Editor's Weekly Ramblings 126

February 16th 2006

Progressive Planes

Sleek design: the Virgin GlobalFlyer was just used to break the record for longest non-stop solo flight.

I remember seeing the Concorde at Heathrow Airport in 2003, knowing that if I ever saw one again it would be in a museum. It seemed like a step backwards for aviation and made me briefly contemplate the notion of progress. It's been awhile since I've come across any planes remotely as aerodynamic as the Concorde, but I was impressed when I saw the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer in the news this week.

This aircraft is designed to travel around the world non-stop and on February 10, it helped millionaire Steve Fossett break a world record for the longest non-stop flight. A regular plane would have problems carrying enough fuel to travel that far, but the Global Flyer is very fuel efficient thanks to an engine with a high thrust-to-weight ratio. There are also 13 fuel tanks on the craft, and on take-off, the fuel accounted for about 83% of the plane's weight.

But the aerodynamics of the aircraft is really what's key to its performance. The design was created with the help of sophisticated computer technology that can predict how the surfaces of the aircraft will behave in flight. Because of its shape, it requires parachutes, which are attached to the plane, to land.

Steve Fossett and Richard Branson with the GlobalFlyer.

Sir Richard Branson, the chairman of Virgin Atlantic, has high hopes for this craft which was the first solo aircraft to fly around the world without refuelling in 2003. Data from its flights is being used to improve fuel efficiency in planes and to develop a more economic commercial aircraft.