With the Boeing Dreamliner 787 making its first international appearance at the Farnborough air show this week in the UK, I thought it would be good to post a bit about the future of commercial airliners.
I have always been fascinated by designs for concept airplanes. Looking at pictures of futuristic fighter planes and airliners in books as a child was probably one of the reasons I studied aerospace engineering as an undergrad. I always wanted to know what new type of plane was next. Wired's Autopia has been reporting on some interesting new designs, from new boom-less supersonic jets to super efficient airliners to Airbus's Concept Plane.
Everything that I have been reading details concepts that are focused primarily on improved fuel efficiency and a better passenger experience (more luxuries, entertainment choices, bigger seats and windows, improved cabin air and lighting, etc.). Do today's current economics of commercial air travel and the existing airport network infrastructure prevent any radical leaps in aircraft design? Will we always fly in cylindrical tubes with wings that fly around 500-600 mph?
I want to better understand what it could take to dramatically change our future flying experience. Will flight times ever be cut in half? Will smaller air taxis catch on for regional flights? Will we see new physical designs like the blended-wing body? Today's advances are impressive and technically significant, but I am afraid that we are going to be stuck with marginal evolutionary improvements in our air travel experience in the coming future.
I have always been fascinated by designs for concept airplanes. Looking at pictures of futuristic fighter planes and airliners in books as a child was probably one of the reasons I studied aerospace engineering as an undergrad. I always wanted to know what new type of plane was next. Wired's Autopia has been reporting on some interesting new designs, from new boom-less supersonic jets to super efficient airliners to Airbus's Concept Plane.
Everything that I have been reading details concepts that are focused primarily on improved fuel efficiency and a better passenger experience (more luxuries, entertainment choices, bigger seats and windows, improved cabin air and lighting, etc.). Do today's current economics of commercial air travel and the existing airport network infrastructure prevent any radical leaps in aircraft design? Will we always fly in cylindrical tubes with wings that fly around 500-600 mph?
I want to better understand what it could take to dramatically change our future flying experience. Will flight times ever be cut in half? Will smaller air taxis catch on for regional flights? Will we see new physical designs like the blended-wing body? Today's advances are impressive and technically significant, but I am afraid that we are going to be stuck with marginal evolutionary improvements in our air travel experience in the coming future.
OK, the u-shaped tail and integrated engines are pretty cool...
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