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I live near an airport. It would be nice if this quiet first approach was taken on by passenger aviation. All I can see at the moment is gradual improvement in

I live near an airport. It would be nice if this quiet first approach was taken on by passenger aviation. All I can see at the moment is gradual improvement in noise performance being countered by increased traffic. A stepwise improvement would be most welcome.

Gibbon1 7y ago
I think hybrid electric designs are 'coming' partly for that exact reason. Aircraft can takeoff and land using mostly battery power which would reduce noise considerably. Part of the motivation is also to increase the bypass ratio by running a multiple fans per set of engines. Like four fans and two engines. High bypass --> less noise.
llampx 7y ago
I've wondered why catapult designs haven't been studied for airports, since they're used frequently for launching fighter jets from aircraft carriers. It would cut down on fuel consumption, emissions and noise when taking off.
- rocqua 7y ago
  G forces and the fact that a lot of noise isn't from takeoff itself but just from the low flying that occurs near takeoff and landing?
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  Do catapults on aircraft carriers cut down noise and fuel consumption? No because you still run the engines at max.
  - wetmore 7y ago
    Ostensibly over a shorter period of time though.
    - AdrianB1 7y ago
      Not at all, planes keep full afterburner until they reach a safe speed and level (varies by aircraft) and most planes are refueled again after the take off. The catapult just enables them to take off with serious costs for the pilot, plane and energy.
- MagnumOpus 7y ago
  They would put massive stress on airframes that are not designed for them. And (at a guess) they are probably far more accident prone than unassisted take-off, a trade-off that is not acceptable for passenger operations.
- nradov 7y ago
  Airbus has studied that. We might see it eventually. But it would be tremendously expensive to build electric catapults long enough to keep G forces down to tolerable levels. And aircraft would have to be redesigned with a strong attachment point. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/07/airbus_smarter_skies/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/07/airbus_smarter_skie...
AdrianB1 7y ago
This approach is focusing on cruising, not take off and landing; the requirements are completely different, the solutions may be quite different.

Gibbon1 7y ago

I think hybrid electric designs are 'coming' partly for that exact reason. Aircraft can takeoff and land using mostly battery power which would reduce noise considerably. Part of the motivation is also to increase the bypass ratio by running a multiple fans per set of engines. Like four fans and two engines. High bypass --> less noise.

llampx 7y ago

I've wondered why catapult designs haven't been studied for airports, since they're used frequently for launching fighter jets from aircraft carriers. It would cut down on fuel consumption, emissions and noise when taking off.

rocqua 7y ago
G forces and the fact that a lot of noise isn't from takeoff itself but just from the low flying that occurs near takeoff and landing?
chrisseaton 7y ago
Do catapults on aircraft carriers cut down noise and fuel consumption? No because you still run the engines at max.
- wetmore 7y ago
  Ostensibly over a shorter period of time though.
  - AdrianB1 7y ago
    Not at all, planes keep full afterburner until they reach a safe speed and level (varies by aircraft) and most planes are refueled again after the take off. The catapult just enables them to take off with serious costs for the pilot, plane and energy.
MagnumOpus 7y ago
They would put massive stress on airframes that are not designed for them. And (at a guess) they are probably far more accident prone than unassisted take-off, a trade-off that is not acceptable for passenger operations.
nradov 7y ago
Airbus has studied that. We might see it eventually. But it would be tremendously expensive to build electric catapults long enough to keep G forces down to tolerable levels. And aircraft would have to be redesigned with a strong attachment point. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/07/airbus_smarter_skies/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/07/airbus_smarter_skie...

AdrianB1 7y ago

This approach is focusing on cruising, not take off and landing; the requirements are completely different, the solutions may be quite different.