From PESWiki

An index of clean or energy-efficient flight concepts, prototypes, and available products relating to human flight.

Speed

• Hydrogen > Green Skies at Mach 5 (http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-01/green-skies-mach-5) - Hydrogen-burning A2 hypersonic airliner by Reaction Engines could fly at Mach-5 (3,400mph)--more than twice as fast as the Concorde--carrying 300 passengers, without producing a trace of carbon emissions. (Popular Science; Jan. 23, 2008)
  

Flying Cars

See Directory:Flying Cars

• Flying Car About to Take Off? (http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19499/?nlid=592) - [1] (http://www.terrafugia.com/Terrafugia) is developing the Transition, a roadable light sport aircraft that will be able to land at the airport, fold up its wings, and drive on the road. Company looks to complete a prototype of its roadworthy aircraft within a year. (MIT Technology Review; Oct. 10, 2007) (CNetNews (http://www.news.com/2300-11389_3-6040379-1.html?tag=nl); Sep. 6, 2006) (Slashdot (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/10/122254); Nov. 10, 2007)
  

Other Flying Small Craft

• Flycycle: human-powered aircraft test pending - Canadian project objective is to build a practical human-powered aircraft. Their first prototype is nearing completion; testing is pending. Presently a do-it-yourself project, complete with instructions.
  

• HoverCopter (http://www.hovercopter.us/) - Vertical Lifting System (US Patent Pending) uses vertical airfoils to control the reverse torque created by spinning the horizontal rotor blades. Uses the down draft to achieve reverse torque and rotational control. Site mentions Perendev Magnetic Motor (http://pesn.com/2004/06/30/6900029PerendevPowerMagneticMotor/) as ideal for the design.

• AirScooter (http://www.exn.ca/video/?video=exn20050420-airscooter.asx) - Flying craft by inventor, Woody Norris, weighs 250-pounds, resembles a small helicopter, designed for medium distance air travel, but far easier to learn. Handlebar like a motorcycle. Can fly for 2 hours on one tank of fuel. (DiscoveryChannel.ca; April 20, 2005)
  

Fuel Efficient Flight

Blimps

• Fuel Efficiency > Aeroscraft > The ultimate corporate aircraft (http://www.gizmag.com/go/7752/) - Aeroscraft ML866 aircraft will be launched at the NBAA 60th Annual Meeting & Convention in September, 2007 in Atlanta. It offers 120 knots top speed, 5,000 square feet of interior compartment, helicopter like vertical takeoff and landing capability and independence from congested airports. (GizMag; Aug. 7, 2007)
  

• High Altitude Wind Power > Fuel Efficiency > Vehicles / Windream One project (http://www.gizmag.com/go/7428/) - The Windream One (http://www.teamtheolia.com/) project to cross (http://www.gizmag.com/go/7013/) the Atlantic Ocean in a sail balloon driven by natural and renewable energy sources is progressing. Test flights got underway last Saturday with a small prototype balloon designed to test the curved carbon foil which will run under the water’s surface and guide the 900m3 helium balloon’s flight path. (Gizmag; Jun. 14, 2007)
  

• Fuel Efficiency > Vehicles > Blended-Wing Boeing completes first test flight (http://www.gizmag.com/go/7694/) - Boeing flew its first prototype of a Blended Wing Body aircraft last week. A BWB design allows the entire body of the plane to generate lift and reduces drag in comparison to a tube-shaped fuselage - both of which are key factors in reducing fuel usage. The BWB design also provides a much greater cargo and passenger capacity. (GizMag; Jul. 30, 2007)
  

Solar

• Solar > Vehicles > Solar Flight (http://www.solar-flight.com/) - SUNSEEKER, a manned solar powered aircraft, has an electric motor, planetary gearbox, a folding propeller and 40 lbs of Lithium batteries installed in the wings. It was flown from Ramona to Tehachapi and back, over the Mojave Desert, San Gabriel mountains, Ontario, and Lake Elsinore. Flight time on the return was less than 3.5 hours.
  

• Solar > Solar Plane to Fly Continuously Around Mars (http://www.physorg.com/news93089585.html) - Scientists believe that Sky-Sailor will reach the inner orbit of Mars within a decade or two. In 2005 a prototype achieved a continuous flight time of five hours, with a 24-hour flight test planned for the summer of 2007. With a lithium-ion polymer battery the plane can fly all night and during cloudy or foggy conditions, all on solar power. (PhysOrg; Mar. 14, 2007)
  

Other Designs

• Spark Design PALV (http://www.sparkdesign.nl/en/index.html) - The PALV (Personal Air and Land Vehicle): a concept for a new form of transport, developed by Spark and BBB Management. The PALV can be driven like a car and flown like a gyrocopter. (GizMag (http://www.gizmag.com/go/3323/); Oct. 14, 2004))
  

• AeroBiker (http://www.aerobiker.com) - Allied AeroTechnics Inc. - Official site of the AirBike™ VTOL Personal Aircraft.
  

