What Does The Future Of Airline Travel Look Like 84 Years From Now?

Web: www.stevenfrischling.com — E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

5/02/2009 – What Does The Future Of Airline Travel Look Like 84 Years From Now?

One-hundred-and-six years ago when the Wright Brothers first took to the air in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, no one would have imagined where flight would have taken us.

Looking at the massive changes in flight over the past 100+ years the first flyers would have never imaged seeing the Lockheed L-1049G (Super Constellation) flying through the air.   The thought of the Concorde would have seemed like science fiction and the regular sight of the Boeing 747 taking to the skies 40 years ago would have seemed impossible.

The length of time the legendary B-52 has been flying is approximately half as long as airplanes have taken to the skies.  The B-52 first flew on the 15th of April 1952, and has flown continuously for the past 57 years. The most common current variant of the B-52 flying today, the B-52H, entered service on the 9th of May 1961. In fact the B-52 is not scheduled to be retired from service until 2040!

As the advancements in aviation continue to move forward, and aircraft that were unimaginable to envision flying 10 years ago, such as the massive Airbus A380-800, some are daring to look much further into the future.

Traditionally airlines and aircraft manufacturers have not looked that far into the future.  Breaking from tradition, with more than a century of aviation behind us, Finnair and Airbus teamed up to create an ambitious project to look 84 years into the future.

What will aircraft manufacturers be producing in 84 years?  Will we be flying ‘green’ airliners?  Will we be flying within the Earth’s atmosphere or traveling out of the atmosphere to get from point-to-point faster?

There are so many fantastic options to explore, and both Finnair and Airbus explore them.

If you enjoy the potential of science, or just want a glimpse into the future, I suggest visiting Finnair’s Departure 2093 Project.  On the Departure 2093 Project web site you can view a ‘future fleet’ find out more about how the business and industry may change and the ecological impacts of zero-emission aircraft.

So kick back, try and think like Jules Verne (if you don’t know who he is, I may suggest rethinking your high school literature class) and explore the future of commercial airline travel 84 years in the future.

Read?  Now click here: www.departure2093.com

Below are two images of what may exist in the future for the Airbus A600-850.

Happy Flying!
–Click Images Below To Enlarge–
(Images Courtesy Of Finnair & Airbus)