The Flying Book
Page 20
Nevertheless, inventors have long tried for the perfect balance of car and airplane. It seems that every conceivable name has been used: the ConVairCar, the Sky Car, the Aerocar, the Bertelson Aeromobile, and the Waterman Arrowbile. In fact, over seventy-five patents have been granted for “roadable aircraft,” ten of them since 1989. Many flew, but none could both fly and drive well.
Mark my word: a combination airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.
—Henry Ford, 1940
I bought a brand new Aeromobile. Custom made, ’twas a Flight de Ville
—lyrics from the 1956 Chuck Berry song “You Can’t Catch Me”
On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters attached forty-two helium-filled balloons to an aluminum chair, sat down holding a pellet pistol and a portable CB radio, and took off from his girlfriend’s backyard in the suburbs of Los Angeles. After unexpectedly rising about 16,000 feet, he started shooting out the balloons to land. He did fly for about ninety minutes but ended up knocking out an entire neighborhood’s electricity when the balloons became tangled in power lines. He was finally fined $1,500 and charged with the reckless operation of an aircraft “for which there is not currently in effect an airworthiness certificate.”
But that doesn’t stop people bitten by the aircar bug, who continue to tinker with lightweight composite materials, publish articles with titles like “The Advanced Personal Fixed-Wing Converticar,” and insist that an inexpensive “roadable” aircraft—safe and easy enough for the general public to operate—is just around the corner. As Moulton “Molt” Taylor, inventor of the Aerocar, put it shortly before his death in 1995: “If it weren’t for us nuts, you’d still be reading from candlelight and wearing button shoes…. The flying automobile is the future. It has to be, just as sure as they made wagons without horses.”
POPULAR MECHANICS magazine, February 1951.
Epilogue:
The Future of Flying
One hundred years ago, only a handful of people even believed that powered flight was possible. Today, flying is the safest form of transportation in the world (other than the elevator), there are more than 700,000 licensed private pilots in the United States alone, and each year airlines carry more than 1.6 billion passengers around the world—one-fifth of the world’s population. Industry analysts believe that this number will double by 2015 and possibly triple by 2025.
Yet even today air travel is too often arduous. Airport hubs are saturated with aircraft and passengers. There are record-setting delays and cancellations due to everything from weather (even when the weather is nowhere near your flight) to overwhelmed air traffic control systems. Each year flying becomes more like riding a bus, and people now complain about the airlines almost as often as they do lawyers and home-remodeling contractors. If the analysts are right about the future, some radical changes must come about in the airline industry.
Changing the System
Building one or more additional runways at a number of the world’s busiest airports would go a long way toward helping air traffic congestion, but as much as people want easier and cheaper travel, few want a new runway in their backyard. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has made several big-budget attempts to upgrade its systems, with varying degrees of success. Some companies, like Southwest Airlines, now fly mostly short point-to-point trips, largely bypassing the often-frustrating hub-and-spoke system (which routes people through major airports such as those in Chicago, Frankfurt, or Hong Kong in order to get to other destination cities).
When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return.
—Leonardo da Vinci
James Fallows, in his book Free Flight, suggests an even more dramatic change is to come. Fallows points out that almost every major industry, from personal computers to retail shopping, has moved toward making their wares more personalized and convenient to the customer. The airline industry, however, still largely revolves around conveniencing the airlines themselves. He contends that in the near future large fleets of high-tech air taxis, holding four or five passengers each, will be able to fly you directly between airports you choose avoiding hubs. Even better, these small aircraft, which are nowhere near as loud as large jets, will be able to use any of the more than 3,500 small airports that already exist in communities around the United States. If these aircraft can be shown to be as safe and affordable as the big airliners, many people will jump at the chance for this sort of convenience.
In fact, many businesspeople are already defecting to this model, chartering private jets instead of wasting their executives’ time muddling through one hub after another. Today, you can charter a business jet for about the same cost as buying four or five first-class tickets on an airliner. Future air taxis would likely bring costs down much further.
New Technology
Of course, there will always be a need for larger jets, too, so Boeing and Airbus are hard at work shaping the future of commercial flight. At the time of this writing, Airbus is building what will become the world’s biggest airliner, the double-decker, 555-seat, four-engine Airbus 380. This aircraft will likely go into service in 2006 and provide the first real competition to the Boeing 747 for large-scale hauling of passengers and cargo.
While NASA is best known for its work in space, it is also very active in aviation research, including developing new lightweight composite materials, revamping air traffic control systems, and building “smart” airplanes that can fly themselves in emergency situations. Some researchers are even exploring how an airplane’s outer skin could actually change shape at different phases of a flight, mimicking birds by narrowing and sweeping back the wings at higher speeds.
