LEAVING ASIDE THE ONGOING delusion of flying cars, the two absurdities that continue to grip people's imagination are the notions that: Firstly, supersonic airliners will be with us before 2030. Secondly: that battery-powered multirotor vertical takeoff air taxies will be practical even earlier than 2030.
It was the rise of computer-assisted design (CAD) that has driven many of these more unlikely flights of fancy. All you need is a PC and a gifted graphic designer and a great website (see https:// boomsupersonic.com/) - and you have an aircraft design that will draw gasps of admiration and, if you have the right connections, suck in some government funding.
In South Africa we have the preposterous idea punted by, of all things, a plastic surgeon; Dr Reza Mia, of a vertical takeoff and landing business jet, called the Pegasus. Mia is determined to persuade others that his still etherware design can defy basic economic principles and gravity. In my view - if he ever managed to succeed in getting the billions of dollars of funding required to certify such an aircraft - it would never recoup its investment as it would still be a crap bizjet with, thanks to the weight and drag of the fans in the wings, terrible speed, range and payload - which are after all, key requirements for a successful bizjet.
Leaving aside for another article the inherent risks and compromises of VTOL, the focus of my incredulity this month is Supersonic Transports (SSTs).
Perhaps because the Concorde actually achieved supersonic passenger flight 50 years ago, people retain an enduring belief that SSTs are feasible.
Esta historia es de la edición September 2022 de SA Flyer Magazine.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 2022 de SA Flyer Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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SACRIFICE
John continues his anecdotes about the sacrifices he has had to make in the course of his helicopter bush flying career.
KENYA - SAA PARTNERSHIP DELAY
KENYA AIRWAYS AND South African Airways announced the establishment of a highly anticipated Pan-African Airline Group three years ago.
TO PARIS FOR LUNCH
One morning I arrived back at Lanseria from a two day charter to a dreary Northern Cape iron mine. Entering the terminal, I removed my wings and epaulets, thrust them into my flight bag, and headed for the restaurant.
ASCA'S MPUMI MPOFU: READY FOR TAKE-OFF
Ms Mpumi Mpofu has occupied the hot seat as Chief Executive of ACSA, the Airports Company of South Africa for a tumultuous past four years.
HYDROGEN POWERED PLANE TESTED
WORLD’S LARGEST liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, using a 1 MW fuel cell engine, has been tested.
CAMEROON - BLAMES BOEING
BOEING JUST CANNOT STAY out of trouble. It has become the whipping boy for endless absurd claims.
IRIS GOES TO SOMALIA
Having spent the last couple of years flying to a rota, I was thoroughly enjoying the freedom and randomness of flying charters at Sunbird Aviation.
TELEPORTATION
One of the best clients for whom I ever flew was BP, the British oil giant. I was with them in Algeria for about seven years, from the very start of their large gas projects, right in the heart of the Sahara Desert, near the small towns of In Amenas and In Salah.
FEBRUARY 2023
February has shown steady growth in the number of aircraft registered. Four fixed wing and one helicopter were added while the non-type certified (NTCA) register grew by seven.
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 16 FUEL SYSTEMS WHY SO COMPLICATED?
You know those aggranoying people who say, “Oh I wouldn't fly in one of those little things - you can't just pull over and fix it if something goes wrong\"? What makes this particularly irritating is that the bastards are right.