Adventure Ausrama Blog

Technology: Scramjet is tested at Woomera. Technology never stands still. Mankind progressed very slowly for centuries, but now things move forward at a rapid pace. Air transport could change dramatically in coming decades. The US and Australia are testing a hypersonic rocket that can travel at five times the speed of sound. Because of the angle of liftoff, together with takeoff and landing speeds, you couldn't really enjoy a lunch and drink while sitting in your seat. Woomera in South Australia is the busy testing site. The project is not aimed at space flight. Passenger travel is the main goal. A journey from London to Sydney is estimated to take two hours. The arduous passage though would mean taking your meal preferably after the flight. Australia helped develop the scramjet which uses oxygen from the atmosphere for power as the jet rockets upward. Consequently, it does not have to carry heavy and expensive fuel. Tests began in 2009. Norway and Germany are

Soon you will not be able to take your mobile phone onto a plane let alone use it. Airlines are becoming paranoid after an investigation into a crashed flight in Dubai points to lithium batteries as a cause. As lithium storage becomes thinner the propensity for explosion increases. After exploding a battery sprays flaming liquid in all directs. In many instances a fireball is created.  The item is really a mobile incendiary device.  Heat it up and ignition occurs, It looks like all battery shipments will literally go by ship in future. Even Apple is getting worried about supplies as more airlines ban lithium batteries as cargo. Defibrillator batteries are already short in Australia and New Zealand. Rogue airlines, however, are ignoring the trend and jumping onto high payments as businesses pay more to get batteries quickly. This may not last as international airline organizations examine the situation. Banning phones is one step closer as people carry spare lithiu

Technological advancement is moving on apace as Gold Coast Airport in Queensland adopts a new satellite-based aircraft navigation system. It was announced by Warren Truss deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure and regional development, though nothing was said about funding. Smart Tracking navigation improves position accuracy of aircraft. The government jumped on the introduction to say it was part of its goal to improve services in the flight industry, an unannounced objective until now. Airservices Australia managed the set up of Smart Tracking at Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and Cairns airports. The improvement has been going on since 2012 by Airservices and has now reached Brisbane. This will meet requirement for projected growth in demand. Let us hope growth actually occurs. At the moment Qantas is not doing very well. The new system will enable flight controllers to keep aircraft flying over water longer instead of creating noise pollution in

Australia had come a long since the days of someone walking through the center aisle of an inbound aircraft spraying insecticide. New Australian's used to laugh at the man with the can spraying over peoples heads not worrying about those with allergies. There is no way it would have killed all the insects on the plane. Pests and drugs are one thing, but explosives are the main fear. Until now liquids in sealed containers such as liquor had to be accessed and tested for explosive potential. New technology enables the sealed liquid to be tested while still in its container. Battelle and Sellex are distributing the scanners. Liquids, gels and aerosols can be scanned. This is a revolutionary development. It won an R&D 100 Award. Airports around the world are scrambling to get their hands on the scanners. Testing is quick and it will not slow down passenger flow. Now all we need is a quick scanner for drug detection that does not have four legs and bark. Ironically,