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The aircraft industry is expecting a seven-fold increase in air traffic by 2050, and a four-fold increase in greenhouse gas emissions unless fundamental changes are made. But just how “fundamental” will those changes need to be and what will be their effect on the aircraft we use?

The crucial next step towards ensuring the aircraft industry becomes greener is the full electrification of commercial aircraft. That’s zero CO2 and NOx emissions, with energy sourced from power stations that are themselves sustainably fuelled. The main technological barrier that must be overcome is the energy density of batteries, a measure of how much power can be generated from a battery of a certain weight.

Early Roots

  • Nature, in the form of maple seeds spinning as they gently descend and hummingbirds hovering in mid-air have been a source of inspiration since the dawn of mankind.
  • The idea of vertical flight aircraft can be traced back to early Chinese tops, around 400 BC
  • Leonardo Da Vinci sketched an “aerial-screw” or “air gyroscope” in 1483, but it is not published until 300 years later
  • In the 1880s Thomas Alva Edison experimented with small helicopter models in the United States. His efforts focused on the areas of rotor design and engines research.
  • European development of the rotary wing aircraft concepts flourished during the first two decades of the 20th century, as a precursor to the autogiro and ultimately the modern helicopter.
  • In 1907, only four years after the Wright brothers first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, Louis and Jacques Breguet and Paul Cornu of France independently construct and test rotating wing aircraft that introduce key technical concepts that would enable future autogiros and helicopters.  Their machines however, are incapable of sustained flight. 
  • Igor Sikorsky and Boris Yur’ev independently and without knowledge of each other’s efforts begin the design and fabrication of vertical lift machines in Russia around 1912. Both vehicles lack sufficient power to fly, but resemble modern helicopters using a main rotor and tail rotor.

As electric planes pass another milestone, Future Planet asks how long will it be before they are ready for everyday aviation? And just how far can they go?
At a large airfield surrounded by farmland in central Washington State, an electric aeroplane recently made history. It is the biggest commercial plane ever to take off and fly powered by electricity alone. For 30 minutes on 28 May, it soared above Grant County International Airport as crowds of onlookers clapped and cheered.

The largest commercial passenger plane in the world, the A380, is a double-decker behemoth with four engines, a wingspan of 262 feet, and a cabin that can hold more than 500 people. It has enough space inside of it, Airbus says, to fit 35 million ping-pong balls, if you count its cargo hold along with its two main decks. It first left the ground in 2005, and on Valentine’s Day 2019, Airbus announced it would stop producing the aircraft. The last vessels will be delivered in 2021.

The official cause of death is a smaller-than-expected number of orders from Emirates Airlines, which is the largest operator of the craft—although it will still receive 14 new A380s between now and 2021.

“It’s a marvel of aviation to see an airplane that large, and that humans can make things that big fly,” reflected Richard Anderson, director of the Eagle Flight Research Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. By the standards of modern jets, the A380’s production lifespan—it first flew commercially in 2007—is short. The 747, in comparison, first flew in 1969 and Boeing still has orders to fill. 

With Boeing projecting demand for 41,000 new commercial aircraft and 617,000 pilots over the next 20 years, traditional manned commercial airliners and business and general aviation aircraft will continue to dominate the skies in the near future. However, during the 2017 Paris Air Show, and really over the last year, several companies, including Airbus and Boeing have revealed new aerial flying concepts designed to give drivers in congested cities new options for getting to work, transporting cargo and other uses.

It is normal and acceptable to be one of those passengers who know nothing about the airplanes that they travel in, except the seat where they will spend their entire journey. For an aircraft enthusiast, the plane trip is not just meant to go from one place to another. It is a whole fulfilling experience that only an aficionado can savor.

We do question the quality of service offered by the airline, but we often don’t realize that our comfort and flight experience is closely associated with the kind of airplane we are flying in.

Here are some of the most common airliners that most airlines buy.

No runway, no problem—have helicopter, will travel! Igor Sikorsky (1889–1972), father of the modern chopper, had no doubt at all about the brilliance of this amazing, flying machine, which he said was the closest thing to "fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of the flying horse and the magic carpet." Jet planes are wonderful for screaming us from one side of the planet to the other. But when it comes to tricky rescue missions—plucking stranded sailors from the sea, hurling tubs of water onto forest fires, plucking engineers off wind turbines, dashing the critically injured to hospital—nothing beats a chopper. According to science historians, inventors had been trying to develop flying machines with spinning rotors for over 2000 years before Sikorsky finally built the world's first practical helicopter in 1939. Why did it take so long? Because helicopters are incredibly complex machines—miracles of intricate engineering that take real skill to fly. How exactly do they work? Let's take a closer look!

Over the last two years, the world of the military industry has been intensely talking about air defense systems developed by different countries around the world. The purchase of Russian S-400 systems from Turkey seemed to be one of the main catalysts for this phenomenon.

Also, we all read that the tension in the Gaza Strip has not subsided, neither now nor is it expected to happen in the coming years. There, in this area stands out the name of an excellent missile system.

Below, we have decided to provide you with our ranking of the Top 5 anti-aircraft missile systems in the World.

Here are the 10 worlds largest passenger jet aircraft that can transport hundreds of passengers from another side of the world within an hour. The largest one, Airbus A380 celebrates the anniversary of its first flight. Take a look at the list of the largest passenger aircraft in the world!

There are a total of twenty-seven military attack helicopters in the world from origin to present day. But, which one is the best attack helicopter in the world right now? Which is the greatest and most advanced amongst these and why? Here, we come up with a list of top ten most advanced attack helicopters in the world. Our analysis is based on the combined score of performance, speed, protection, agility, firepower capabilities and avionics. It includes only best attack helicopters that are currently in service. All the helicopters mentioned here are incredibly powerful and devastating.

TOP 10 world's most unusual planes. While variety of planes are designed primary focusing on functionality and safety, there is another category of experimental unusual aircraft which charms also with the bizarre and remarkable design. Enjoy watching top 10 world's most unusual planes.

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