Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Spain Vacations-San Fermin Festival:Battle of the Bulls

Enough cheering for Chicago bulls is it not time to witness the real wild bulls. When are we all going to get some live fiery action with our souls involved in it? Come on people am not talking about playing for the bulls but playing with the bulls. Now is the time to decide for it, how many of you know about the San Fermin Festival?. This amazing festival takes place in Spain and it has a lot of events in it and one of them is the wild Bull Run.
This event takes place during July 7th to July 14th and all of us must try to visit Spain during this time and try our hand at this sport. It will give you a lot of thrills, fears, surprises, excitement and enjoyment all at once.So make it to Spain during this festival and enjoy the wild bull chase err I meant run. So book some Spain apartment or villas and enjoy your vacation. Check out some of the world’s most luxurious vacation rentals.

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Friday, October 14, 2011

Teams Successfully Fly Over First Round of Competition Hurdles

The Green Flight Challenge sponsored by Google has taken off! The competition in Santa Rosa, Calif., is challenging, pushing the envelope in aviation technology. As a result, only three of the 13 original registered teams remain in the competition for the NASA funded prize purse of $1.65 million. They are PhoEnix, Pipistrel-USA and e-Genius.

Yesterday was check in day for the teams and aircraft. Team Fueling notified CAFE that they were withdrawing from the competition due to mechanical problems. Emory Riddle Aeronautical University is flying demonstration flights as a noncompetitor.

Monday morning, as the early morning fog lifted, beautiful blue skies were revealed and the first round of competition took off.

A team briefing was held at 11:00 a.m. EDT to go over the plan for the days events which included completion of vehicle inspections, weight measurements, and takeoff noise and distance tests.

The noise and takeoff distance tests got underway shortly after 6:00 p.m. EDT. CAFE allowed media to go out near the runway and take video and photos as the planes took off and cleared the 50-foot height requirement and noise measurement. All were required to meet a noise level no greater than 78 dBA at full power takeoff, which was measured 250 feet sideways to take off distance. Takeoff distance was set for 2,000 feet from brake release to clear a 50-foot obstacle.

PhoEnix was first up, Pipistrel-USA was next, followed by e-Genius, and then ERAU. All were successful on their first attempts. The e-Genius team was offered and accepted a chance to do a second run due to unexpected background noise from another incoming aircraft across the field. They were again successful. All the planes were impressively quiet!

That concluded the first day of Green Flight Challenge competition, and the aircraft returned to the CAFE hanger campus to recharge their batteries for today's flight, which will cover about 200 miles. The weather is beautiful -- a perfect day for flight competition!

For More information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/centennial/gfc_first_day.html

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Friday, October 7, 2011

NASA is Painting the Skies Green Over Santa Rosa


NASA and Centennial Challenge partner organization, the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency, or CAFE, Foundation of Santa Rosa, Calif., are encouraging aerospace enthusiasts to attend the Green Flight Centennial Challenge, set to be held at the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1.

Teams from across the United States will test electric, biofueled and hybrid-powered aircraft, vying to be the most fuel-efficient small aircraft in the world. They're competing for a competition purse of $1.65 million -- the largest aviation prize ever offered.

Competitors will tackle a fuel efficiency competition Sept. 27 and a speed competition Sept. 29. To win the fuel competition, an aircraft must fly 200 miles in less than two hours, using less than one gallon of fuel per occupant, or an equivalent amount of electricity. If more than one aircraft meets that criteria, the competitor whose aircraft delivers the best combination of speed and efficiency will take home the prize, according to the competition guidelines.

The Green Flight Challenge's winning aircraft must exceed a fuel efficiency equivalent to 200 passenger miles per gallon (pax mpge). In comparison, typical general aviation aircraft have fuel efficiencies in the range of 5-50 pax mpge. Large passenger aircraft are in the 50-100 pax mpge range.

The winning aircraft also must achieve an average speed of at least 100 mph over a 200-mile race circuit; take off from a distance of less than 2,000 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle; and deliver a decibel level below 78 dBA at full power takeoff, as measured from a 250-foot sideline.

The Green Flight Challenge also marks the first time in history that full-scale, electric-powered aircraft will fly in competition. This competition will include the first four-seat, electric aircraft ever to fly, as well as the largest battery pack ever developed for a flight vehicle.

Thirteen teams led by America innovators initially took on the challenge. Five successfully completed aircraft and flight qualification requirements and remain in competition for the prize purse.

Ten of the competing aircraft, including many of those still in competition, will be on display Saturday, Oct. 1, at Sonoma County Airport from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT. The public is invited to visit the competition area during the week of Sept. 26 - Oct. 1 between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The focus of the Green Flight Centennial Challenge is to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Such technologies and innovations include, but are not limited to, bio-fueled propulsion; breakthroughs in batteries, motors, solar cells, fuel cells and ultra-capacitors that enable electric-powered flight; advanced high lift technologies for very short takeoff and landing distances; ultra-quiet propellers; enhanced structural efficiency built on advances in materials science and nanotechnology; and safety features such as vehicle parachutes and air bags.

The Green Flight Challenge is one of five current NASA Centennial Challenge technology prize competitions. The program, which began in 2005, is named in recognition of the first centennial anniversary of powered flight, and honored the legacy of the Wright Brothers and other American innovators. In the spirit of their endeavors, the Centennial Challenge prizes are offered to independent inventors who work without government support, including small businesses, student groups and individuals.


The prize competitions are targeted at a range of technical challenges that support NASA's missions in aeronautics and space. The goal is to encourage novel solutions from non-traditional sources. In the Centennial Challenge program, NASA provides the prize money and each of the competitions is managed by an independent organization.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/centennial/green_skies.html

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