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Blue skies thinking: The Concept Plane's streamline design would reduce fuel consumption significantly


When Airbus unveiled a dossier earlier this month that included such ambitious ideas as planes that could become invisible at the flick of a switch, the future of air travel suddenly sounded very exciting.

However, a boss at rival aircraft manufacturer Boeing has issued a realistic riposte saying that while disappearing fuselages may sound very impressive, your average traveller would be much more interested in the progression of supersonic travel, which could see tourists jetting to cities on the other side of the globe in less than an hour.

'Invisible airplanes and see-through airplanes are all very interesting, but I'd rather get to New York in 12 minutes,' Mr Thomas told the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce.

An international consortium that includes Boeing is currently looking at developing scramjet-based access-to-space systems, which enable supersonic travel.


Supersonic farewell: Concorde pictured on its final flight into Heathrow in 2003


However, it may be a while before Concorde-style travel times becomes the norm once more. Mr Thomas said that fuel efficiency was a more pressing requirement and that the company will focus on producing in bulk the 787 Dreamliner, which is slow but more economical with fuel.

The Dreamliner is the fastest-selling passenger plane in aviation history - the company has more than 840 orders from 56 airlines globally.

'The market really wanted something that was more fuel efficient and more economically viable,' Mr Thomas said.

The Airbus 'invisible plane' design would give passengers the sensation of floating in the sky and would allow them to look down on cities and landscapes below or gaze up at the heavens above.

Engineers believe that a plane could be manufactured with a hi-tech ceramic skin, which the captain could send an electrical pulse through at the press of a button. The cabin roof, walls and floor would then become see-through, giving passengers a 360-degree view of their surroundings.


source :dailymail Scenic route: The Airbus 'invisible plane' will give passengers unobstructed views of famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower through its transparent floor.


Airbus' head of research and technology, Axel Krein, told German publication Der Spiegel: 'The planes of the future will offer an unparalleled, unobstructed view of the wonders of the five continents - where you will be able see the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft.'

The plans were revealed in the company’s report entitled 'The Future, By Airbus' in which engineers at the European aerospace giant were asked to imagine what flights could be like in 2050.

source: dailymail