I came across an article written on March 23, 2015 about the future of aviation. The article suggest that airships are the most 'green' answer to the future growth of aviation. Researchers from a University in the UK completed a three year investigation into stratospheric passenger airships as part of a project to provide a sustainable air transport method of the future. Airships appear to be safe, efficient, cheap, and environmentally friendly. The team is considering reintroducing airships as a means of mass transportation of people and goods.
The project is called the MAAT project, which stands for Multibody Advanced Airship for Transport. Eight nations are working on the project to design a cruiser that can travel across the globe on a set route. It is proposed that smaller ships could carry people and goods and dock onto the large cruiser while it is still moving. The MAAT would use solar power to power the ship and provide propulsion and control.
The article suggests that by 2020 there will be 400 million aircraft passengers. The use of aircraft to move goods is also expected to increase by more than 340 percent over the next 20 years. MAAT is projected to lower the costs of transportation and free-up runway space. The MAAT sounds like a great idea to me. It seems kind of crazy to think of airships as the future of aviation,but with the proposed ships being the best balance of speed and fuel consumption, it seems like a good idea to invest in.
(Hofstetter blog post #4)
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