Telstar Logistics

Flying Car Completes Successful Test Flight

Well, it's not quite as cute as an Taylor Aerocar, but it does seem to work as advertised. Terrafugia's Transition, a crossbreed of a car and an airplane, successfully completed its first test flight this week, taking to the air for 37 seconds. As MSNBC reports:

Transition's aerial debut followed six months of road tests and years of design. The goal is to create an airplane that can be driven to and from a runway and parked in the family garage at night.

Transition runs on regular unleaded gasoline and can travel up to 500 miles on a single tank of gas. It takes less than 30 seconds for the vehicle's wings to fold up or extend to transform from plane to car or vice-versa.

"The point of the test was to prove that this could both fly and drive," Deitrich said.

Information from the test flight will be used to tweak the Transition's design for a second prototype. The company plans to begin selling the vehicles, which cost $194,000, in 2010, said Richard Gersh, Terrafugia's vice president of business development.

Per usual, the folks from AVWeb have pulled together an excellent and informative video that shows the Transition's first flight, and highlights some of its technical features"

LINKS:
Terrafugia Transition (official website)

PREVIOUSLY:
For Sale: One Aerocar; Half Car, Half Airplane

It's an Amphicar! It's an Amphicar!

(IMAGES: Photos from Terrafugia)

Video: Cross the Panama Canal in Less Than Two Minutes

For any dedicated Infrastructuralist --  a subculture that includes **cough cough** us! -- the Panama Canal is a must-see attraction. An artery of commerce that quite literally reshaped the world after it opened in 1914, the Panama Canal is a stunning monument to mankind's desire to get from here to there as efficiently as possible.

 

Unfortunately, the canal is also difficult to experience first hand. The problem is that it is a) in Panama and; b) accessible only by ship. Here's an alternative: This nicely edited video spans the entire Panama Canal in just 1:56, and as an added bonus it even comes with a trance-inducing soundtrack.

(IMAGE: The Panama Canal Miraflores Locks, photo by Scott Ableman)

Vintage Illustration from "The Big Book of Real Trucks"

At San Francisco's Alemany flea market, we recently picked up a clean copy of "The Big Book of Real Trucks," a children's book published in 1950, with superb illustrations by George J. Zaffo. We didn't have this book when we were kids -- the pictures seemed familiar, but we're a '67 model, so this would have been a few years before our time. Nevertheless, Zaffo's illustration work is timeless, both as a fine example of his craft, and as a window on midcentury industrial design.

We've scanned the whole book for your viewing pleasure.

LINK:
The Big Book of Real Trucks (1950)

PREVIOUSLY:
"Flight thru Instruments" and the Fine Art of Instructional Illustration

The Intimate Industrial Illustrations of Frank Soltesz

Anatomy of a Presidential Motorcade

Our friend Eddie Codel is in Washington DC this week to watch the Obama inauguration festivities that will begin on January 20. But as a preview, he happened to catch a presidential motorcade yesterday as it was streaming through town. 

What's the composition of a presidential motorcade?  It entails dozens of vehicles, in a very specific configuration. The Wikipedia sayeth:

A police presence precedes the beginning of the presidential motorcade. These cars and motorcycles usually drive ahead to clear the way and block traffic.

The motorcade for the president is made up of two parts, the first being the "secure package." In the event of an emergency, the secure package breaks off from the rest of the group. It includes two limousines, is heavily guarded by local law enforcement and Secret Service, and all cars are driven by professional drivers.

The second part is made up of vans that transport White House staff members and selected members of the press. In the rear is a communications van that records the president's movements, an ambulance, and additional police vehicles.

To see how all those disparate elements come together, take a look at this tidy video of the presidential motorcade that Eddie shot from his curbside vantage point:

PREVIOUSLY:
Is This Obama's New Presidential Limo?

