On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:24:27 -0400, "JohnH"
wrote in ::

Larry Dighera wrote:
BOEING CO. has tested an electric motor that could allow
commercial jets to taxi around airports without using their
engines or ground-based towing vehicles, the company said.

Other pluses for this is increased worker safety (running jet engines can be
a tad dangerous and noisy), and improved passenger comfort as the terminal
would no longer smell like a leaky tank of kerosene.


Additionally, light aircraft taxiing to the rear of airliners would
not be so precariously subject to upset by jet blast.

But the best improvement will be to decrease the 17,523-million*
gallons of jet fuel the airlines consume annually. Any reduction in
petroleum emissions will benefit the environment, the economy and
reduce US dependence on foreign oil.



* http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/factcard.pdf