[lbo-talk] the petro-thusians have their moment

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Wed Sep 22 08:13:07 PDT 2004


Jon:
> Somehow I don't imagine solar- or fuel-cell-powered aircraft being a
> big success. How will people fly when oil runs out?

Think dirigible. Most energy goes to lifting the plane from the ground, so if you have a lighter than air aircraft, you do not need that much energy. A dirigible may not move as fast as a plane, but it can be made a much larger and comfortable than a plane. Consequently, a trans-Atlantic flight may become a trans-Atlantic cruise with all its splendor, but faster. I would not mind spending a day or two on a dirigible flight to Europe if I spend that time in an ocean liner like cabin instead of being sandwiched in the stowage-class of an airliner.

A dirigible would also offer substantial savings of airport costs - as it could dock virtually anywhere.

As to safety, it does not have to be a flaming Nazi gasbag (the Hindenburg, that is, not Rush Limbaugh) - it could be filled with helium.

Wojtek



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