The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War

The Spitfire was a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft that had elliptical wings with a thin cross-section allowing for a higher top speed than many of its foreign adversaries.

This particular Spitfire, operated by Old Flying Machine Company and normally based in Duxford in the UK was invited by Toni Kupfer, former president of Bex Aeroclub, to perform at the airfield’s annual fly-in where the aircraft has been a favorite participant since its first appearance in 1976.

Bex aerodrome near Geneva, is also the home base of the aviator Yves Rossy and serves as a development area for his Jetman project which has been a tremendously successful engineering and piloting achievement. Rossy, a commercial pilot, has successfully crossed the English Channel flying on the power of the four small turbines built into the wing which he straps onto his back and that contains a parachute to execute his landing.

“To take this occasion to fly in formation with this wonderful machine is an incredible experience,” Rossy said. “We were very fortunate to have the assistance of the TBM Avenger piloted by Laurent Calame, to act as a camera-ship and I would really like to thank everyone involved, at Bex, OFMC (Old Flying Machine Company) and Breitling to help make this happen.

“Since my technology is getting more and more reliable I am very confident about these types of flights,” he continued. “I can relax and enjoy such a fantastic experience. Under my wing I am free, I have the perfect view!”

This is the latest in the series of formation flights for Rossy. He has now flown alongside the Stearman aircraft of the Breitling Wingwalkers, two L-39c Albatross Jets of the Breitling Jet Team and most recently, he reenacted a ‘superman’ flight flying alongside a DC3 aircraft with 20 passengers on board.

Thank you: generalaviationnews.com

 
 
Nissan’s Delta Wing Race Car

It’s the 80th running of the 24 hours at Le Mans and nearly a quarter million people have assembled to see the spectacle of racing that has always been unique because it allows  cars from four distinct classes and speeds to compete at the same time as some of the fastest cars in the world. This year, an entry like no other was allowed to enter the race, in 28th position.

 The entry is known as the Delta Wing, and once you lay eyes on it, you will not be disappointed. Think Bat Mobile meets SR-71 Blackbird. It is all  black, which seems appropriate, and has a very slender nose and the fuselage fans out as you move to the back of the car and rear tires giving it the delta wing appearance. What super-geek Batman car would be complete without vertical fin in the back for stability in turns? Huh?


Picture
It may look cool, but there is nothing geeky about this car! All of the design elements on the vehicle were designed with efficiency and speed in mind.

The 24 Hours at Le Mans has, for most of its history, been a proving ground for new automotive design and technology. Nissan’s Delta Wing wasn’t the only experimental platform this year. Two of the fastest cars this year in the hybrid-electric group, the Audi R18 and the Toyota TS030 who also used  hybrid electric platform.

The designer of theDelta Wing Ben Bowlby, while commenting on the impressive performance of the hybrids said “...the Delta Wing is (on) an order of magnitude more radical than either of these cars. Its novel shape enables to clock competitive lap with an engine only slightly more powerful than the in a standard family design.” He went on to say “The Delta Wing goes the same speed with half the weight, half the drag, half the power and half the power and half the power consumption.”


Steve Miller
 source: popular science