From Katherine Redmond, University of Southampton
It seems as though the aviation industry is being continuously misrepresented in New Scientist as both negligent and naive – most recently by Martin Allen (31 March, p 22).
The reality is that conventional civil aircraft configurations are not optimum for performance. The resistance to change comes from airlines’ unwillingness to risk buying aircraft that the public might not trust, rather than lack of efficient technology.
Passenger demands drive design where they really shouldn’t: for example windows are unnecessary, require extra structural weight and increase drag, but if they were designed out, the manufacturer would go out of business.
The “wacky designs” are the best way to minimise weight, drag and fuel burn – far more than could be saved by scrapping duty-free or flying more slowly. Civil airliners already fly at a speed which is optimum for the combination of aerodynamic and propulsive performance, regardless of powerplant type, and jet streams are used where possible. The propulsive efficiency of turbofans will increase with speed, whereas turboprops peak at around 550 kilometres per hour – so perhaps this is the way forward.
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Southampton, UK
