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The Age
04-05-2025
- The Age
Game changers: The 10 most important planes in the history of air travel
A great deal has changed since December 17, 1903 – but the basics have stayed the same. In the 122 years since Orville and Wilbur Wright soared briefly into the first powered flight – taking to the air above the sandy Outer Banks of North Carolina – planes have become much bigger, much more sophisticated, and certainly much faster. Where once, a 12-horsepower engine and twin propellers were enough to launch the Wright Flyer 37m at walking pace, modern aircraft have crossed half the planet at kilometres-per-hour speeds of four figures. And where the Wright Flyer could carry a single passenger (who was also the pilot), jets of the 21st century can, in some cases, hold close to 1000 people. So much, so obvious. But if you were to create a fantasy league table, ranking the very big birds of commercial aviation in some sort of order, which aircraft would make the list, and how would they stack up? Can you analyse the mould-breakers of yesteryear – the great leaps forward crafted by the likes of De Havilland and McDonnell Douglas – alongside the contemporary feats of engineering crafted by the likes of Boeing and Airbus? And what of those splendours of the skies which went supersonic? Is it possible to compare airborne apples and oranges – or do you just end up with a messy fruit salad? Perhaps. But we're going to try it anyway. The following planes could feasibly be described as the 10 greatest passenger aircraft of all time. (Disagree? Tell us why in the comments below...) 10. Constellation The nuts and bolts The Second World War was still aflame when California-based Lockheed launched the plane that would become affectionately known as 'Connie'. The Constellation would have military as well as civilian roles, but gained its place in aviation history by being the first mass-market passenger aircraft with a pressurised cabin, enabling it to fly higher than the worst of the weather in a way that had been impossible before. Its distinctive triple tail-fin also gave it an unmistakablity – and grace – of shape. Finest moment While clearly much more of a military mission than an exercise in passenger transportation, the Constellation (the C-121 model) was part of the Anglo-American airforce which flew more than 250,000 flights over Germany during the 'Berlin Airlift' of June 1948 to September 1949 – delivering supplies to West Berliners cut off from the rest of the world by a Soviet blockade and the first serious tensions of the Cold War. It would repeat the endeavour in the Biafran Airlift, dropping desperately needed humanitarian aid into the darkness of the Nigerian Civil War – in 1968 and 1969. Darkest hour A hideous accident on June 30 1956, when TWA Flight 2 (a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation) and United Airlines Flight 718 (a Douglas DC-7) collided above the Grand Canyon. The combined fatalities (128; 70 on the Constellation, 58 on the DC-7) made this the first commercial aviation disaster with a three-figure death toll. Where can I see one? At the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, a superb aerospace museum at Paris 's Le Bourget airport. And, in rather imaginative fashion, at the TWA Hotel – the former TWA Flight Center at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, where a 1958 Constellation has been redesigned as a retro cocktail bar. You also find one at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland. 9. Comet The nuts and bolts It is easy to argue that modern passenger flight could not have existed without the Comet – in its roles as both pioneer and fall guy. As the Second World War ended, engineering visionary Sir Geoffrey de Havilland answered the call for a great British leap forward in aviation, crafting this workhorse – powered by four turbojet engines – with one eye on the coming era of transatlantic travel. He was not entirely successful, and it would take four versions of the plane before the project was fully realised. But by the time Comet 4 was aloft in April 1958, the jet era was in motion. Darkest hour Together, 1953 and 1954 were disastrous for the Comet. A Canadian Pacific Airlines Comet 1A crashed on take-off in the Pakistani city of Karachi on March 3 1953; the first fatal jetliner crash. Worse was to follow. Three Comets were brought down by structural problems over the next 13 months (May 2 1953; January 10 1954; April 8 1954) – a trio of accidents which did significant damage to the plane's reputation. However, the subsequent investigations – particularly into the thorny issue of cabin pressurisation – would pave the way for the more reliable aircraft that would come after. Finest moment October 4 1958, when the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) launched the first regular jet-powered service between London and New York (albeit with a refuelling stop at Gander in Newfoundland) using a newly minted Comet 4. Where can I see one? You can find examples of the Comet 1, in varying states of preservation, at the RAF Museum Cosford in Shropshire, and the De Havilland Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire. The National Museum of Flight near Edinburgh has a Comet 4. 