Brain in a bowl learns to fly

Researchers at the University of Florida have a bowl of rat neurons that is learning to fly a simulator. The hardest part must be putting on the headset.

ATA files for bankruptcy

ATA is the latest airline to file for bankruptcy. I guess super low fares weren't a ticket to profitability.

Did you see the lunar eclipse last night?

Bonus depreciation extended

President Bush has signed an extension of bonus depreciation for business aircraft, a tax break that has been a big boost to the aircraft manufacturing industry.

Validating the code

I've started validating the HTML on the site using the W3C's syntax checker. There are hundreds of pages, so this will take weeks or months. It should make the site more accessible for those of you with stricter browsers such as Firefox. Look for the W3C logo on the bottom of the pages I've validated.

Today I finished validating the Airplane Hangar section, with its articles on thinking about buying an airplane, airplane buying requirements, searching for an airplane to buy, my 172, breaking in the airplane, ownership issues, ownership costs, high-wing vs. low-wing, car gas, and the airplane owner's log.

Updated site design

I made some changes to the design of most of the interior pages on this site. I added a menu bar (yellow background) with links to the main section of the site and moved some things around on the page.

Here's an example page. What do you think of the new look? Post a comment here. Do you have any ideas for more improvements?

Is ATC vulnerable to hackers?

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation says the FAA's computer systems may be vulnerable to hackers.

Another flying car

A Dutch company has a press release (complete with color drawings) about the flying car they hope to produce. The PALV (personal air and land vehicle) has 3 wheels, helicopter-like rotor, propeller, and will go up to 120 mph in the air or on the road. No word on when they might actually build one.

FAA going after Chicago

You may remember a while back when Chicago mayor Richard Daley illegally had Meigs Field destroyed in the middle of the night. Now the FAA is pursuing legal action against the city in response. Go FAA!

Debunking urban legends

The folks at snopes.com have some articles on aviation-related urban legends.

• Is a photo of an American Airlines jet with an engine on fire real?
  
  
• Did an airline pilot really use an ax to get back in the cockpit after locking himself out?
  
  
• Is a photo supposedly of a new F/A-37 Talon prototype real or fake?
  
  
• Was the damage to the Pentagon on September 11 really caused by something other than American Airlines flight 77?
  

Events calendar updated

The Aviation Events Calendar has been updated with airshows and other events through mid-November.

New space prize announced

As it looks like SpaceShipOne will win the X Prize soon, another prize has been announced. Hotel tycoon Robert Bigelow is offering $50 million to the first team that can put a private spacecraft with 5-7 people in orbit. Bigelow is also working on a space station.