Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
We're off topic. I'll say look into the Hybrid airplanes (google) as well as the futuristic full-electric ones. Hybrids save battery mass, which makes it more viable for aircraft.
Electric airplanes are bonkers...at least all the mass of an EV's batteries are supported by the wheels and the ground, not relying on the wings (and therefore thrust) to hold them off the ground.
I Googled the hybrid ones, and this is priceless...
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42152484
Quote:
There are several good reasons why Airbus wants to develop electrified planes.
Jet fuel makes up a significant proportion of a typical airline's running costs - over the past few years it has varied from 17-36%, depending on the price of oil. Use less fuel and costs should come down.
Then there's noise. Modern jets aren't nearly as noisy as their predecessors from a couple of decades ago, but they still make quite a racket on landing or takeoff. If your house is close to the airport that's bad news.
Electric motors are a lot quieter, so they could allow more night flights, especially in airports close to city centres.
And of course, there's the question of emissions. Electrified aircraft, like hybrid cars, should be cleaner than conventional models.
With some forecasts suggesting the number of large aircraft will double over the next 20 years, they could become a powerful tool for cutting emissions of NOx and CO2.
So the potential benefits are clear - but first the technology needs to be proven.
I've been accused of not imagining enough things that will come to pass under Musk.
I imagine an airliner with two unicorns mounted to each wing (*), providing not only silent and emissions free flying to the public, but they'll be able to trade their sweat in at the end of the flight for the duty free liquor of their choice at the end of the flight.
(*) Unicorns, being about the same size as horses when they tuck their wings in are ideal. Long distance flights, the cargo holds would be converted to stables to house, feed and rest the back-up
engines unicorns, which could be changed over mid flight.
Only problem that I can see is that horse shoe nails aren't rated for the sorts of loads that apply between a unicorn's hoof and the wings of an airbus...but for long distance flights you would need to have a quick connect coupling for seamless unicorn changeover, so the failings of today's horseshoe nails aren't the problem that the naysayers would have people believe.
