HeraldNet: Flying urinals and a jet-powered Swiss guy



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Aerospace Blog

May 15, 2008

Flying urinals and a jet-powered Swiss guy

Posted at 12:53 pm

Airbus’s A380 may be home to another commercial first: a urinal.

Dasell has designed urinals for large commercial jets like the A380 or Boeing’s 747.

Although military jets have used urinals, their commercial counterparts haven’t put them into use.

“When we first came up with the concept in 1999, there wasn't much interest," Dasell’s Norbert Runn told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "Airlines saw it as restricting service, because female passengers couldn't use it."

However, Dasell has seen more interest as jet fuel prices increase. The company estimates that opting for one row of urinals instead of traditional lavatories allows space for four additional seats on a Boeing 747, providing extra revenue for the airline.

The company markets its product for use on long-range flights, estimating that 70 percent of economy class passengers on such flights are male.

But that number could drop if Swiss inventor Yves Rossy has his say.

According to Spiegel, Rossy has developed a futuristic looking jetpack that allows him to fly. The inventor took his first public flight on Wednesday – staying in the air for five minutes and reaching speeds of up to 186 miles per hour.

Rossy’s device relies on four small jet engines that are strapped to the pack’s wings. The jetpack took five years to develop at an estimated cost of $300,000.

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