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| Re: Reuters TV ... futuristic ''air train'' (1230644) | |||
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Re: Reuters TV ... futuristic ''air train'' |
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Posted by WillD on Sun Jun 23 00:56:44 2013, in response to Reuters TV ... futuristic "air train", posted by SelkirkTMO on Sun Jun 23 00:22:22 2013. BTDT: It mostly depends on whether the decreased turnaround time for the airframe results in savings greater than the increased form drag and fuel consumption. Since they're going to have to do fueling at some point that advantage in turning the plane around will be eroded. But you gotta love that their CGI animations are straight out of FSX or X-plane. IMHO it might be better applied to something like a transoceanic ground effect vehicle if those ever reach fruition. A GEV would cruise right around the point below the point where form drag predominates over induced drag, so inefficient designs, such as the Russian Lun and its six large, extremely drag-inducing missile tubes, are not penalized as severely as conventional aircraft designs. Something the size of the proposed Boeing Pelican capable of crossing the Atlantic in around 12 hours could transport upwards of 120 TEUs per crossing (the C-5 Galaxy would top out at 18), but likely wouldn't be particularly competitive without very quick turnaround times at either end. Thus something like a this Clip Air or the PacketPlane approach could enable GEV airframes to achieve greater utilization and hopefully break even. |
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