(Image, top, Chris Christner via Wikipedia)

Japanese Electric Car has Eight Wheels, Big Ambitions

Okay, this may be the best-looking car we've seen since Lady Penelope's six-wheeled FAB-1 Rolls-Royce in the Thunderbirds. The Eliica is an electric-powered vehicle developed by a team at Japan's Keio University in 2004. Apart from being fun to look at, the Eliica is also fast, having already hit a top speed of 230 mph, with 250 mph  in the crosshairs. The Wikipedia explaineth:

The Eliica weighs in at 2,400 kg (5,300 lb) and seats the driver and three passengers. The body was tested in a wind tunnel. The front doors open forward and the rear doors open upward like wings. The car's platform contains 4 tracks of 80 batteries, which make up one third of the vehicle's cost. They currently require about 10 hours of recharging from empty to full charge, and can be easily charged off a residential power grid.

The car has eight wheels enabling it to be closer to the ground for better traction. Each of the wheels has a 60 kW (80 hp) electric motor, giving a 480 kW (640 hp) eight wheel drive which can tackle all kinds of road surfaces. The four front wheels steer. The electric motors mean that the Eliica can deliver a smooth acceleration free from gear shifts of about 0.8 g. Each wheel contains a disc brake and employs a regenerative brake system to recover energy. 

There are currently (as of 2005) two versions of the Eliica: a Speed model and an Acceleration model. The Speed model is made to challenge gasoline-based records and has a top speed of 370 km/h (230 mph) with a range of 200 km (120 mi). The Acceleration model is made for the street and has a top speed of 190 km/h (120 mph) with a range of 320 km (200 mi).

The Internets have been abuzz with rumors that renewed interest in the Eliica project on the part of the Japanese government may lead to a limited production run. It's not clear exactly if that's true -- we haven't found any confirmation of that chatter. But after watching this propaganda video, we sure hope so:

(Tip of the hat to Allen over at Mission Mission)

LINKS:
Eliica (Official website, Japanese only)

Eliica (Wikipedia page)

PREVIOUSLY:

Crash Test: Smart Minicar vs. Concrete Wall

For Sale: One Aerocar; Half Car, Half Airplane

Speaking of strange hybrids... ever heard of the Taylor Aerocar?  We were fascinated by them during our early years.  Built by an American entrepreneur named Moult Taylor after World War II, the Aerocar was a road-ready automobile that could be converted into an airworthy airplane by attaching a set of wings. The Wikipedia sketches out the rest of the tale:

Taylor's design of a roadable aircraft dates back to 1946. During a trip to Delaware, he met inventor Robert E. Fulton, Jr., who had designed an earlier roadable airplane, the Airphibian. Taylor recognized that the detachable wings of Fulton’s design would be better replaced by folding wings. His prototype Aerocar utilized folding wings that allowed the road vehicle to be convertible into flight mode in five minutes by one person. When the rear licence plate was flipped up, the operator could connect the propeller shaft and attach a pusher propeller. The same engine drives the front wheels through a three-speed manual transmission. When operated as an aircraft, the road transmission is simply left in neutral (though backing up during taxiing is possible by using reverse gear.) On the road, the wings and tail unit were designed to be towed behind the vehicle. Aerocars can drive up to 60 miles per hour and have a top airspeed of 110 miles per hour.

Civil certification was gained in 1956, and Taylor reached a deal with Ling-Temco-Vought for serial production on the proviso that he was able to attract 500 orders. When he was able to only find half that number of buyers, plans for production ended, and only six examples were built.

As one might expect, the engineering compromises required to create a car that could fly and a plane that could drive meant that Aerocars suffered from a variation of the Mermaid Problem — that is, with a mermaid, when you want a fish you get a woman, and when you want a woman you get a fish. Awwwwkward.

Much like mermaids, Aerocars may not be practical, but they continue to fascinate. The second of the six Aerocars, tail number N103D, built in 1956, is now for sale, and via eBay, no less. Fidel Castro's brother Raúl once flew this vehicle around Cuba, and it later logged more than 1000 hours in the air doing traffic reports for KISN above Portland, Oregon. The bidding on eBay starts at $3.5 million, and the buyer is responsible for transporting the vehicle from Grand Junction, Colorado.  Fly or drive — it's your choice.

