Modern Trains: The FLIRTs are Coming...

Sweet.

Great! Maybe in 50 or so years the USA will have something comparable.

If we aren't forced back to coal burning steam engines by the Luddite-in-chief.

Seriously, these are great looking and serve a valuable propose.

But then, there's a certain charm to big steam engines.

Electrically Powered Aerodynamic Flight in an Enclosed Guide-Way – The Affordable Alternative to Electro-magnetic Lift and Propulsion.

Imagine a transportation system where you could move from Dallas/Ft Worth to Houston in under 30 minutes without ever leaving the ground; and where weather never delays a trip.

No gee whiz goo-goo eyed science fiction here; just reapplication of well understood aerodynamic principles to an absolutely stable flight environment.

Imagine a round tube or hose – now reshape that round tube or hose so that the interior of the tube or hose takes the outline shape of an aerodynamic lifting body. Now imagine placing an aerodynamic lifting body (Terra-Plane) inside the tube or hose and powering it with electrically powered fans mounted to the lifting body; and where the clearance between the lifting body and the guide-way would allow the lifting body to “fly” in constant “ground effect.”

The principles of Aerodynamic Flight, as well as electro-magnetic induction used to power the process, has been well understood by Scientists and Engineers for many decades.

One of a number of advantages of Electrically Powered Aero-dynamic Flight in an Enclosed Guide-way over Electro-magnetic Lift and Propulsion (MAGLEV) is the extreme cost advantage in both guide-way and transport vehicle construction.

In MAGLEV and Hyperloop Propulsion systems currently in use, as well as those now on the drawing boards, the guide-way and vehicle require extensive use of conductive metals.

The guide-way for a Terra-Plane could be built of any material strong enough to support and enclose the aircraft. The optimum material would be a composite made from recycled plastic and rubber where the guide-way is constructed of molded modules that are simply assembled in the field to form the guide-way. The guide-way would require no metals except for copper induction cables inlaid in the guide-way to supply the aircraft with power. The aircraft itself is just that; an aircraft where the engines are electrically powered instead of liquid fueled.

The safety and efficiency advantages of EPAF-EG over Conventional Atmospheric Aerodynamic Flight are considerable.

Let us consider conventional aircraft.

Foremost is the large mass fraction dedicated to fuel; the second is the energy wasted moving massive airplanes to high altitude.

Fuel Fraction is a term used to describe the ratio of fuel mass to the total mass of the airplane. For a modern aircraft this can be anywhere from .25 to .5 depending on a number of variables. This means that somewhere between 25 to 50 percent of the aircraft’s weight at takeoff is dedicated to fuel. In terms of overall efficiency this means that considerable energy is expended in order to carry its own fuel. This is easily understood when the energy required to move a large fuel mass to cruising altitude is considered. When mass is moved to a higher gravitational potential (height) the amount of energy expended is directly proportional to the total mass (m) and the cruise altitude (h) of the aircraft. In introductory algebraic based physics it is calculated as E= mgh where g is the acceleration of gravity. Although the gravitational potential is recovered during decent; the fuel is not. This routine expenditure of fuel to reach lower density air at high altitude results in lower aerodynamic losses. Those reduced aerodynamic losses are achieved by different means in an EPAF system.

In aerodynamic flight much of the energy used is expended doing work against aerodynamic drag. One of the variables in this type of drag is air density. An aircraft flying in the lower density air at high altitude experiences less aerodynamic drag at any given speed than in the increased air density of lower altitude.

As described earlier, the aircraft is propelled by electrically powered fans. Obviously these fans are going to be quite different than the ordinary “fans” we are accustomed to. These fans would look and function like the turbo-fans used in conventional aircraft but powered electrically. In an EPAF-EG system these fans pull air from directly in front of the aircraft which, because the aircraft is operating in an enclosed guide-way, lowers the density of the air in front of the aircraft. This decreases the aerodynamic drag.

Another component of aerodynamic drag is aerodynamic cross section. Simply put it is the area of the aircraft exposed to the air flow. It includes the fuselage, wings, and tail sections of the aircraft. Because conventional aircraft operate in a rapidly changing flight environment considerable aerodynamic cross-section and surface area is dedicated to the tail section and other control surfaces of the aircraft. These control surfaces, which are used to change and maintain aircraft attitude relative to the air flow over the lifting and control surfaces, require support structure which further increases drag and decreases payload. Because an EPAF-EG system would operate in the absolutely stable flight environment of an enclosed guide-way, the Terra-Plane would require little or no supporting structure for control surfaces required for free atmospheric flight. Since the Terra-Plane would carry no fuel and would require only a very small fraction of the control surfaces of a conventional aircraft; a much greater mass fraction can be dedicated to passengers and other payload.

There is no reason why a Terra-Plane could not match and probably exceed the speed of a modern airliner.

The argument can be made that conventional airplanes have the entire three dimensional space of the atmosphere in which to operate. Although this is indeed the case, the amount of aircraft that the air transport system can handle is still dependent upon the available number of runways.

In any case an EPAF-EG system would be much faster and cost effective than existing transportation process serving short to medium range high density markets. Such a system would be ideal for markets like a Fort Worth – Austin – San Antonio – Houston – Dallas – Ft Worth loop or any other similar type market.

Electrically Powered Aerodynamic Flight in an Enclosed Guide-Way is a much less expensive and efficient alternative to MAGLEV Systems or conventional aircraft. And because of the absolutely predictable and stable flight environment which a Terra-Plane would operate; inherently safer.

Infrastructure investment matters. History demonstrates that the return on infrastructure investment is optimized when it also advances the art.