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Google got into the Holiday spirit several weeks early. The search giant didn’t want to just give boring old toys or gadgets, though. No, when Google does something, it does it on a wide scale. Perhaps that’s why they gave holiday travelers the gift of free Wi-Fi in 47 U.S. airports and free Wi-Fi on Virgin America flights . The technology behemoth made clear today that it’s not done giving, though. Google has just added an additional seven airports in its free Wi-Fi program. They are: Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan National, Phoenix, Columbus (Ohio), Albany, Boise, and Asheville (North Carolina). Don’t forget: in addition to free Wi-Fi, Google is also matching donations made in these airports to Engineers Without…

I know the feeling all too well: the airplane starts to lift off, and you suddenly get overwhelmed with the feeling that something isn’t right. Is it going too fast? Should it make this much noise? And then, as it rises off the ground, you get that uneasy feeling in your stomach and you’d most definitely rather be somewhere else. And I’m not even scared of flying; I can only imagine what it’s like to someone who has a genuine phobia. But Virgin Atlantic Airways aims to alleviate the issue – with an iPhone app ! The app is based on Virgin Atlantic Airways’ Flying Without Fear course, which supposedly has a 98% …

Southwest Airlines may not own a plane with a headrest infotainment system, but it’s still far and away the most enjoyable commercial flight you’ll find in the US of A (save for Virgin America , naturally). Granted, we’d like to see in-flight WiFi offered on a few more of its flights (read: 100 percent of them), but hey, we’ll take free checked bags and friendly employees any day of the week. We’ll also take fuel savings and environment stewardship, both of which Southwest is aiming to give us by creating the planet’s first “green plane.” By utilizing recyclable InterfaceFLOR carpet, weight…

Fuel cells may have lost some steam of late here in the automotive realm, but they’re still going strong at 30,000 feet. Over in Hamburg, Germany, the Antares DLR-H2 has become the first piloted aircraft capable of taking off using only power from fuel cells, which means that it flies with absolutely no carbon emissions. The craft is based on the Antares 20E glider, which boasts a wingspan of just over 65 feet and has a cruising range of 466 miles over five hours. Currently, the propulsion system permits maximum flying speeds of around 105mph, but we’re certain those behind the creation are gunning for more. As for its …

Let’s face it: no one digs long security lines at airports. But if you reckoned a healthy amount of folks would be willing to pay $128 per year in order to bypass said lines at only a few airports in the world, you’d be wrong. After launching with high hopes back in 2005, Clear has quietly folded after failing to “negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.” There’s no word on what’ll happen to existing paying customers, but we get the feeling they’ll be directed towards a somewhat unpleasant creek sans a paddle. Or, you know, that poorly staffed lane to…

Topics: Odds and ends , Found Footage , iPhone Take one radio-controlled airplane or helicopter, add a Wi-Fi router and some custom software, then mix in an iPhone’s accelerometer and touch interface. What do you get? An R/C aircraft controller. Joshua Ziering loves to fly radio-controlled ‘copters and planes, and he describes exactly how he went about developing an app and the associated hardware to control their flight by tilting his iPhone and moving throttle controls on the screen in a post on his blog . Check it all out in the video below. Gary Z. at MacMost.com — thanks for the tip! TUAW Found Footage: Controlling radio control aircraft with an iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. …

Look, the future didn’t happen in 1956 , it’s not going to happen this year , and it’s never going to happen, ok? No matter how cool these flying cars may look like. Don’t get me wrong. If I had a car, I would love it to fly. But more like in a Back to the Future way than on this awkward let’s-get-these-big-honkin’-wings out and do the Koji Kabuto. Stephen Harris and his father like the idea enough, so much that they are going to put their company— Leigh Aerosystems , which has created drones and weapons for the Air Force before—on it. These is the design they have came up with. The specs are good: • …