Semi Trucks

Commercial aviation is an essential component of the global economy. The cost of aviation fuel is directly determined by the prevailing world price of oil. It accounts for a major proportion of airplane operating costs. Several airline companies now add a fuel surcharge to the ticket cost of a commercial flight to compensate for the recent rapid rise in fuel costs. World oil prices are expected to remain high for several years. The prospect of sustained high aviation fuel prices could propel airline companies to seek alternative aviation fuels. Seeking alternative fuel could become paramount for the airline industry should the peak-oil phenomena actually occur. The commercial aviation industry would likely compete for fuel and energy in a market of scarcity and escalating fuel prices.

It may become possible for supercooled liquid hydrogen to eventually be used as an alternative fuel for some types of commercial aircrafts service. Extensive research will be needed to resolve the numerous logistical problems that are related to its use as an alternative aviation fuel in supersonic and hypersonic aircraft. Other alternative fuels may include high-density energy-storage technologies that result from breakthroughs in research in the areas of nanotechnology and in high-temperature superconductivity.

Aircraft turbine engines are very flexible in the kind of fuel that they can burn. Short-haul and commuter airline companies that operate routes of under 500-miles would be the most likely candidates to use alternative aviation fuel. Their fleets are mainly powered by turbo-prop or by turbofan engines and may likely have sufficient capacity in the fuel tanks to carry a cheaper fuel with a lower energy content. They may use such fuel if its cost per BTU undersells fossil aviation fuel. Breakthroughs in electrical storage technology could see a future generation of short-haul and commuter aircraft being propelled by electric motors driving propellers or propulsion fans.

A collaborative demonstration and development test was performed on a 737-200 transport airplane, during October 2003. The objective was to demonstrate, develop, or explore several concepts that offer promise of breakthrough efficiencies in the modal testing of airplanes, or ground vibration testing. Participants from an aircraft manufacturer, a university, and measurement hardware and software vendors conducted the test. Concepts were explored in instrumentation, sensor setup, excitation, and data processing - some of which are laboratory proven but new in application to full-scale airplane testing. Briefly summarized, the results show potential for significant timesaving (over current practice) in situations where test requirements permit.

The project described in this article was devoted to demonstrating new technology and exploring concepts, which, if not new, have not been traditionally applied to ground vibration testing of aircraft. The test was unusual in several respects: It was conducted on a shoestring budget with a borrowed airplane in a borrowed hangar. The participants were from diverse organizations representing a university, an aircraft manufacturer, and several vendors of instrumentation.

Nobody these days needs to be reminded how frustrating it can be to fly by commercial scheduled airlines. The check-in delays, security hassles and overbooking have caused customer complaints to spike in recent years, causing more passengers to search for an alternative to air travel. But without your own aircraft and an expensive pilot’s license, the only way to avoid the airlines and still travel by air has been private aircraft charter.

When we think of chartering our own aircraft however, what comes to mind are busy executives, Hollywood stars and politicians jaunting around the globe in multi-million dollar business jets that can cost as much as $6,000 or more per flight hour to rent. There are less expensive fractional aircraft ownership alternatives available on luxury turboprop aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12, but the cost of these shares is still out of reach of many middle income travelers and small business owners.

Recent advances in today’s composite general aviation aircraft like Cirrus Design’s slick SR-22 Turbo G3 have pushed the performance envelope of smaller four passenger aircraft far beyond what was imaginable just a few years ago. The SR-22 has a maximum cruise speed of 219 knots true airspeed (252 miles per hour), but is usually operated more closer to 220 miles per hour. Compared to your Grandfather’s old plane that lumbered along at 125 miles per hour, modern luxury four-seat aircraft can seriously shorten trip legs and make multi-city day trips possible.Realistically, very few people afford to fly by expensive aircraft charter. But what if the fares for private air charter ever dropped to a price point that was affordable to all of us? By flying the Cirrus SR-22, one charter network is now flying business and pleasure flights for under $500 per flight hour for the whole plane.Stratus Alliance is a network of independent, FAA-certified charter operators strategically placed around the country that is capitalizing on the efficiency of the SR-22. Stratus Alliance is able to book “destination direct” charter flights for up to three passengers per flight to small municipal airports within their service area, which includes the East Coast and Texas.
The new secret weapon of these new charter travelers is the use of the smaller airfields surrounding every city in the land. When the competition is stuck at the gate while the airline tries to decide if they should cancel their flight, a traveler on a chartered SR-22 will have already launched for a flight to a small airport just a few miles from where they need to be. When other travelers are trapped on the tarmac awaiting departure, the people who arrived on a chartered SR-22 will have already finished negotiating a couple of morning deals.More people are discovering the affordability that comes when flying single-engine air charter, and industry experts predict this new single-engine charter model to blossom into a nationwide powerhouse. Right now, medium-sized corporations can only afford to fly their upper management via private air charter, while their sales, technical, engineering and support personnel must roll the dice and put up with the undependable schedules that comes with flying commercial. As more of these companies realize they can now get their key personnel on site quickly with a “moment’s notice” flight, we’ll begin to see a whole new level of competitiveness evolve