A new generation of barely audible, fuel-efficient passenger
aircraft described as "flying wings" with "virtual windows"
could arrive in two decades, engineers from Britain's Cambridge
University said. "The noise level we're looking for would be to
take it below the background noise that people experience
outside airports ... below traffic noise levels," said Paul
Collins, a mechanical engineer with the "Silent Aircraft
Initiative." It will be 20 years or more before the concept,
which looks more like the U.S. military's B-2 Stealth Bomber
than a jumbo jet, could enter service. But a noise reduction
approach that goes beyond the aircraft's frame and engines
means there could be benefits much sooner for those living
beneath flight paths. Working with air-traffic controllers, the
researchers hope they can begin flight tests with conventional
aircraft as early as next year to look at a new, steeper
landing approach that would limit the amount of time planes
spend at low altitudes. The scientists hope that, with oil
prices at record highs, their new designs will make economic as
well as environmental sense. For a list of companies backing the
project, click the "More..." link.
(Reuters 11:13 AM ET 09/09/2005)

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