8. DC-10 Manufacturer McDonnell Douglas Commercial service 1971 to 2014 Number built 368 Passenger capacity 399 The nuts and bolts Life was not always easy for this workhorse of the American skies. Conceived as the successor to the similarly sturdy DC-8 – with which the Missouri-based aviation firm had entered the jetliner race at the end of the 1950s – the DC-10's first years were blighted by safety issues. But its reliability improved hugely as the years passed; it was only taken out of passenger service a decade ago. It retains an iconic status in retirement, partly due to the unusual placement of the third of its three engines; not beneath the wings, but above the main fuselage, at the bottom of the tail-fin. Darkest hour The loss of American Airlines Flight 191 on May 25 1979, when a DC-10's left-wing engine detached during take-off from Chicago's O'Hare International – leading to a crash less than a mile beyond the runway, with a total loss of life (258 passengers and 13 crew, plus two unfortunate bystanders on the ground). Photos of the last moments show the stricken plane flying on its side, the pilots struggling for control. Over 40 years later, the 273 fatalities still rank as the worst air disaster on American soil. Finest moment Its recovery from this tragedy. An understandable loss of confidence saw orders for the DC-10 slump in the early 1980s, but after modifications, it became one of America's most trusted aircraft. It out-lived its parent company (McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997), and was still part of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines fleet 11 years ago (its last scheduled passenger flight was on February 20 2014). When Northwest Airlines put its final DC-10 to bed on January 8 2007, pilot Wade Blaufuss offered a tribute. 'The DC-10 is a reliable airplane, fun to fly, roomy and quiet, kind of like flying an old Cadillac Fleetwood,' he explained. 'We're sad to see an old friend go.' Where can I see one? Next to a Concorde at Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park (see And, brilliantly, reconstituted as the centrepiece of the Gate 88 nightclub – on the Indonesian party island of Bali. 7. A380 Manufacturer Airbus Commercial service 2007 - present Number built 254 Passenger capacity Up to 853 The nuts and bolts Can you have too much of a good thing? This question applies to Airbus's colossal creation; the titan that, since it came into service 18 years ago, has been both the world's largest passenger plane, and the only full-length double-decker aircraft. The Toulouse-based aerospace giant began working on its behemoth as long ago as 1988, hoping to build a rival to the 747. The project was a success in one way; merely in taking off, the A380 eclipsed Boeing's greatest achievement in size and modernity. But it is so big that airlines have struggled to make it economically viable, and the pandemic – when many carriers were forced to place their A380s in storage – probably killed its future. Finest moment The initial buzz. The A380 arrived to considerable fanfare, and there was so much interest in its first flight – a Singapore Airlines jaunt to Sydney on October 25 2007 – that tickets were sold via a charity auction. One passenger reportedly paid more than $100,000 for their seat. It is tempting to snipe that this was a poor investment. Darkest hour Its slow death. Although the A380 has a flawless safety record (leaving aside a pair of emergency landings, due to engine issues, which made headlines in 2010 and 2017), airlines have fallen out of love with the 'Superjumbo'. Mainly due to its high operating costs; an issue only exacerbated by the pandemic. However, even before COVID, faith in the plane was failing – Virgin Atlantic and Qantas cancelled significant orders in 2018 and 2019 respectively. When Emirates followed suit in February 2019, pulling the plug on its purchase of 39 A380s, Airbus was forced to bow to the inevitable. Production of the aircraft ceased in December 2021, when the last remaining order rolled off the line. Where can I see one? For now, in the heavens above you, flying for the likes of Qantas, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and British Airways. Also at the Aeroscopia museum at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport – the second test model, as donated by Airbus. 