Seriously, people! Stop sending me this link. Blogger report about How to crash an in-flight entertainment system. The article details a bug in the upper bound of a 1 byte signed integer within a carrier's Tetris game.

I boldly pressed the + button once more. Suddenly, the display now flashes -128 just for an instant and then poof...screen goes black. Poof...screen of the person next to me goes black. Screens in front of me and behind me go black. The entire plane entertainment system goes down...

No clue about what carrier, who the IFE manufacturer is, or if the bug is still exploitable.

¶ 7:25 AM 5 comments

News from Shephard Group's Inflight Online... FAA approval for Flight Display Systems products

The FD932DVD-4B is available today for $905 with 28V and PMA

THE FAA has awarded parts manufacturing approval (PMA) status to three products from Flight Display Systems, the Georgia-based specialist in compact, lightweight IFE systems for business and general-aviation aircraft.

Flight Display Systems already holds more than 30 PMA clearances. The latest three cover the FD932DVD-4B DVD/CD/MP3 player, FD900X3B wireless audio transmitter, and FD200CPU-9 and FD200CPU-10 moving-map processing units.

FD932DVD-4B is a direct replacement for the earlier –4 model, featuring iPod integration, additional audio/video jacks and a new 28V power supply.

Weighing just half a pound, the FD900X3B is the only PMA-approved wireless audio transmitter for business aviation.

The FD900X3B is available today for $1,479 with 28V and PMA

For more information, visit the home page of Flight Display Systems.

¶ 7:20 AM 0 comments

From the February 22, 2007 issue of AINalerts:

Indian state-owned National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) continue working on a 12-passenger twin-turboprop pusher called the Saras, named after the graceful Indian crane.

The first prototype, which made its flying debut at Aero India 2005, has logged 95 flight hours in 40 test flights. Teething problems discovered in the initial phase of flight-testing have been solved, NAL director Dr. A.R. Upadhya told AIN. Upadhya said prototype two is expected to fly within the next 30 days, powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67s.

At the end of next year, HAL plans to fly a third Saras, prototype three, with all-composite wings, empennage and bulkheads. Indian certification is expected in 2009, two years behind the original schedule.

Update 3/9/2007 - Here is a picture of Team SARAS.

¶ 3:59 PM 0 comments

An Airbus Corporate Jet (A319 platform) purchased by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani was recently finished at Associated Air Center in Dallas, Texas. It will be delivered to India shortly. The plane is estimated to cost roughly $55m (Rs 242 crore).

The aircraft was designed with a business office and cabin management system for games, music, satellite television and wireless communication. The aircraft also has a dining area, master bedroom, master lavatory with full showers, galleys and a sky bar in the forward lounge with mood lighting.

This is the seventh ACJ that Associated Air Center has completed. Source: Business Aviation Weekly and Economic Times of India.

¶ 12:42 PM 0 comments