Aviation Green

July 28, 2011
The beginning days of the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin were filled with the usual sunshine, hot temperatures, and airplanes old and new. But the first session I attended was nothing like the traditional sessions I generally attend. This one was all about innovation and the environment. On Monday I attended an informational session held at the EAA Aviation Center called Aviation Green, a Lindberg Foundation Alliance. John Petersen president and founder of The Arlington Institute opened the session with a few comments about Aviation Green by saying, “We operate at the intersection of technology and the environment in the aviation segment.†The mission of Aviation Green is to bring together stakeholders to address aviation’s environmental challenges. The panelists were as diverse as I could imagine and spoke on a range of topics from drag-reduction on general aviation aircraft, to electric flight, to aviation fuel. A representative from Airbus America presented ideas on an all-electric transport aircraft concept platform currently known as the VoltAir, along with the ZEST a high-speed transport aircraft concept. The most unique and perhaps radical concept was presented by D.J. Wills and M. Schwaiger and called the D-DALUS. The concept has four Cyclogiro Rotors that provide power and trust for this highly futuristic looking flying machine. The entire panel had one primary thing in common. They were all very passionate about the impact aviation has now and in the future on the global environment. As I’ve mentioned before, Oshkosh, airplane builders, and innovation all seem to go together. For more information visit www.aviationgreen.com. After all that talk about the future, once the session was over I headed straight for the antique aircraft section. Ah… home again. Ron