6. A300 The nuts and bolts Where Boeing was out of the blocks as early as 1916, Europe's biggest aviation manufacturer took a while to emerge, only coalescing in 1970. So the A300 was important; a new power-player's first foray into an ultra-competitive industry. It was also the first twin-engine wide-bodied (ie double-aisled) airliner in the skies – ushering in the era of weary night flights where you not only find yourself in a middle seat, but a middle seat in the middle bank of seats, fighting for the armrest on both sides. Finest moment Making it big in the Far East. Launched in Air France livery on May 23 1974, the A300 had a stodgy start. Early sales were sluggish in the wider Europe, and in an America that needed to be convinced of the aircraft's charms. It would be in Asia that the plane enjoyed its first significant surge in popularity. By the end of the 1970s, it was a key element of the fleets of Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Airlines (of Taiwan) – and Thai Airways International (amongst others). Darkest hour The appalling circumstances in which Iran Air Flight 655 was sent to the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz on July 3 1988 – shot down by a pair of surface-to-air missiles fired from the USS Vincennes during a time of (particularly) heightened military tensions in the Persian Gulf. The United States Navy pleaded a case of mistaken identity and communications failure; Iran claimed the warship had acted with, at best, extreme carelessness, at worst, with malign intention. Either way, all 290 souls on the A300 died. Where can I see one? Production of the A300 ceased in 2007. Just short of 200 (197) of the planes are still in professional service – although largely, these days, on cargo duties. Remarkably, at least seven retired A300s have been converted into restaurants, including at Danialand – a theme park in Agadir, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. 5. 787 The nuts and bolts As the 20th century neared its end and the mighty 747 began to approach elder statesman status, Boeing – among other aerospace companies – started to ponder life after the 'Jumbo Jet'. One of the results born of the design meetings was the 787 Dreamliner; an aircraft which sounds as if it was named to fit a fairytale, yet has become one of the most pragmatic planes on the runway. Though smaller than the legend it has partially replaced, it has become a firm part of many fleets. Finest moment Arriving as one of the heralds of a new generation of aircraft. While boasts of extra sustainability have become part of almost every brand launch in the 21st century, the Dreamliner can plausibly sell itself as a big step forward. Lighter than some of its predecessors (Boeing states that the 787 is 50 per cent carbon composite, and only 20 per cent aluminium), it is supposedly 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the Boeing 767. It has also been hailed as a game-changer in customer experience. On-board facilities include a 'gaseous filtration' system which provides a higher quality of air, the largest windows on any airliner (which passengers are able to lighten and dim, according to preference), and 'Smoother Ride Technology', which lessens the effects of turbulence. Darkest hour As of the start of 2025, the Dreamliner has not been involved in a single fatality. But it suffered teething troubles with the lithium-ion batteries built into its systems. The initial weeks of 2013 were difficult – on January 7, an overheating battery sparked a fire on an empty Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Airport; on January 16, an All Nippon Airways Dreamliner made an emergency landing on Japan's Shikoku Island when a similar problem caused an in-flight blaze. America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the 787 until the battery issue was resolved in the April. Where can I see one? All over the planet. But particularly above Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima et al – the two above-mentioned Japanese airlines are the two biggest users of the 787. Indeed, All Nippon Airways was the plane's earliest adopter, flying the launch flight on October 26 2011. You can also find one of the three prototypes at the Pima Air & Space Museum, amid the dust of Arizona in the southerly city of Tucson. 4. 737 The nuts and bolts There is an argument that the 737 is the most successful passenger aircraft in history. When Boeing put it into production in February 1965 (Lufthansa was the launch customer), the talk was of long-haul comfort on short-haul routes. Six decades on, little has changed. Though it has been through some 22 iterations, culminating in the 737 MAX family of aircraft, the 737 has been a relentless cog of the aviation world, flying short- and mid-range services (the 737 MAX has upped its maximum distance to 4,402 miles) without any great glamour or any particular fuss. If you have ever taken a flight of between three and five hours, there is a good chance that you were aboard a 737. Finest moment Its ongoing ubiquity. In 2013, the 737 accounted for more than 25 per cent of the global airline fleet; 5580 of the planes flying for 342 airlines in 111 countries. Darkest