(Tip of the flight cap to Dr. MOZ)

LINKS:
Aerocar N103D Flying Plane Car Single Engine Auto Fly (eBay Auction listing, expires 16 December, 2008)

This excellent newsreel from the early 1950s shows an Aerocar taking off from San Francisco International Airport:

This contemporary video has a Spanish narration, but it shows Aerocar No. 4 on the road, transitioning for flight, and in the air:

PREVIOUSLY:

It's an Amphicar! It's an Amphicar!

An Amphicar Sighting in New Jersey

(IMAGES: Photos of N103D from aerocarforsale.com)

Hybrid Shark Attacks Inland California Town

We spotted this menacing shark recently while driving through Sebastapol, California, a small town 13 miles from the Pacific Ocean.  We don't know how it got there or how it managed to swallow an old International-Harvester pickup truck, but one thing is clear: We're gonna need a bigger boat!

UPDATE:

Our friend Scott Beale from Laughing Squid alerted us that the Shark Car was created by Sebastapol artist Patrick Amiot. Check out Scott's write-ups about Amiot's previous work here and here.

PREVIOUSLY:
Art Cars Invade Northern California

What's Wrong with the British Army's Land Rovers?

Remember the controversy that engulfed the US military when it was discovered that American troops were suffering significant combat losses because they were patrolling Iraq in lightly armored HMMWV vehicles that were vulnerable to roadside bombs?  A similar controversy is now unfolding in the United Kingdom as a result of combat losses stemming from the use of lightly armored Land Rover vehicles.

CNN reports that the commander of British special forces in Afghanistan recently "resigned in disgust" because military leaders and government officials ignored his warnings about the safety of so-called SNATCH Land Rovers used by the British Army in Afghanistan. And as any armchair off-road enthusiast can tell you, the SNATCH Land Rovers are based on the civilian Land Rover Defender platform. Defense Industry Daily explains:

The lightly-armored Land Rovers were originally designed for service in Northern Ireland. Protection levels against small arms fire are lower than the USA’s up-armored Hummers, and they suffer from flat, un-armored bottoms that make them little better than a civilian car against underbody land mine blasts. Worse, their off road capability in terrain like Afghanistan’s is considered rather limited, forcing them onto roads as obvious targets.

These characteristics have made the Land Rovers a target of controversy for some time now. To date, 34 British troops have been killed in Land Rover Snatch vehicles while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan – 1/8 of all British casualties in those theaters.

PREVIOUSLY:
No BULL: The Ultimate Anti-Smokey Convoy Truck

Uncle Sam Trades Stealth Jets for Armored Trucks

Uncle Sam Botches Armored Vehicle Acquisition Goal

The US Army's Top 10 Inventions of the Year

Video: When Tilt-Shift Monster Trucks Attack

Let us all give thanks for this: a time-lapse monster truck show, in superb tilt-shift video. And let the spectacle begin!

Metal Heart from Keith Loutit on Vimeo

(Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

How to Make Drinking at Home Feel Like Flying First Class

This is the we use bar we use in the Telstar Logistics Executive Lounge. Actually, it's an old airline galley cart, and this is the story of how it ended up in our headquarters... and how you can get one too.

A few years ago, we decided we wanted a galley cart -- the kind that flight attendants push down the aisles while serving food and drinks in the skies. Why? Well, we're hopeless aviation geeks, of course, but we also admired the simplicity, durability, and functionality of airline galley carts. Plus, we reasoned, a galley cart would be the perfect foundation for a compact bar setup.

Our quest to find a cart eventually took us to the deserts of El Mirage, California, where we found an aircraft boneyard with a few old galley carts to spare. Here's the one we liked best, as it looked the moment when we first laid eyes upon it:

It's an old SAS galley cart from the late-1970s, manufactured in Switzerland by a company called Bucher. We bought it, took it to a self-service car wash to clean off the dust, then carried it home. Later, we built a few matching drawers from acrylic sheet plastic, then loaded our cart up with vintage airline glassware, tiny bottles of liquor, cans of mixers, and plenty of napkins and bags of peanuts pinched from the cabins of the world's leading airlines.

