Blog Archives

VIRGIN FLIGHT HITS RECORD-BREAKING 801MPH ON FLIGHT TO LONDON: ‘NEVER EVER SEEN THIS’

2/22/2019

A Virgin Atlantic jet could have set a new record speed for a Dreamliner aircraft after it hurtled across the US East Coast at more than 800mph.
The jet was boosted by a powerful jet stream across the eastern US states, which clocked in at 231mph, the fastest for half a century, according to the National Weather Service in New York.
This added tailwind increased the speed of 3,500-mile-long Virgin Atlantic flight VS8 from Los Angeles to London Heathrow, which at one point hit 801mph while over Pennsylvania.
It could mark a new record speed for a Boeing 787 Dreamline aircraft, according to CBS News.
The typical cruising speed of a Dreamliner is 561mph.

This $350,000 Armored Cadillac Escalade Has Gun Ports, Electric-Shock Doors, Smokescreen Systems

2/12/2019

Have you ever found yourself cruising down the highway in your Cadillac Escalade wishing your luxury SUV was a bit...safer? I'm not talking about having more airbags or blind-spot monitoring kind of safer, but features like hidden gun ports, ballistic glass, smokescreen systems, and door handles that'll shock the crap out of anyone who tries to invite themselves in. If you have, then Wyoming-based vehicle armoring company AddArmor can help you with that—and all you're going to need is approximately $350,000.
Called the "Executive Protection Escalade," the blacked-out Caddie combines some of the most advanced security and anti-ballistic technology with luxurious and private jet-like interior finishes. The end result is a nearly stock-looking exterior that's anything but in terms of performance, capabilities, and...price.

So what do you get for that much dough? For starters, AddArmor claims that its Escalade with European B6 Level armoring can withstand hits from high-velocity 30-06, 7.62, .556, 9mm, and .44 Magnum rounds—including "prolonged physical attacks from blunt objects like bats and cinder blocks." Bats, phew! Also, the company claims that new carbon composite panels provide armoring that's 10-times stronger than traditional steel plates and 60 percent lighter, meaning the vehicle itself is more maneuverable and therefore faster than the average armored SUV. And, you know, that can be handy when out-running the bad guys.
Speaking of smoking the bad guys, the Escalade rocks other 007-like features like a counter-attack sound cannon that emits extremely high-pitched sound waves, barricade-busting bumpers, 360-degree night vision cameras, a smokescreen system, and my favorite, electric-shock door handles. If all else fails, pepper spray dispensers can be triggered from inside the cabin. And if everything else really fails, gun ports allow occupants to aim at outsiders and discharge their firearms without having to step out of the luxe cabin.

In the technology front, the interior sports swanky items like flat-screen TVs throughout, executive seating, Wi-Fi, and premium audio. In terms of security tech, the vehicle is connected to the company's "911 GSOC" center for 24/7, satellite-activated emergency response around the globe. An active mine/explosive device detection system is also employed onboard, as is anti-jamming satellite communications system and law enforcement (red/blue) lighting. It's not clear if the engine receives any kind of performance treatment, but the suspension is beefed-up to comply with the additional weight, and larger brakes are also installed.
According to an AddArmor spokesperson, it takes approximately 1,300 hours to build an Executive Protection Escalade, and the current wait time is about seven months from order to delivery.

Final Resting Place of USS Hornet CV-8 Located in the South Pacific

2/12/2019

Wreckage of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Hornet was discovered in late January 2019 by the expedition crew of Paul G. Allen's Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel. Hornet was found 5,400 meters (nearly 17,500 feet) below the surface, resting on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean around the Solomon Islands. Hornet was best known for its part in the fateful Doolittle Raid that was launched in April of 1942, which was the first air-borne attack of Japanese homeland targets including Tokyo. Led by U.S. Army Lt. Col. James Doolittle, all the 16 B-25 planes that were launched from Hornet were unable to land at their designated airstrip in China, but the raid provided a boost to American morale and put Japan on alert about our covert air capabilities.
In June, Hornet was one of three American carriers that surprised and sunk four Japanese carriers at Midway, turning the tide of war in the Pacific.
The ship was sunk during the exceptionally vicious Battle of Santa Cruz Island that started on October 25, 1943. Hornetproved an especially determined ship over the next 24 hours. Enduring a relentless, coordinated attack by Japanese dive-bombers and torpedo planes, her crew was ultimately forced to abandon ship due to damage and resulting fires. She then defied American efforts to scuttle her with 16 torpedoes and 369 rounds of 5" shells. When Japanese forces approached shortly thereafter and fired four torpedoes from two Japanese destroyers late in the evening on October 26, Hornet finally succumbed and slipped beneath the surface. She lost 111 sailors from her crew of nearly 2,200.
"With the loss of Hornet and serious damage to Enterprise, the Battle of Santa Cruz was a Japanese victory, but at an extremely high cost," said Rear Admiral (Ret.) Samuel Cox, director of Naval History and Heritage Command. "About half the Japanese aircraft engaged were shot down by greatly improved U.S. Navy anti-aircraft defenses. As a result, the Japanese carriers did not engage again in battle for almost another two years."

