Luke Runciman
| Member since | |
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| Language | English (Australia) |
Commercial airliners have 2 or more pilots for redundancy. Regardless, almost all phases of flight require a PF and PM. If QF32 or U.S Airways 1549 were without an F/O let alone 3 additional pilots (QF32 scenario), I believe the outcomes in both instances would have been much different...
(Written on 07/03/2019)(Permalink)
It depends on where the biofuel comes from. Oil derrived from the various strains of algae are said to produce zero sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions. Any other GHG emissions produced during combustion can be engineered to near zero through particulate filtration, much like the catalytic converter in your car. Unlike ethanol, algal biofuel doesn't compete with food nor require significant amounts of arable land. Algae can grow in basically any water type, eliminating the demand for fresh water for renewable fuel production. Liquid biofuels have been around for more than a century. The Model T Ford was orgionally designed to run on hemp derrived biofuel. ExxonMobil have announced the technical ability to produce 10,000 barrels of algae derrived fuel a day by 2025. That's from just one Californian algae farm. Algal biofuels provide both a practical and renewable liquidised fuel which in time will be scaled to reach commercial viability and dramatically reduce the carbon footprint
(Written on 18/01/2019)(Permalink)
Very True Torsten.
(Written on 17/07/2018)(Permalink)
How about system failure? Technology like this will only be proved safe when it can: A. handle the amount of system failures experienced on QF32 (5 experienced pilots working at their limits to bring a stricken Airbus A380 back to Singapore's Changi airport following an uncontained engine failure in the No.2 engine. Over 5 pages of ECAM errors needed to be worked through in order for the Pilot in Command to execute a safe landing). B. When a computer can safely execute an emergency landing on the Hudson river (US Airways 1549 - both engines lost on an Airbus A320 shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport, New York City). The media will often report the instances where crashes have occurred due to pilot error, but what they never seem to report is the amount of times commercial flights have been saved due to the knowledge and experience of a professional crew.
(Written on 16/07/2018)(Permalink)
It depends on what the methanol is derived from. If you were to extract it from wood e.g. from trees out of forests, the politicians may argue that it isn't sustainable. But if you were to use forestry waste from a pine plantation e.g. wood chips, branches, maybe trees which are not suitable for processing, then how could you produce enough to meet demand? A combination of algae biofuel, methanol, possibly bio-ethanol could be the answer we are looking for, Ken.
(Written on 30/06/2018)(Permalink)
Biofuel is a potential solution to rising fuel prices. Not just any biofuel, biofuels derived from the various types of algae - as they don't require fresh water or arable farmland to produce. If an idea like this were to become reality, then we would definitely require some form of liquidised fuel. Battery electric or even hybrid/fuel electric would be unable to produce enough "grunt" to reach hypersonic speeds for a practical amount of time. Algae biofuel is the closest alternative to conventional jet fuels - with an almost identical energy density per kilogram. Biofuels in my opinion, are the most practical and cleanest replacement for existing fuels - especially in aviation.
(Written on 28/06/2018)(Permalink)
How about system failure? Technology like this will only be proved safe when it can: A. handle the amount of system failures experienced on QF32 (5 experienced pilots working at their limits to bring a stricken Airbus A380 back to Singapore's Changi airport following an uncontained engine failure in the No.2 engine. Over 5 pages of ECAM errors needed to be worked through in order for the Pilot in Command to execute a safe landing). B. When a computer can safely execute an emergency landing on the Hudson river (US Airways 1549 - both engines lost on an Airbus A320 shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport, New York City). The media will often report the instances where crashes have occurred due to pilot error, but what they never seem to report is the amount of times commercial flights have been saved due to the knowledge and experience of a professional crew.
(Written on 16/06/2018)(Permalink)
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