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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 12/27/2009 : 12:28:37
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Here is a very interesting thought; why not fly passenger jets in a Vee formation like snow geese on their way south for the winter? Looks to me that it would work.
It's an interesting idea and of course, nature is again showing the way. The Guardian:
Such experiments suggest that 25 large birds – such as pelicans or geese – flying in a V-shaped formation can travel 70% further than solo birds. Many of the great migratory journeys, some covering thousands of miles, made by birds would be impossible without the energy-saving effects of group flight, scientists say.
But aviation engineers have now taken these discoveries to their logical conclusion and have proposed that aircraft fly in V-shaped groups so they can benefit from similar energy-saving effects. This idea is the brainchild of researchers led by Professor Ilan Kroo, of Stanford University, California, who say airlines could make substantial cuts in the amount of aviation fuel they use.
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As a life-long duck, pelican, goose and vulture watcher, I'm always amazed at how easy they make it look -- not the vultures of course; they don't use the Vee. I just happen to like them.
So, can anyone come up with a reason as to why it wouldn't work?
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2009 : 14:52:06 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
So, can anyone come up with a reason as to why it wouldn't work?
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I'd bet it's entirely possible it could be done. However...
Aviation safety regulations stipulate aircrafts in mid-air should have a safety distance to each other. I bet the distance is large enough to prevent such flying formations.
Swedish military used to fly "Christmas-tree" formation for display over my home town (among others) a day or two before X-mas. But that's formation flying, and military standards.
They'd never allow commercial flights to do that until they have auto-pilots capable of formation flying. Until then, pilots would actually have to fly themselves, and they simply wouldn't do that for hours on end... |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2009 : 15:11:15 [Permalink]
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Wake turbulence.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2009 : 18:09:15 [Permalink]
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IMO, the main reason we won't see much of this is that airports are equipped to handle landings of individual aircraft, rather than the simultaneous landings of entire flocks of them. A formation of commercial airliners would have to circle above an airport as individual planes were cleared to land. I suspect this circling would probably negate the fuel-saving advantage of a V-formation flying.
If it worked out that it was still advantageous, it would probably be so only for the longest of international flights. Can anyone imagine that a flock of, say, 12 international flights from the same originating airport to the same destination -- all at the same time -- would be a desirable way to manage the needs of the passengers?
I think that riding the upward part of wake turbulence is the point of bird-formation flying. There are probably simple technological tools that could be taken to assure a fairly safe spacing of commercial aircraft in formation, but these are probably not already installed.
I don't expect much to come from this idea. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2009 : 04:44:33 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
IMO, the main reason we won't see much of this is that airports are equipped to handle landings of individual aircraft, rather than the simultaneous landings of entire flocks of them. A formation of commercial airliners would have to circle above an airport as individual planes were cleared to land. I suspect this circling would probably negate the fuel-saving advantage of a V-formation flying.
If it worked out that it was still advantageous, it would probably be so only for the longest of international flights. Can anyone imagine that a flock of, say, 12 international flights from the same originating airport to the same destination -- all at the same time -- would be a desirable way to manage the needs of the passengers?
I think that riding the upward part of wake turbulence is the point of bird-formation flying. There are probably simple technological tools that could be taken to assure a fairly safe spacing of commercial aircraft in formation, but these are probably not already installed.
I don't expect much to come from this idea.
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Neither do I, but hypothetically the airport traffic problem could be resolved using a number of permanent "squadrons," for lack of a better word, remaining aloft indefinitely. Flights could be assigned to one or another depending upon destinations, and drop out of the formation upon arrival. They would be replaced by others going somewhere else.
This would require careful coordination, something I'm not altogether sure the commercial airlines are capable of, and provide yet another reason not to fly.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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| Edited by - filthy on 12/28/2009 04:47:02 |
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Sure, why not?
