Scientists Design A 'Silent' Airplane
A team of U.S. and British researchers has unveiled the conceptual design for a near-silent, environmentally friendly passenger plane.
"Public concern about noise is a major constraint on expansion of aircraft operations. The 'silent aircraft' can help address this concern and thus aid in meeting the increasing passenger demand for air transport," said Edward Greitzer, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Greitzer and Professor Ann Dowling of Britain's Cambridge University are the principal investigators on the Silent Aircraft Initiative - a collaboration of 40 researchers from MIT and Cambridge, plus many others from more than 30 companies.
The goal was to develop a conceptual design for an aircraft whose noise was almost imperceptible outside the perimeter of an airfield in an urban environment.
The team's ultimate design also has the potential to be considerably more fuel-efficient. In a typical flight, the proposed bat-winged plane, which is designed to carry 215 passengers, is predicted to achieve 124 passenger-miles per gallon, nearly 25 percent more than current aircraft, Greitzer said.Researchers hope to produce such an aircraft by 2030.
"Public concern about noise is a major constraint on expansion of aircraft operations. The 'silent aircraft' can help address this concern and thus aid in meeting the increasing passenger demand for air transport," said Edward Greitzer, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Greitzer and Professor Ann Dowling of Britain's Cambridge University are the principal investigators on the Silent Aircraft Initiative - a collaboration of 40 researchers from MIT and Cambridge, plus many others from more than 30 companies.
The goal was to develop a conceptual design for an aircraft whose noise was almost imperceptible outside the perimeter of an airfield in an urban environment.
The team's ultimate design also has the potential to be considerably more fuel-efficient. In a typical flight, the proposed bat-winged plane, which is designed to carry 215 passengers, is predicted to achieve 124 passenger-miles per gallon, nearly 25 percent more than current aircraft, Greitzer said.Researchers hope to produce such an aircraft by 2030.
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