<
https://singularityhub.com/2023/06/02/jetzeros-next-gen-aircraft-could-change-how-we-fly-for-the-first-time-in-decades/>
"Air travel is a major source of carbon emissions, accounting for about 2.4
percent of global emissions each year. There are a range of solutions in the
works, from electrifying aircraft to using hydrogen fuel to bringing back the
airship. The likelihood of any of these coming to fruition varies, and even if
they do, it won’t be soon.
A California-based startup called JetZero has a different idea: changing the
shape of commercial planes and the material they’re made of. The company
unveiled its designs for the midsize commercial and military tanker-transport
markets this spring, and has big plans to upend the way air travel looks and
feels—as well as how much it costs and how much carbon it emits. Tony Fadell,
founder of venture capital firm Build Collective and a JetZero investor and
strategic advisor, thinks the company could be the “SpaceX of aviation” due to
its potential to disrupt the existing business model.
JetZero’s planes, which are still in the concept/prototype phase, have a
blended wing body design. That means the wings merge with the main body of the
aircraft, rather than being attached to a hollow tube like the planes we travel
in today. Picture the body of a manta ray: wide and flat, it tapers off to a
narrower fin at each side, with a head and a tail. A blended wing body aircraft
isn’t terribly different, though on JetZero’s models the body isn’t quite as
wide.
Besides providing a lot more space, this design is more aerodynamic than
tube-and-wing planes. JetZero plans to fly its planes at higher altitudes than
today’s norm (40 to 45,000 feet rather than 30 to 35,000), and says its
airframe will cut fuel burn and emissions in half. It plans to make its planes
out of carbon fiber and kevlar (a strong lightweight fiber used for things like
body armor, bulletproof vests, car brakes, boats, and aircraft). The company
says its planes’ lighter weight and improved aerodynamics would be able to fly
at the same speed and range as existing midbody jetliners, but burn half as
much fuel in the process."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
