17 hours ago, reignman40 said:

The 1930's called and wants its prop liner back?

19 passengers and a range of 250 miles... Mostly a PR stunt for now. This might be perfect for cargo or island hoping but I don't expect an airline like say Hawaiian to be replacing their 717's for these when they go into operation. You would need 6-7 of these to move as many passengers as a single flight in a Boeing 717.

A hybrid airliner would be awesome! if possible, the extra components might make it to heavy? Takeoff, Climb and landing would use fuel while being electric during cruise and decent.

Fuel cells could make electric aircraft viable. They are already to market in Material Handling equipment, forklifts, reach trucks, EPJs etc.. my own company has a few Dist. Centers using them. Faster than charging a battery and easier than changing one.

Quoting Alvin Weinberg (father of the pressurized water reactor), 

Quote

"It wasn't that I had suddenly become converted to a belief in nuclear airplanes.   It was rather,  that this was the only avenue open to ORNL (Oak Ridge National Labs) for continuing work in reactor development.   That the purpose was unattainable,   if not foolish,   was not so important.   A high-temperature reactor could be useful for other purposes even if it never propelled and airplane"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion

The Soviets did experiments too,   their nuclear jet engines passed air through the core of the reactor and it left fallout contrails everywhere they flew.

Edited July 18, 20214 yr by Waldo Pepper

 

On 7/13/2021 at 9:57 PM, David Mills said:

Due to an aircraft's constant interaction with the atmosphere, shouldn't Windmill power be the preferred energy source for modern aircraft? The Windmills could be cleverly disguised as propellers, and few people would notice the difference. The company could be called WindBus.

 

It reminds me of this xkcd joke ...

On 7/13/2021 at 2:49 PM, bobcat999 said:

[This thread has been useful for me at least - I learnt how to spell Oscillating]

 

Now you "learned" how to spell. Haha!

Oh goodness.  I stand corrected...or sit redacted.  Learnt is the British English word for learned.

Edited July 19, 20214 yr by ryanbatcund

1 hour ago, ryanbatcund said:

Now you "learned" how to spell. Haha!

Oh goodness.  I stand corrected...or sit redacted.  Learnt is the British English word for learned.

Ah yes! We have many words such as this to trip you up.  'Spelt' is used for spelled as well.  UK and the US - two countries divided by the same language!   

To our American cousins it must seem like we are all speaking like characters out of Lord of the Rings!   Where ist thou Portage through thine ether? I beseech thee, bringeth the Bus of Air! 
We don't really talk like this of course. We are all down with the kids these days bro!   

Edited July 19, 20214 yr by bobcat999
Corrected some MISSPELT words!..