Welcome aboard the future of air travel

PASSENGERS travelling by plane at five times the speed of sound and aircraft moving through the sky in formation to save energy could be a reality within half a century, according to a new report.

Innovation within the aerospace sector could see flying fuel stations by 2075 and a system where individual plane passengers in units attached to an aircraft-carrier type system are delivered to their front door, according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME).

A new report, “Aero 2075: Flying into a bright future?” has spelled out the innovation developing within the industry, but has warned that action is needed now if the UK is to be at the forefront of developments.

IME chief executive Stephen Tetlow said: “Now is the time for industry and Government to focus on sectors that can help lift the country’s economy.

“The UK aerospace sector already employs over 100,000 people around the country and is worth over £29 billion a year to our economy, but we need to take action now to ensure this sector can continue to thrive and grow.

“There is great potential for new UK aerospace technologies, but in order to compete with emerging nations, we need to set up a strategic vision for UK aerospace, establish a new dedicated aerospace research body and restore research and development funding to pre-recession levels.”

However, Laurie Price, director of aviation strategy at consultancy Mott MacDonald, said a “dose of reality” was needed.

“The technology is there. The science and the physics are doable. It’s paying for it that’s the problem,” he said. But he added that flying in formation could be dangerous in poor conditions and a craft that travels at five times the speed of sound would be extremely noisy.

Hypersonic travel

Standing for Supersonic Combustion Ramjets, Scramjets are hypersonic, travelling at more than five times the speed of sound, or about 4,000 miles per hour.

An aircraft using this type of jet engine could dramatically reduce the time it takes to travel from one place to another, potentially putting any place on Earth within a 90 minute flight.

They work by using oxygen rushing in through the engine at supersonic speeds to ignite hydrogen fuel. However, there are questions about whether such a vehicle could carry enough fuel to make trips of a useful length, and there are issues with sonic booms.

Aerodynamic gains of the ‘flying wing’

IN PLANES built to a “flying wing” design, the fuselage, wings and engine are blended together.

With a single surface, the aircraft is more aerodynamic, making it more efficient and reducing the drag.

This means the innovative design results in lower fuel consumption and the plane is also quieter. However, the aircraft can be unstable compared to conventional planes because the wings have to be extremely wide.

Home deliveries

ONE radical idea would be a type of flying aircraft carrier that delivered the individual passenger to or near to their front door.

A sort of “Ark Royal for the skies” would be the mothership that carried individual units that were released over the destination and floated down to a designated area tailored to the passenger.

This could make flying far more time efficient for the passenger, literally delivering them to where they wanted to be. But building the mothership would create huge engineering challenges.

V-shaped formula

Commercial aircraft flying in a V-shaped formation would save power by taking advantage of the airflow generated by the plane in front.

Engineers say this is similar to the aerodynamic nature of a flock of geese.

The aircraft would fly together until each reached its destination, and would then peel off to land.

An automated system would determine the flying position of each craft. But it would present a challenge to engineers to make sure collisions were impossible, even in poor visibility.

Mid-air refuelling

FLYING fuel stations would mean aircraft did not have to take off with full tanks.

This could have economic advantages on longer routes because avoiding taking off with a full tank would make the plane more energy efficient. However, creating the fuel station would pose huge engineering challenges and passengers may be concerned about the safety of the procedure.