It's turned out to be a wonderful tool for living. When not in use, all our barware and booze stows compactly and unobtrusively inside the cart. Come fun-time, the cart quickly converts into a bar, with plenty of workspace, easy access to bottles, and a snap-on tray (also found at the boneyard) that provides another level of storage for condiments and cocktail accessories:

And you can imagine how giddy we became when we flew on SAS in 2007, and discovered that the airline still uses carts exactly like ours in regular commercial service:

So where can you get one too?

Used airline galley carts are hard to find, and short-wheelbase carts like ours — which are much better-suited to domestic use — are even more rare. And even if you make the trek to the desert to visit a boneyard, the carts you'll find there are often in sad shape. New ones, however, cost several thousand dollars.

Happily, we just discovered another option. The Swiss company that manufactured our cart has an American subsidiary called Bucher Aerospace, and Bucher is now selling new carts to the general public at a very fair price.



Prices start at around $800 for an empty cart sold in a selection of 10 tasteful colors. Throw in options like top rails, a foot brake (handy during social turbulence), and some interior fittings, and the final price comes closer to $1300.



That's much less than a premium class roundtrip ticket from California to New York, and trust us when we say this: Having one of these carts at home makes every day feel like flying First Class.

LINK:
AlCarts (Airline-style Galley Carts from Bucher Aerospace)

Is This Obama's New Presidential Limo?

Does this spy photo show the new limousine that will be used by president-elect Obama's once he moves into the White House?  And though it looks like a Cadillac, is there really a medium-duty truck hidden beneath all that armored skin? The automotive spy photographers at Brenda Priddy & Company write: 

After President Obama takes the oath of office in January, he may have a new black limousine to go along with his not-so-new White House.

Photographed testing on public roads and highways, we think this behemoth might actually be more of a truck than a limo. With so much armor being added, it appears GM may have needed a medium-duty truck chassis like the Topkick platform. We observed the limo testing along with two regular Topkick trucks and the wheels and tires on the limo appeared to be the same size as the Topkick. The tires on the limo are Goodyear Regional RHS tires on 19.5-inch wheels.

As far as powertain, all we can say for sure is that it sounded like a very large diesel was under the hood. Possibly a V8 Duramax.

Style-wise, we can see bits and pieces from a few different Cadillac models. Xenon headlights from the Escalade adorn the front while the rear seems to have some parts. We can also see holders on the top of the front fenders where two small American flags would traditionally go. The doors on this limo are absolutely astounding. We'd guess they are at least 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick!

The New York Times also dug into the story, and here's what they learned (which is to say, not so much):

Although the raised roof and wide windshield pillars are inherited from the ultra-armored limousines that entered presidential service in 2001, only educated guesses can be made about the technical details. Because neither the Secret Service nor General Motors will discuss the car, or even confirm that a new one has been under development, it is impossible to provide basic specifications or dimensions. Calls to Cadillac's media relations department were not returned, and the Secret Service declined to comment.

(IMAGE: Spy photos by Chris Doane/Brenda Priddy & Company)

The Joy of Time Travel via the LIFE Magazine Photo Archive

Uh-oh.  As if the latest economic news wasn't scary enough, Google just introduced a new productivity-killing tool that is all but guaranteed to shave a few points off this quarter's projected GDP growth figures.  The culprit: Google's digitization of the vast photo archives of the former LIFE magazine. Google's official blog explains:

We're excited to announce the availability of never-before-seen images from the LIFE photo archive. This effort to bring offline images online was inspired by our mission to organize all the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. This collection of newly-digitized images includes photos and etchings produced and owned by LIFE dating all the way back to the 1750s.

Only a very small percentage of these images have ever been published. The rest have been sitting in dusty archives in the form of negatives, slides, glass plates, etchings, and prints. We're digitizing them so that everyone can easily experience these fascinating moments in time. Today about 20 percent of the collection is online; during the next few months, we will be adding the entire LIFE archive — about 10 million photos.