hour Inevitably, a plane of such enduring use has seen its share of troubles. As of the end of 2023, the 737 has been involved in 529 accidents and incidents. None caused more damage to its image than the two crashes, in quick succession, which led to the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX between March 2019 and December 2020. The crisis began when Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air suffered the loss of Flight 610 from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang on October 29 2018 – the plane dropping into the Java Sea 13 minutes after take-off, killing all 189 people on board. There was a similar catastrophe with Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10 2019; the aircraft coming down six minutes after departure, killing all 157 passengers and crew. Both disasters were attributed to glitches with the 737 MAX's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which is meant to stabilise the aircraft, but inadvertently pushed both planes into nose-dives. Boeing fixed the issue promptly, but lost an estimated $60billion (£47billion) – via the cancellation of some 1200 orders. Where can I see one? Almost any time you fly with Virgin Australia; the 737 makes up the bulk of its fleet. The Museum of Flight – on Boeing's home turf in Seattle – has a 737-130, N515NA; the first of the aircraft ever built. 3. A320 The nuts and bolts Airbus hit upon a splendid formula when it ushered the A320 out of the design workshop in the mid-1980s. Although it suffered an embarrassing false start – Air France Flight 296Q, an airshow demonstration flight for competition winners and journalists, crashed into trees at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airfield on June 26 1988, only two months after the A320's formal launch – it has gone on to become one of the true reliables of modern mid-range aviation. See a plane in the sky? It could well be an A320. Finest moment Becoming the best-selling passenger airliner of all time in October 2019 (in terms of deliveries and future orders), stealing this particular crown from the Boeing 737. There are a number of members to what Airbus describes as the 'A320 family' – including, somewhat confusingly, the A318 and A319 (both shorter than the A320), the A321 (a little bit longer), and the A320neo (which, introduced in 2016, offers significantly superior fuel economy to the original). As of February this year, this 'family' adds up to 11,918 planes on duty with airlines (or an overall total of 19,112 if you include those on order or under construction). Darkest hour The A320 has a largely admirable safety record – and the biggest blot in its copybook was scarcely its own doing. The destruction of Metrojet Flight 9268 – an A321-231 carrying 224 predominantly Russian passengers and crew back home to St Petersburg from Sharm El Sheikh on October 31 2015 – was most likely down to a terrorist device in the hold that detonated shortly after take-off. There were no survivors. Where can I see one? At airports everywhere. Jetstar uses A320 variations on all its short-haul routes (with Dreamliners for its longer international flights). American Airlines is the A320s largest operator, with 469. 2. Concorde The nuts and bolts While it certainly isn't the only plane to achieve the feat, the phrase 'supersonic flight' mainly conjures mental images of one aircraft. Few would deny that Concorde is one of history's greatest engineering achievements. Perhaps, too, it is the greatest ever example of Anglo-French cooperation; a post-war aviation dream brought to reality by clever minds on both sides of the Channel. Certainly, it was a very graceful bird, easily capable of breaking the sound barrier in flying at speeds of up to 1,354mph (Mach 2.04). Many would suggest that its disappearance from the clouds was a step back – and as long as there is no direct replacement, Concorde will remain an icon in absentia. Zooming into JFK on November 22 1977, as both British Airways and Air France belatedly began Concorde services to the Big Apple. Although the plane had been in the air since January 21 1976 (London to Bahrain; Paris to Rio de Janeiro), the US had moved to ban it from its airspace, nominally on noise grounds. That embargo was lifted in February 1977, but it would take until the end of the year before that fabled nose-cone was seen heading for Queens. The trans-Atlantic dash to New York would become Concorde's signature; in record-breaking style on February 7, 1996, when a BA flight managed the return leg to Heathrow in just two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. Darkest hour July 25 2000, when Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after take off from Paris Charles de Gaulle – brought down by metallic debris on the runway, a burst tyre and a consequent fuel-tank rupture. The plane would continue in service for another three years, but the Concorde era effectively finished that day, on the ground in Gonesse. Where can I see one? Eighteen of the 20 Concordes have been preserved, and 16 of them are on display. In locations as varied as the Imperial War Museum Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset, Brooklands Museum in Surrey, at Aerospace Bristol – and at the Udvar-Hazy Center, an offshoot of the Smithsonian Museum at Dulles Airport, outside Washington DC, and on board the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, now a museum docked in Manhattan. 