Boeing Prototype Designed to Reduce Emissions, Fuel Consumption

Boeing will begin testing a prototype jet next month that introduces an experimental wing design that reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

The aviation giant will test a scaled down version of the X-48B, which incorporates the fuselage into the wing, creating an aircraft that looks more like a manta ray than a conventional jet.

With normal planes, the fuselage is a dead weight that forces the plane to use more fuel to keep it up because it does not contribute to the lift of the plane as a whole. By incorporating a blended-wing design, much like the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, there is a greater surface area to aid in the lift of the plane, meaning less fuel consumption and subsequently less carbon emissions.

The aviation industry is now among the fastest growing sources of carbon dioxide, accounting for 11 percent of transportation emissions in the United States and 2.7 percent of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (Greenwire, Jan. 17).

Designers warn that this design is still a long ways off from being a practical and safe alternative to conventional jets.

"So this [new aircraft] sounds good in principle, but it won't be flying in time to save the planet," warned Peter Lockley of the Aircraft Environment Foundation (Danny Bradburry, London Independent, Feb. 14). Better flight routes could reduce emissions, save $13.5B, expert say

The aviation industry could reduce its emissions by 73 million metric tons every year and reduce costs by $13.5 billion in fuel costs simply by following more efficient flight paths, an aviation expert said.

"You will all be aware that our industry is taking a beating in the environmental debate," International Air Transport Association CEO Giovanni Bisignani told a conference in Holland. "Our critics may have lost perspective. But they are absolutely correct in demanding more efficiency."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released earlier this month said that there is a 12 percent inefficiency in world air travel that results in 73 million metric tons in unnecessary emissions and $13.5 billion in fuel costs.

"Every minute of flying time that we can save reduces fuel consumption by about 62 liters and carbon dioxide emissions by 160 kilograms," Bisigani said (Helen Twose, New Zealand Herald, Feb. 15). -- EB

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