 

That's right, we fully expect you may well lose the next several hours in a reverie of deeply fascinating photo-historicial procrastination.  You will enjoy it, but our global economy may suffer as a result.  You have been warned.

LINK:
Google's LIFE Photo Archive (Endless fun!  Fully searchable!)

PREVIOUSLY:
Full-Color Time Travel, Courtesy of Your Library of Congress

Viva Italia: Stylish Woman Declothed by Mechanized Shovel

 

Continuing our mini-tradition of filling your Fridays with useless video, Telstar Logistics presents this week's installment: "Woman Stripped by Mechanical Shovel."  Yes, it's pretty much as described, and thankfully it's more or less safe for work.  It's also from Italy, so we assume it goes well with pasta -- a farfalle, no doubt.

(Tip of the hard hat to Ninavizz!)

Merry weekending!

Photos of the Really Really Illegal 2008 Illegal Soapbox Derby

Well, turns out there's a reason why it's called the *Illegal* Soapbox Derby.

When we arrived at Bernal Speedway in San Francisco to take in the 2008 running of the Illegal Soapbox Derby, some unpleasantness ensued between the racers and several representatives of the San Francisco Police Department. It seems the Parks Department had received a pre-race complaint from someone in the Bernal Heights Temperance and Abstinence League, and the cops were under orders to put the kibosh on the event. (According to the police, San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano had attempted to intervene on behalf of the Soapbox Derby, but to no avail -- Ammiano was overruled by the bureaucrats at the Parks Department. Thanks for trying, Tom!)

Major buzzkill.

After some futile and frustrating attempts at negotiation, the crowd dispersed peacefully and relocated (no less peacefully) to an another gravity-rich location elsewhere in the city.

The backup race course was steeper, narrower, and more curvy than Bernal Hill, which changed the tone of the racing dramatically. Check out this g-forcing, wheel-lifting action! Action! ACTION:

But the races did go on, and that's what matters most. And in the end, good clean fun was had by all... which is really what the Illegal Soapbox Derby Races are all about, anyway.

 

Suffice to say, we will not provide much advance notice of the Illegal Soapbox Derby Races in 2009, to ensure that a repeat of this year's SFPD unpleasantness does not occur. You'll be on your own to figure out the date. But when you do, Telstar Logistics be there too, and we look forward to saying hello.

Lots more photos fro 2008, below:

LINK:
The Really Really Illegal 2008 Soapbox Derby (Flickr photoset by Telstar Logistics)

UPDATE 11/3/08 12:42 pm: Via Jocelyn, here's a video of the SFPD talking to the crowd. The officer in charge was friendly enough, at least, and he confessed that he used to race soapbox cars down Russian Hill (illegally) when he was a kid:

Officer Talking To Soapbox Derby Crowd

PREVIOUSLY:
Photos! Photos! Photos! of the Action! Action! Action! at the 2007 Illegal Soapbox Derby

The 2006 Illegal Soapbox Derby (Flickr photoset by Telstar Logistics)

The 2005 Illegal Soapbox Derby (Flickr photoset by Telstar Logistics)

(IMAGES: All photos by Telstar Logistics)

Endorsement: YES on Prop 1A for California High-Speed Rail, YES for Sexy!

It's election season here at the Telstar Logistics Global Headquarters, and having already expressed our concern about extraterrestrial influences on the man who may well be the next president of the United States, we would now like to draw your attention to Proposition 1A, an initiative that will appear on the California ballot on November 4.

Prop 1A would authorize the State of California to issue $10 billion in bonds to fund the construction of a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Having experienced travel by high-speed rail both on France's TGV and on Japan's Shinkansen networks, Telstar Logistics strongly supports Prop 1A as a worthwhile infrastructure investment.  Here's why:

1. HIGH SPEED RAIL IS GREAT FOR OUR ECONOMY

Amid the ongoing financial crisis and the threat of global recession (or worse), now is the time to invest in infrastructure. As left-leaning, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman recently put it:

This is also a good time to engage in some serious infrastructure spending, which the country badly needs in any case. The usual argument against public works as economic stimulus is that they take too long: by the time you get around to repairing that bridge and upgrading that rail line, the slump is over and the stimulus isn’t needed. Well, that argument has no force now, since the chances that this slump will be over anytime soon are virtually nil. So let’s get those projects rolling.