1. 747 'The Jumbo Jet' Manufacturer Boeing Commercial service 1970 - present Number built 1574 Passenger capacity Up to 524 The nuts and bolts The greatest passenger aircraft ever built? Quite possibly. Though far slower than Concorde (it has a top speed of 614mph, in the case of the 747-8i), no plane is quite as emblematic of the development of air travel from niche luxury enjoyed by the few to a basic commodity available to all. Lovingly nicknamed the 'Jumbo Jet' from the moment it emerged from a Boeing hangar on September 30 1968, the 747 has been a fixture in the firmament for over half a century. And while its era is drawing to a close – the last one, a 747-8F, was delivered to American cargo carrier Atlas Air on January 31 2023 – its iconic four-engined shape will be visible above us for a while yet. Finest moment Carrying the Space Shuttle on its broad back. Two 747s were extensively modified for this very high-profile purpose. Each aircraft would transport all five of the operational Space Shuttle orbiters at various points between 1977 and 2012. The definition of excess baggage Credit: Getty Darkest hour Two, in particular, linger starkly in the memory. The runway collision of two 747s at Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife on March 27 1977 – a cataclysm of miscommunication in heavy fog that took the lives of 583 passengers and crew across the two aircraft (only 61 survived) – remains the deadliest ever air disaster. The death toll from the downing of a Pan Am 747 over Lockerbie on December 21 1988 (270 people, including 11 on the ground) was smaller, but the image of the Clipper Maid Of The Seas cockpit, lying disembodied upon the Scottish turf, is arguably air travel's most haunting. Where can I see one? Loading Flying for Lufthansa; Germany's national carrier still has 27 747s in its fleet. At the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland, you can walk along the wing of a retired jumbo. At Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, where G-CIVB, a 747-400 put out to pasture by British Airways when it retired its remaining jumbo jets in 2020, has been converted into event space. At the Delta Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, where the first 747-400 off the Boeing line sleeps in the sun. The Telegraph, London
Sydney Morning Herald
04-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Game changers: The 10 most important planes in the history of air travel
A great deal has changed since December 17, 1903 – but the basics have stayed the same. In the 122 years since Orville and Wilbur Wright soared briefly into the first powered flight – taking to the air above the sandy Outer Banks of North Carolina – planes have become much bigger, much more sophisticated, and certainly much faster. Where once, a 12-horsepower engine and twin propellers were enough to launch the Wright Flyer 37m at walking pace, modern aircraft have crossed half the planet at kilometres-per-hour speeds of four figures. And where the Wright Flyer could carry a single passenger (who was also the pilot), jets of the 21st century can, in some cases, hold close to 1000 people. So much, so obvious. But if you were to create a fantasy league table, ranking the very big birds of commercial aviation in some sort of order, which aircraft would make the list, and how would they stack up? Can you analyse the mould-breakers of yesteryear – the great leaps forward crafted by the likes of De Havilland and McDonnell Douglas – alongside the contemporary feats of engineering crafted by the likes of Boeing and Airbus? And what of those splendours of the skies which went supersonic? Is it possible to compare airborne apples and oranges – or do you just end up with a messy fruit salad? Perhaps. But we're going to try it anyway. The following planes could feasibly be described as the 10 greatest passenger aircraft of all time. (Disagree? Tell us why in the comments below...) 