NASA’s technology probably won’t show up in the public sector until 2030 or so. That’s likely the same time that someone will figure out how to make a cost-effective supersonic airliner, making continent-hopping easier than ever. For shorter trips, however, some innovators point to the future of personal aviation: aircraft as big as today’s sport utility vehicles that use small jet engines to take off vertically from your driveway, and use a grid of wirelessly networked computers to avoid smashing into one another.
Back from the Future
Of course, it’s easier to dream wildly about the future than to sit back and really experience the present. If poetry is the act of distilling some mysterious deep truth from the dross of the everyday world, then the act of a great aluminum beast taking off and flying over our familiar landscape is, indeed, poetry.
While most passengers are content to eat dinner and watch a movie, ignoring the fact that they’re hurtling across the sky, others find it miraculous. Flying is one of the most astonishing things humans have ever learned to do. It is the culmination of thousands of years of dreaming while watching the birds with envy and wonder.
So it’s true that airports are a hassle, and that airplane food isn’t great. It’s true that luggage misses connections, that turbulence can be scary, that the air is dehydrating, and that very, very rarely something goes terribly wrong. But the next time you find yourself worrying or fuming, remember how amazing it is that we have tamed the powerful air, riding it like the waves of a great invisible ocean. It is poetry in motion.
Appendix Identifying Airplanes:
A Field Guide
In case you haven’t gotten enough about flying, here is a field guide to some common North American and European jet airliners. It doesn’t necessarily cover aircraft flown by Aeroflot and other former Eastern-bloc countries. Use it to do a little plane spotting next time you’re at the airport.
Two Jet Engines
Both Engines on the Rear of the Fuselage
Full-size Jet
McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-80
Boeing 717 (which was originally called the MD-95)
Telltale signs: There aren’t many DC-9s or 717s in service, so it’s probably an MD-80. The horiz
ontal stabilizer on the tail of these three aircraft is at the top of the tail, forming a T. Also, the end of the fuselage on the MD-80 and Boeing 717 looks like a flathead screwdriver. The Boeing 717 is much shorter and stubbier than the MD-80 and holds only about 100 passengers.
Small Commuter Jet (fewer than 100 passenters)
EMB-145: This popular jet has a distinctive pointed nose, reminiscent of the Concorde.
Fokker F28, F70, and F100: These jets have a rounded nose, and the tail extends farther forward than in most aircraft.
Canadair Challenger: This jet has a shorter fuselage than the others, and it may have winglets.
British Aerospace One-Eleven: The engines on this jet are mounted slightly lower than the windows.
Small Corporate Jet
Among the most common business jets are the Gulfstream, the Learjet, and the Cessna Citation. Business jets are often difficult to distinguish from each other from a distance.
Both Engines Mounted on the Wings
Wide-body Airplane
Airbus A300, A310, A330
Boeing 767, 777
Telltale signs: The wide-body, “twin aisle” aircraft are significantly larger than the narrow-body “single aisle” airplanes. The Airbus aircraft all have small winglets at the end of their wings (the Boeing aircraft do not), and the fuselage extends out farther (and straighter) behind the tailfin than in the 767. The Airbus A330 and the Boeing 777 are almost identical in length and wingspan, but the Airbus has winglets, and the end of the fuselage on the 777 looks like a flathead screwdriver. Also, the 777 has three pairs of tires on each landing gear, whereas the 767 has only two.
The A300 and A310 are very similar, though the A310 is shorter, making it appear more squat, like the Boeing 767.
Narrow-body Airplane
Airbus A319, A320
Boeing 737, 757
Telltale signs: Twin-engine narrow-bodies are significantly slimmer and smaller than wide-body aircraft. The Airbus A320 has tiny up-and-down winglets at the end of its wings, and the end of the fuselage extends out longer behind the tailfin than in the Boeing airplanes. The biggest differences between the 737 and the 757 are the size (the 757 is about one-third longer than the 737) and the end of the fuselage (where the 757 comes almost to a point, the 737 is cut off at an angle, like a calligraphy pen). The engines on all but the earliest 737s are also slightly “squashed” at the bottom.
Three Jet Engines
All Three Engines on or Around the Tail of the Plane
Boeing 727
Tupolev Tu-154
Yakovlev Yak-40
Telltale signs: It’s most likely a Boeing 727. The Russian-made Tupolev Tu-154 has a prominent antenna protruding forward from the tail. The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a very small, stubby airplane.
One Engine on Each Wing, and One in Tail
Lockheed TriStar L-1011 (“el ten-eleven”)
McDonnell Douglas DC-10, MD-11
Telltale signs: The most obvious difference between the Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas models is that the front of the tail engine on the L-1011 is higher than its back. (The air intake is above the fuselage, and the exhaust comes out the back of the fuselage itself.) On the DC-10 and MD-11, the exhaust is directly behind the air intake, as on most other engines. Note that the MD-11 has winglets at the end of its wings and is longer than the DC-10.