The discovery of Hornet was made during R/V Petrel's first mission of 2019 after relocating from the Philippine Sea to the Solomon Islands to spend winter months in this arena. Operating out of Guadalcanal, the area is rich in history and prominence in terms of naval engagements.
"We had Hornet on our list of WWII warships that we wanted to locate because of its place in history as an aircraft carrier that saw many pivotal moments in naval battles," said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Vulcan. "Paul Allenwas particularly interested in historically significant and capital ships, so this mission and discovery honor his legacy."
The 10-person expedition team on the 250-foot R/V Petrel was able to locate Hornet's position by piecing together data from national and naval archives that included official deck logs and action reports from other ships engaged in the battle. Positions and sightings from nine other U.S. warships in the area were plotted on a chart to generate the starting point for the search grid. In the case of Hornet, she was discovered on the first dive mission of Petrel's autonomous underwater vehicle and confirmed by video footage from the remotely operated vehicle, both pieces of equipment rated to dive down to 6,000 meters.

HONDA'S INSANE 130-MPH 'MEAN MOWER' IS THE FASTEST LAWNMOWER EVER

2/6/2019

Honda has done something truly insane. They've transplanted the 189hp engine from their CBR1000RR Fireblade SP superbike into a freakin' lawnmower. Why on earth would the Japanese automaker build such an absurdly awesome piece of lawn care equipment? They have a reputation to uphold.
In 2014, Honda's first "Mean Mower" hit the world record-setting speed of 116 mph. Now, they've partnered with Team Dynamics once again to make a faster, louder, and meaner mower. What speed do you think it will do this go around?

Report: Chevy called out for reliability claim, pulls commercial

2/6/2019

A Chevrolet ad is again causing a ruckus, but this time it's less about style than about substance. According to a report from the Detroit News, Chevy pulled a national commercial at the same time the legitimacy of the statements made in the advertisement were questioned. The spot claimed Chevrolet had better reliability than Ford, Honda and Toyota.

Chevrolet has pulled the ad but says it did so due to a new marketing direction focusing on the Silverado.
ADVERTISEMENT
XThe dispute regards a new version of the "Real People, Not Actors" ad (you know the ones) titled "Chevy Surprises Competitive Owners When It Comes To Reliability." The description of the video read, "See what happens when competitive vehicle owners find out about Chevrolet reliability." It was posted to YouTube on Jan. 1, 2019, and ran on both national and local channels.
The video, which racked up tens of thousands of views and received more thumbs down than up, has since been taken down (a shell of the page can still be seen here). According to the report, the national commercial has also been removed from programming, with the local ads also coming down in following weeks.

In the video, the host brings people who are supposedly Ford, Honda and Toyota owners into a room with car-branded sheets covering numerous vehicles. The host "tricks" the owners by leading them to believe their cars are the most reliable vehicles on the road before pulling off sheets to reveal Chevrolet automobiles. The owners are surprised, with one remarking, "You had me bragging."

But the manufacturers in the video, Ford, Toyota and Honda, all pride themselves on their dependability and did not take the claims lightly. The report details that all three manufacturers reached out to Chevrolet to challenge the commercial to various degrees.

For the purposes of this commercial and these claims, Chevrolet commissioned independent research company Ipsos to conduct a survey. The details specify that reliability is defined as "the percentage of vehicle owners who reported they have not repaired or replaced any vehicle components in the past 12 months (excluding fluids, filters and those related to accident/collision)."

The survey sent out 840,979 letters to 2015 model-year vehicle owners, with time in service starting December 2014 through June 2015. Overall, Ipsos received 48,679 responses from Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ram, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo owners. Full details on the survey can be found here.

According to the Detroit News, Chevrolet is denying that their recall of the commercials has anything to do with the dispute. You can see Chevy's statement and the full report here.

In a statement to Autoblog, a Chevy spokesperson said, "Chevrolet stands by the reliability claim and the ad remains in the brand's toolbox but we have decided to take it out of the regular rotation at this time to launch new Silverado creative. We have not altered our marketing campaign because of any concerns with the accuracy of our ad content."

Chevy added, "We will not comment on conversations with other manufacturers."

In the most recent Consumer Reports brand reliability rankings, based on feedback from 640,000 vehicles owners, Honda ranked ninth, Toyota 10th, Ford 20th and Chevrolet 23rd. Beyond the matter of reliability, the Chevy Bolt and Impala did make CR's overall recommendations list of top 10 vehicles by category.

Derestricted Autobahns Could Be Axed Because Of Emissions Laws

2/6/2019

The German government is examining proposals to introduce speed limits on all sections of derestricted Autobahn.
Recommendations drafted by Germany’s National Platform on the Future of Mobility include capping speeds on all of the country’s motorways in an effort to bring overall emissions down to legally-required levels.

The country’s transport emissions have not fallen since 1990, reports Reuters, although that’s quite an impressive display of improved engine efficiency given the increased number of cars on the road.
Speeds would be limited to 130kph (81mph); a common motorway speed ceiling in mainland Europe. The new restrictions would be joined by generally increased fuel taxes from 2023, with greater increases applied to diesel cars and/or fuel.
The report, currently in a preliminary stage, will be finalised by the end of March before being incorporated into new laws. It’s said that not every suggestion will be carried forward, and we think a fair number of car people will be hoping the famous Autobahn stays just as it is.

VIRGIN FLIGHT HITS RECORD-BREAKING 801MPH ON FLIGHT TO LONDON: ‘NEVER EVER SEEN THIS’

This $350,000 Armored Cadillac Escalade Has Gun Ports, Electric-Shock Doors, Smokescreen Systems

Final Resting Place of USS Hornet CV-8 Located in the South Pacific

HONDA'S INSANE 130-MPH 'MEAN MOWER' IS THE FASTEST LAWNMOWER EVER

Report: Chevy called out for reliability claim, pulls commercial

Derestricted Autobahns Could Be Axed Because Of Emissions Laws

///

Categories

Archives