Meanwhile, right-leaning columnist David Brooks writes:

A major infrastructure initiative would create jobs for the less-educated workers who have been hit hardest by the transition to an information economy. It would allow the U.S. to return to the fundamentals. There is a real danger that the U.S. is going to leap from one over-consuming era to another, from one finance-led bubble to another. Focusing on infrastructure would at least get us thinking about the real economy, asking hard questions about what will increase real productivity, helping people who are expanding companies rather than hedge funds.

Moreover, an infrastructure resurgence is desperately needed. Americans now spend 3.5 billion hours a year stuck in traffic, a figure expected to double by 2020. The U.S. population is projected to increase by 50 percent over the next 42 years.

2. HIGH SPEED RAIL IS GOOD FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT

Electric-powered high-speed rail is a more sustainable alternative to fossil-powered cars and aircraft. As regular readers of this Internet weblog know... we LOVE cars and aircraft.  But high-speed rail gets us to our destination more sensibly.  According to the California High Speed Rail Authority, by 2030 a high-speed rail network would offer multiple sustainability advantages:

• High-speed trains need only one-third of the energy than that of an airplane and one-fifth of an automobile trip.
• The system is projected to save 12.7 million barrels of oil per year by 2030, even with future improvements in auto fuel efficiency.
• Electrically-powered high-speed trains reduce pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. The total predicted emissions savings of the California high-speed train system is up to 12 billion pounds of CO2 per year by 2030 and would grow with higher ridership.

3. HIGH SPEED RAIL IS FASTER AND MORE COMFORTABLE

At present, it takes roughly 5 hours to drive between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and roughly 3 hours to fly (including airport travel time, check-in, and security screening).  Using high-speed trains that zip along at 220 mph, travel time between downtown SF and downtown LA would be reduced to about 2 hours 40 minutes.  Just imagine strolling into the train station and stepping aboard a train like this:

Just as importantly, however, travel between these two great cities would become vastly more comfortable. Today, the drive along Interstate 5 is long and boring, while air travel is increasingly nightmarish.

In contrast, our overseas experiences with high-speed rail have been notably civilized.  For example, here's a view of two happy travelers enjoying the clean, comfortable ride aboard a Japanese bullet train:

3. HIGH SPEED RAIL IS SEXY!

High-speed rail isn't just fast -- it's downright sexy.  Check out this view of a Japanese Shinkansen waiting to pick up passengers at Tokyo Station:

Even better, check out this photo we took inside the Lounge Car of a TGV train zipping across the French countryside at 200 mph. C'est super-chic, non?

People, this is California.  California *does* sexy.  Sexy is what the California lifestyle is all about. Being good at being sexy is one of the Golden State's core competitive advantages. Apple Computer? Sexy! Hollywood? Sexy! Napa Valley wineries? Sexy! Governor Schwarzenegger? Machosexy! You get the point.

To maintain our leadership position, California cannot allow ourselves to be out-sexed by the likes of France or Japan. Without high-speed rail, California will face a Sexiness Gap that will only become more glaring with the passage of time. This cannot stand.

What more is there to say?  High-speed rail is cleaner, faster, more pleasant, and more glamorous than current transportation alternatives, and it would provide us with a much-needed dose of infrastructure improvement to boot.  For all these reasons, Telstar Logistics encourages Californians to vote YES on Prop 1A.

LINKS:

California High-Speed Rail (Official website)

Yes on 1A (Official website)

Ballotpedia.org California Prop 1A Summary

PREVIOUSLY:

Is Barack Obama a Borg "Manchurian Candidate?"

Two Videos of Avant Garde Musicians and Transportation

(IMAGES:Artists' renderings by the California High Speed Rail Authority.  TGV and Shinkansen photos by Telstar Logistics)