by Phil
16. August 2008 10:11
Once airports cannot grow any further, aviation will require concepts to increase air travelling capacities without the need to build new runways. Keeping that in mind, a Bauhaus Luftfahrt solution study is based on a new type of hybrid airliner that facilitates a more efficient use of existing runways. Named HyLiner-Wing, this concept with fan-in-wing lift-device (combining uplift and propulsion) is currently being developed to allow greater airport passenger capacities by combining the use of existing long runways for long-distance travel with very short runways or double use of existing runways with HyLiner airplanes capable of extremely short takeoff and landing (ESTOL). The concept is still in the early concept phase as it targets the year 2020 and beyond but could be of relevance to U.S. airports in particular as they are more rapidly getting congested than European airports—perhaps except Heathrow.
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