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A very enlightening read and quite excellent in breaking down the approach and technologies researched and employed in the concept! I'm an amateur in the arena[

A very enlightening read and quite excellent in breaking down the approach and technologies researched and employed in the concept! I'm an amateur in the arena[1], albeit with some first-hand flight experience, but study this kind of development every chance I can get. As an academic concept, this is superb and the aerodynamic advantage of the prop/tail design deserves high praise - that's some innovative thinking right there! From an implementation standpoint I'm curious to how practical using a fuel cell will be from an aviation safety and regulatory standpoint. From what I've read regarding their implementation in automobiles, the testing is rigorous, so that's a plus! The author does point out that the plane needs to be accepted by the target markets, and honestly, I think the plane could be built and working by 2020 but there'd be a total of six mechanics qualified in the world to work on the thing. It might be an exaggeration, but give it a little consideration. We're talking a significant overhaul - an advancement, sure! - to the existing notion of flight. Hey I'm cool with it if it works! I've got no love for burning tons of fuel in the upper atmosphere. Yet also I've been quite skeptical of all the excitement around electric battery tech - e.g. graphene, super-capacitors - until it starts getting used and tested in real world applications. Advancements are underway, sure; time will tell if they live up to the hype though. See also: Moeller Air Car. There's something to be said for the punch that Jet A still packs - the new FlyBoard air debuted recently and I'm not sure an electric version is possible yet, or within the near future. [1] I participated in the LocalMotors LITECAR challenge and still am sore that an "exoskeleton" and "body panels made out of this lighter metal" entries were deemed more revolutionary than an organic composite sedan powered by microturbines and electric motors because what was said was the purpose of the contest did not match what was chosen in the long run. Grr.

pjc50 10y ago
There's something to be said for the punch that Jet A still packs Personally I suspect that the US Navy nuclear-powered CO2-to-JetA system, or something like it, will be the long term solution when fossil JetA becomes prohibitively expensive. Electric prop planes are feasible but electric jets really aren't.
- 6stringmerc 10y ago
  Very cool thought and I agree that using high energy density compounds is a hard habit to break. I'm not sure it's one that will need to be broken, as you point out. If there are "synthetic" ways to create such fuel, I think plenty of R&D is underway and we'll hear about them as they develop. I'm pretty sure the initial excitement has worn off but I'm hoping that aglae-based fuels can eventually be competitive as well.
- Torkel 10y ago
  When I read this article and also when I see quadcopter endurance tests (just over two hours) I come to the same conclusion as you do. Electric jets aren't happening. So it is so strange and fascinating that Elon Must seems to think that it could be done.[1] Like: if we take todays lightest and most aerodynamic sail plane, add batteries and an electric motor, and it's still worse than a cessna [2] - how exactly does he reach the conclusion that electric jets, _vertically starting and landing_ jets, are feasible? I really wish for something like the hyperloop design-docs to explain the thinking behind it :) [1] e.g. http://bgr.com/2016/02/07/elon-musk-electric-jet-great-idea/ http://bgr.com/2016/02/07/elon-musk-electric-jet-great-idea/ - “Well I have been thinking about the vertical takeoff and landing of an electric jet a bit more,” Musk said. “And I think I have something that might be close. I’m quite tempted to do something about it.” [2] MEA: https://www.iei.liu.se/machine/applications_re?l=en https://www.iei.liu.se/machine/applications_re?l=en
tcdent 10y ago
> There's something to be said for the punch that Jet A still packs I commonly hear "jet fuel" expected to be some exceptionally-potent fuel, but the truth is that it's very similar to regular old Diesel with aviation-specific additives. Today, phrasing your statement relative to something like trucking, where hybrids are widely deployed, does not provide nearly as effective an argument. That doesn't make it untrue, however. Fossil fuels have provided a naturally-occurring fuel source with a potency we are struggling to match. Everyone knows we've got to get away from them, though.

pjc50 10y ago

There's something to be said for the punch that Jet A still packs Personally I suspect that the US Navy nuclear-powered CO2-to-JetA system, or something like it, will be the long term solution when fossil JetA becomes prohibitively expensive. Electric prop planes are feasible but electric jets really aren't.

6stringmerc 10y ago
Very cool thought and I agree that using high energy density compounds is a hard habit to break. I'm not sure it's one that will need to be broken, as you point out. If there are "synthetic" ways to create such fuel, I think plenty of R&D is underway and we'll hear about them as they develop. I'm pretty sure the initial excitement has worn off but I'm hoping that aglae-based fuels can eventually be competitive as well.
Torkel 10y ago
When I read this article and also when I see quadcopter endurance tests (just over two hours) I come to the same conclusion as you do. Electric jets aren't happening. So it is so strange and fascinating that Elon Must seems to think that it could be done.[1] Like: if we take todays lightest and most aerodynamic sail plane, add batteries and an electric motor, and it's still worse than a cessna [2] - how exactly does he reach the conclusion that electric jets, _vertically starting and landing_ jets, are feasible? I really wish for something like the hyperloop design-docs to explain the thinking behind it :) [1] e.g. http://bgr.com/2016/02/07/elon-musk-electric-jet-great-idea/ http://bgr.com/2016/02/07/elon-musk-electric-jet-great-idea/ - “Well I have been thinking about the vertical takeoff and landing of an electric jet a bit more,” Musk said. “And I think I have something that might be close. I’m quite tempted to do something about it.” [2] MEA: https://www.iei.liu.se/machine/applications_re?l=en https://www.iei.liu.se/machine/applications_re?l=en

tcdent 10y ago

> There's something to be said for the punch that Jet A still packs I commonly hear "jet fuel" expected to be some exceptionally-potent fuel, but the truth is that it's very similar to regular old Diesel with aviation-specific additives. Today, phrasing your statement relative to something like trucking, where hybrids are widely deployed, does not provide nearly as effective an argument. That doesn't make it untrue, however. Fossil fuels have provided a naturally-occurring fuel source with a potency we are struggling to match. Everyone knows we've got to get away from them, though.