• Jetpack with 10-mile Range Available Soon (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/notag/jetpack-with-a-10-mile-range-available-soon-for-226000-333150.php) -Jet Pack International (http://jetpackinternational.com/) is releasing a new model early next year that'll let potential pilots take to the skies for a generous 19 minutes. The purchase price of $226,000 comes with an included training course so you don't kill yourself. (Gizmodo; Dec. 12, 2007)
  

• Fuel Efficiency > 50 MPG Plane Wins PAV Prize  (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/887/) - The Pipistrel (http://www.ultralightflyer.com/pipistrel_s04/) won NASA's Personal Air Vehicle (http://cafefoundation.org/v2/pav_home.php) X-Prize like contest, achieving 50 MPG. The plane is extremely light weight, so it becomes more fuel efficient as it flies and burns fuel, getting lighter. The plane's simple controls and ease of operation also helped it take home the prize. It costs about $70,000. (EcoGeek; Aug. 15, 2007)
  

• Fuel Efficiency > Vehicles > 9 Steps to Cheaper Greener Flight (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/828/) - The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first commercial jet produced with efficiency specifically in mind, but the 787 still leaves a lot of room for improvement. Several designs are at various stages of production that could make air travel as efficient, or even more efficient, than automobiles. (EcoGeek; Jul. 26, 2007)
  

• Fuel Efficiency > Vehicles > Ohio Airships (http://www.dynalifter.com/) - The Dynalifter® “Roadless Trucking” system has transport costs and speeds comparable to trucking without the need of building a sophisticated highway network. It has the ability to fly on low amounts of power at low speeds, much like airships, but without the operational drawbacks of a traditional airship.
  

• Fuel Efficiency > Vehicles > Silent aircraft creeps closer to reality (http://www.cambridge-mit.org/cgi-bin/default.pl?SID=6&SSSID=495&NewsID=368) - Researchers from Cambridge University and MIT unveiled their concept for a flying wing aircraft that makes a huge reduction in noise. This highly-efficient design offers improvements of around 25% in fuel consumption and is intended for entry into service in 2030. (The Cambridge-MIT Institute; November 06, 2006)
  

• 35% More Efficient Flight (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1373/) - Bauhaus Luftfahrt (http://www.bauhaus-luftfahrt.net/englisch/index.html) is promising emissions cuts of 35% by 2035, to meet the European Union’s Clean Skies initiative. They propose adoption of geared turbofans in conventional engines for 15%, then counter fans for 5%, and waste recuperation for another 15% efficiency. Bauhaus is also working on a box-winged aircraft for further reductions. (EcoGeek; Feb. 14, 2008)
  

Clean Fuels

• Boeing tests battery-powered plane (http://www.theage.com.au/news/news/boeing-tests-batterypowered-plane/2008/04/04/1207249411282.html) - "For the first time in the history of aviation, Boeing has flown a manned airplane that was powered by a hydrogen battery," Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy told a news conference at the firm's research centre in the central Spanish town of Ocana. (The Age; April 4, 2008)
  

1.58 minutes Story of Boeing's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Aircraft
"We are proud of our pioneering work during the past five years on the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane project. It is a tangible example of how we are exploring future leaps in environmental performance, as well as a credit to the talents and innovative spirit of our team." (April 4, 2008 YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzeCQblYHic))

• • Boeing Flies First Ever Battery Fuel Cell Plane! (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/09/transportation-tuesday-boeing-flies-first-fuel-cell-plane/)
    

• Waste-to-Energy / Alternative Fuels > Diesel > US Military Investigating Fuel from Waste (http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19974/?nlid=767) - Two companies are working together on a portable system that converts coal, natural gas, and biomass into diesel and jet fuel. The military could use the system to convert waste created at military bases--food scraps, paper, wood--into a fuel for military jets and vehicles.
  

• Alt Fuels > Butanol > Butanol Jet Fuel From CO2 (http://www.oceanethanol.com/site/Ocean%20Ethanol/E5212394-1BDA-4B51-92F3-2DF2CFEC3825.html) - Ocean Ethanol (http://www.oceanethanol.com) lab experiments confirm electrochemical production of butanol from CO2, water and electricity, generating butanol, water and oxygen. Estimated production cost is $.80 per gallon - based on current electrical rates, free water and free CO2. Butanol was identified by Virgin Airlines as the jet fuel of the future. (Ocean Ethanol; Feb. 21, 2007) (Thanks Greg Giese (mailto:greg@globalmicroturbine.com))
  

See also

• Directory:Anti-Gravity
• PowerPedia:Jet Engine
• PowerPedia:Pulsed Plasma Thruster
• PowerPedia:Biefeld Brown effect
• PowerPedia:UFO
• Directory:Electron Power Systems, Inc.
• Directory:Flycycle
• Directory:Fuel Efficiency Vehicles
• Directory:High Altitude Wind Power

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