Different Aspects Of The Future Of Aviation
The future of aviation is not nearly as exciting for the passenger as it is for others. More and more people travel by plane every year and the industry is constantly growing. From cheaper airfare tickets to immigration and vacations, the amount of flights taken by the average human in a lifetime is constantly increasing. In recent years the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has made a significant impact on the airline industry. This relatively small, extremely efficient, long range airplane has allowed for the advent of long-haul budget airlines and for traditional airlines to open up long-haul routes between smaller markets. The near future of aviation has much to do with one decision Boeing made almost a decade ago. In 1983 the first Boeing 757 entered into service with Eastern Airlines, being built as a replacement to the successful 727 for popular shorter routes that needed more seats than a 737.
At the time it was incredibly fuel efficient, burning 40% less fuel per seat than its predecessor. It sold well, but not phenomenally. By the turn of the millennium about a thousand were made and sales were slowing rapidly so Boeing pulled the plug on the aircrafts production in 2004. Later, in 2007, the aircraft started to be used for something it was not intended for transatlantic service. When the 757 was first developed, airlines were not allowed to fly twin-engine aircrafts over long stretches of ocean, but the regulations have changed over time so airlines changed how the planes were used. With a range of well over 4,000 miles, the 757 can easily reach most destinations in Western Europe from the US East coast. When operating a smaller plane, airlines are almost guaranteed they can fill the seats, so they are almost guaranteed to make money. Instead of operating larger planes that may not fill up completely, airlines began flying this single aisle, twin-engine plane across the Atlantic. The smaller size also allowed airlines to fly to smaller destinations with smaller demand. Since the plane was originally developed for domestic routes, it can easily be used for shorter domestic flights between trans-Atlantic flights which leads to high aircraft utilization, also making it more profitable. These planes are aging as some have been in service for well over 30 years and airlines are retiring them to remain competitive both with passenger comfort and with aircraft efficiency.
The future of aviation starts with the concept known as the Flying V. With its quirky design and aerodynamic shape, it will reduce weight and therefore use 20% less fuel than the 757. Its expected that the aircraft known as the flying V will be officially revealed as a full concept at the KLM experience days said to take place in October to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of KLM. When taking a look at the exact specifications of the aircraft, it seems it would seat three hundred and fourteen passengers in a standard, two-class configuration with the same volume of cargo as that on the Airbus a350. The plane easily fit into gates and was able to use all the current infrastructure more widely at airports around the world. Inside the flying V, all materials would be carefully selected to ensure that the type is as lightweight as possible and can therefore save airlines as much money as possible. However, with that, bathrooms and also seats would still be as comfortable as possible for the travelers, with the seat layout taking the seats all the way to the wings and airlines would therefore have so much more potential when it comes to the configuration of the air craft. There are still many more tests to try before releasing this Flying V, however, the near future of aviation lies in this idea.
The near future of aviation also lies in renewable resources. While we see huge strides in production of renewable energy, the technology required to allow every industry to use it has not kept pace. In theory we could replace every coal burning power plant in the world in the morning, and manage just fine, if we had a reasonable way of storing that energy cost efficiently. This energy storage dilemma is slowing our adoption of renewable energy. This is most apparent in the aviation industry. Elon Musk is running around pushing electric vehicles and solar powered homes, yet every time a Falcon 9 launches it burns 147 tons of fossil fuel. Boeing and Airbus are in a constant battle to create the most fuel-efficient plane, allowing their customers to save on increasing fuel costs and increase their bottom line, yet, they are still using kerosene when energy from the grid is cheaper. So why isn’t every industry on earth clawing at the prospect of renewable fuels? The aviation industry has one massive hurdle to overcome before it can successfully adopt renewable energy. The energy density of our storage methods. Energy density is the measure of the energy one can harness from1 Kilogram of an energy source. For kerosene, the fuel that jet airlines use has about 43 MJ/kg. Currently a quality lithium ion battery has about 1 MJ/kg so battery energy is over 40 times heavier than jet fuel. This is a huge problem because a plane flies when lift equals the weight of the plane so when the weight is increased, the lift must also be increased, which requires more power. Needing more power means needing more batteries, which increases the weight again. Although currently impossible, the future of aviation has potential for a fix to this massive problem and the option of renewable resources being used for air crafts in the future.
