ALTERNATE ENERGY: Airplanes — Where energy efficiency has to be built in

Moving 8 miles a minute for months at a time
... still running against the wind
— Bob Seger

​If there is one mode of transportation that has limitations that others don’t have, it’s airplanes — one mistake and gravity takes over completely. The greatest measure of any air transport device is that it must be fuel efficient. All the designs of future aircraft are pivoted around fuel efficiency coupled with effectiveness. Weight and aerodynamics play key roles in fuel efficiency and vice versa. A proper analysis of these two issues will always yield a benefit of efficiency.
One of the most significant contributions of the Wright brothers was not manned flight but the wind tunnel. Bob Seger’s wind was metaphorical but Orville’s and Wilber’s was real. They knew that handling wind was the make or break point for flight. That is why they chose Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to be their test location because they understood the effect of wind for flight. Wind is still very much a factor in the mechanism of flight. I say wind, and of course, I am including air. However, air is seldom stationary. Air and its movement are deep in the study of flight. Currently, flight efficiency is based on just two principle factors: wing design and weight distribution. Design and weight are key to other forms of transportation as well, but with air transportation they are necessary to survival.
The current innovation (actually it’s over 80 years old in concept) is the BWB. No, not Buffalo Wings Buffet! Granted it can produce its own blend of natural gas, however, this is not the alternate energy subject of this column. I am referring to the Blended Wing Body, the wing that will shape flights in the future. It has all the right features: lift, lighter weight, fuel efficiency and lower cost. So what’s the hold up?
Here’s what NASA has to say:

NASA BWB Research
NASA is studying the flying characteristics of the BWB. Because it is a configuration that has only been used in military missions, there are a number of critical questions that researchers must address before a BWB can be commercially certified. The primary goals of the research are to study the flight and handling characteristics of the BWB design, match the vehicle’s performance with engineering predictions based on computer programming and wind tunnel studies, develop and evaluate digital flight controls, and assess the integration of the propulsion system to the airframe. Future research also must address the wide, flat pressurized payload bay of the BWB.
Over the past several years, wind tunnel and free flight model tests have been conducted to study particular aerodynamic characteristics of the BWB design. At the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, researchers tested five wind tunnel models on three versions of the BWB to evaluate the concept’s aerodynamic, noise, stability and control, and spin and tumble characteristics. Data obtained during these tests was used to develop computer performance models and flight control laws. The researchers will incorporate all wind tunnel (and later flight) data into simulations of a full-scale BWB to evaluate the flying characteristics.
Did you note “wind tunnel?” Over 115 years old, how’s that for a legacy in a world where technology is old-hat in six months? This concept was created by two bicycle mechanics. The aircraft world is still observing the flight of birds to improve the design of new aircraft, something the Wright brothers also did.

Big data
One of the alternate energy facets today is data. In today’s jets, “big data” directs pilots to change flight patterns to accommodate weather conditions which, in turn, can save hundreds of gallons of fuel per flight and make passengers’ flight safer and more comfortable. This data is sent via sensors strategically mounted on the aircraft to a central point where this data is processed in real time to assist the aircraft in flight. Then it is stored and accumulated for future use in flight planning and airplane design.

Jetman
One nuance of flight is the feature of the Jetman. This is a single man/woman device that could be the wave of future transportation. You must, however, be skilled and in good condition to fly one of these, and you have to be dropped from a plane to start your journey. So is this form of flight a possibility for everyone? Would it save fuel in the long run or be just too much fun? What about turn signals?
Check out Jetman Dubai on the web. It has been around for a while, but serious consideration is being given for its future. After all, transportation, in any form, is as much about freedom as it is going from one place to another. Is this freedom eco-responsible?

Sugar Volt
So what about electric flight? Enter Sugar Volt, a concept created by Boeing that may revolutionize flight. You might call this a hybrid jet aircraft. The concept is to use the jet fuel during the peak fuel needs such as takeoff and landing. Then use electric or electric assist during the non-peak fuel needs. I wonder if it will be possible to use gliding techniques at the right altitudes too. With the right draft, gliders have gone over 600 miles without a drop of fuel. Boeing is looking to 2030 for its commercial feasibility. Boeing is hoping to cut fuel usage by 70 percent with this concept.

Pizza anyone?
Talk about next-day delivery, how about next hour? NASA is working on drone delivery systems that could be the dream of every couch potato and that is: drone pizza delivery. Just leave your window open! After all, you don’t want to get up and answer the door. Seriously, could this conceivably be the end of rush hour traffic jams in big cities? UAS (Unmanned Airtraffic Systems) and UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) are the future of energy efficient flights. The problem is the need for a regulation system, but I will save that topic for a separate article on drones.

Conclusion
The future of flight will be challenging to say the least. What we take for granted on the ground cannot be in the space above us. It will be that very space that will determine the future of flight. Regulation, increased usage, along with innovation, will be key players in the air space above us. Safety and security will and must ride side by side with innovation.