. But you still want people to sign off on it. Is it any good? Is it better than the last one? Is it what we want?

These are questions only a human can answer. “Otherwise what are we doing it all for? A machine without people doesn’t make any sense,” he says.  

I think we try and keep it loosely aviation related for the time being however blogging about aviation politics, and we know aviation and politics can go hand in hand but this way we can keep personal political opinions out of the forums and into individual blogs...I will get around to doing a massive overhaul of the Whats Up Australia site in due course...hope that helps

Well seeing I am a little stuck on some of the other great site features that are being developed for you I thought I would turn on the Recreational Flying BLOG System...now you can ramble on as much as you like in your own Blog. Building that aircraft kit? or doing a maintenance project? got a flying trip happening from planning, getting the aircraft ready, on the trip, photos, stories, people you meet and then afterthoughts...well BLOG'em and tell the world your story.

You create your Blog and then create entries in your blog and other users can read about them, comment about them and create your own stories and get others interested in them...BLOG AWAY and give us something to read...enjoy

Oh, and you control your blog, public or private to select individuals, add a banner picture, create a side block etc...other users can follow your travels by following your blog and all your new blog entries come up in the What's New section as well...have fun

Would it not be the case that a school wishing to offer CTA endorsement would get their instructors trained at their expense at a school able to offer this service. A pilot wanting a CTA endorsment would pay for their own training, buy the transponder and get the medical. It has been pointed out that any RAA pilot can do this now. I don't see this impacting someone who just wants to fly a Thruster around the farm.

A fixed-wing, single engine light sport Cessna aircraft stolen by two teens pictured at the Vernal Regional Airport in Jensen, Utah November 23, 2018. — Uintah County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters

JENSEN, Nov 24 — Two teenagers stole a small plane in a rural area of eastern Utah on Thursday, flying it at low altitude over a highway and landing at a regional airport before being arrested, officials said.

The teens, ages 14 and 15, took the single-engine, propeller aircraft from a private airstrip in the small town of Jensen in the northeastern corner of Utah, the Uintah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The theft of the plane follows an incident in August when an airline worker stole an empty Bombardier Q400 commercial turboprop from a Seattle airport and crashed the empty plane after flying for around an hour, raising concerns about the security of parked aircraft.

In the latest incident, which involved a far smaller plane, the teens flew at low altitude over Highway 40 and were seen in the air above the area of Gusher, which is about 50 km west of where they took off, the Sheriff's Office said.

The teens thought about continuing to fly west to a more populated area of Utah, but they decided to turn around and land the plane at the Vernal Regional Airport, about 25 km from where they took off, the sheriff's office said. The office described the plane as a “light sport aircraft.”

The teens were arrested near the airport and placed in a youth detention centre in the area.

The sheriff's office statement did not list charges against the teenagers and a representative for the office could not immediately be reached for comment.

The teenagers, whose names were not released, are from the Wasatch Front, an area of Utah that includes the state capital Salt Lake City and other large cities, and they lived in a group home there. It was not immediately clear if they had any previous experience flying a plane.

The teenagers had been staying with friends in Jensen before stealing the plane, the sheriff's office said. — Reuters