Four Jet Engines
Wings Extend from the Bottom of the Airplane
If the wings extend from the lower part of the fuselage, it’s probably an Airbus A340, Boeing 707, Boeing 747, Ilyushin IL-86, Ilyushin IL-96, or a McDonnell Douglas DC-8.
Wide-body Aircraft
Airbus A340
Boeing 747
Telltale signs: The Boeing 747 is an enormous wide-body plane and has a distinctive hump in the front part of the fuselage. The Airbus A340 has winglets that stick up at the end of the wings (though more recent 747s also have winglets). Plus, the end of the fuselage on this large wide-body airplane extends out to a bluntly pointed tip.
Narrow-body Aircraft
Boeing 707
McDonnell Douglas DC-8
Telltale signs: These long and narrow aircrafts are similar though the 707 has a distinctive antenna pointing forward at the top of the tail fin. Also, the DC-8 has much narrower wings.
Wings Extend from the Top of the Airplane
This type of jet is pretty rare; it’s likely an Antonov An-124, Avro RJ/British Aerosapce 146, or a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The Avro RJ/British Aerospace 146 is a pretty small, somewhat stubby airplane. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and the Antonov An-124 are enormous and are used almost exclusively for cargo and military operations.
Currently the largest aircraft in the world, the Antonov An-225, has three engines on each wing and two vertical stabilizers (forming an H). It also has seven pairs of wheels on each side, plus four nose wheels, in order to carry a total weight of over 1.3 million pounds (600,000 kg).
For More Information
If this book has inspired you to learn more about flying, you’re in luck—there are literally thousands of books, magazines, and Web sites devoted to aviation. To make the search easier, your first step should be the Flying Book Web Site, at http://www.theflyingbook.com, which has links and an extended bibliography of resources.
However, if you’re browsing through the shelves at your local bookstore or library, here’s a list of some of the best books on the subject.
Anderson, David and Scott Eberhardt. Understanding Flight. New York: McGraw Hill, 2001. Although it’s a physics textbook, this book is a great resource for anyone who wants to understand aerodynamics.
Berk, William and Frank Berk. Guide to Airport Airplanes. Plymouth, Mich.: Plymouth Press, 1996. A great book to have on hand at an airport if you like identifying commercial airplanes.
Cronin, John. Your Flight Questions Answered by a Jetliner Pilot. Vergennes, Vt.: Plymouth Press, 1998. Basic and to the point, but provides a lot of detailed information and terminology.
Dalton, Stephen. The Miracle of Flight. Buffalo, N.Y.: Firefly Books, 1999. Stunning photographs and illustrations of birds, insects, and other flying objects make this book a must have.
English, Dave. Slipping the Surly Bonds. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. A collection of terrific quotations about airplanes, based on a popular aviation Web site.
Evans, Julien. All You Ever Wanted to Know About Flying. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks, Intl., 1997. A highly llustrated little book with technical explanations on airliners and airports.
Ridley, Layne. White Knuckles. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1987. This is my favorite book for fearful flyers; it’s not only informative, but fun to read, too.
Seaman, Debbie. The Fearless Flier’s Handbook. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 1998. Based on Quantas Airlines’ fear of flying clinic, but interesting to almost any passenger.
Sternstein, Ed and Todd Gold. From Takeoff to Landing. New York: Pocket Books, 1991. Lots of details about flying you never knew you wanted to know.
Wright, Orville. How We Invented the Airplane. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1991. Although often too technical and dry, this little book has great photographs and it’s fun to hear the history in Orville Wright’s own words.
Art Credits
Boarding passes on section opener pages courtesy of Barbara Schaetti
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-12732
© 2002 David Blatner
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-33132
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Designs for a flying machine, Leonardo da Vinci, 1488, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-1333
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-33128
copyright © Ralph Kunadt, Airlinerphotos.com
Copyright Boeing
Courtesy of United States Geological Survey
Courtesy of cartoonbank.com
Courtes
y of Airbus Industrie
Copyright Boeing
U.S. Patent No. 506,969, October 17, 1893, inventor: A. F. Bergquist. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Lot 11533-18
Copyright Boeing
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-15789
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-15787
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Lot 11533-18
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-59026
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-6166A
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-15790
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-5515
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-13137
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-13137
Courtesy of the New York Times, Library of Congress: LC-USZ62-70237
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-45002
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-51291
Courtesy of Popular Mechanics
Index
Page numbers in boldface refer to boxed factoids.
A Check
A300-600ST Super Transporter (“Beluga”)
Acrophobia
Adams, Douglas
Aerial archaeology
Aerial refueling, first
Aerial Transit Company