10. Constellation The nuts and bolts The Second World War was still aflame when California-based Lockheed launched the plane that would become affectionately known as 'Connie'. The Constellation would have military as well as civilian roles, but gained its place in aviation history by being the first mass-market passenger aircraft with a pressurised cabin, enabling it to fly higher than the worst of the weather in a way that had been impossible before. Its distinctive triple tail-fin also gave it an unmistakablity – and grace – of shape. Finest moment While clearly much more of a military mission than an exercise in passenger transportation, the Constellation (the C-121 model) was part of the Anglo-American airforce which flew more than 250,000 flights over Germany during the 'Berlin Airlift' of June 1948 to September 1949 – delivering supplies to West Berliners cut off from the rest of the world by a Soviet blockade and the first serious tensions of the Cold War. It would repeat the endeavour in the Biafran Airlift, dropping desperately needed humanitarian aid into the darkness of the Nigerian Civil War – in 1968 and 1969. Darkest hour A hideous accident on June 30 1956, when TWA Flight 2 (a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation) and United Airlines Flight 718 (a Douglas DC-7) collided above the Grand Canyon. The combined fatalities (128; 70 on the Constellation, 58 on the DC-7) made this the first commercial aviation disaster with a three-figure death toll. Where can I see one? At the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, a superb aerospace museum at Paris 's Le Bourget airport. And, in rather imaginative fashion, at the TWA Hotel – the former TWA Flight Center at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, where a 1958 Constellation has been redesigned as a retro cocktail bar. You also find one at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland. 9. Comet The nuts and bolts It is easy to argue that modern passenger flight could not have existed without the Comet – in its roles as both pioneer and fall guy. As the Second World War ended, engineering visionary Sir Geoffrey de Havilland answered the call for a great British leap forward in aviation, crafting this workhorse – powered by four turbojet engines – with one eye on the coming era of transatlantic travel. He was not entirely successful, and it would take four versions of the plane before the project was fully realised. But by the time Comet 4 was aloft in April 1958, the jet era was in motion. Darkest hour Together, 1953 and 1954 were disastrous for the Comet. A Canadian Pacific Airlines Comet 1A crashed on take-off in the Pakistani city of Karachi on March 3 1953; the first fatal jetliner crash. Worse was to follow. Three Comets were brought down by structural problems over the next 13 months (May 2 1953; January 10 1954; April 8 1954) – a trio of accidents which did significant damage to the plane's reputation. However, the subsequent investigations – particularly into the thorny issue of cabin pressurisation – would pave the way for the more reliable aircraft that would come after. Finest moment October 4 1958, when the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) launched the first regular jet-powered service between London and New York (albeit with a refuelling stop at Gander in Newfoundland) using a newly minted Comet 4. Where can I see one? You can find examples of the Comet 1, in varying states of preservation, at the RAF Museum Cosford in Shropshire, and the De Havilland Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire. The National Museum of Flight near Edinburgh has a Comet 4. 8. DC-10 Manufacturer McDonnell Douglas Commercial service 1971 to 2014 Number built 368 Passenger capacity 399 The nuts and bolts Life was not always easy for this workhorse of the American skies. Conceived as the successor to the similarly sturdy DC-8 – with which the Missouri-based aviation firm had entered the jetliner race at the end of the 1950s – the DC-10's first years were blighted by safety issues. But its reliability improved hugely as the years passed; it was only taken out of passenger service a decade ago. It retains an iconic status in retirement, partly due to the unusual placement of the third of its three engines; not beneath the wings, but above the main fuselage, at the bottom of the tail-fin. Darkest hour The loss of American Airlines Flight 191 on May 25 1979, when a DC-10's left-wing engine detached during take-off from Chicago's O'Hare International – leading to a crash less than a mile beyond the runway, with a total loss of life (258 passengers and 13 crew, plus two unfortunate bystanders on the ground). Photos of the last moments show the stricken plane flying on its side, the pilots struggling for control. Over 40 years later, the 273 fatalities still rank as the worst air disaster on American soil. Finest moment Its recovery from this tragedy. An understandable loss of confidence saw orders for the DC-10 slump in the early 1980s, but after modifications, it became one of America's most trusted aircraft. It out-lived its parent company (McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997), and was still part of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines fleet 11 years ago (its last scheduled passenger flight was on February 20 2014). When Northwest Airlines put its final DC-10 to bed on January 8 2007, pilot Wade Blaufuss offered a tribute. 'The DC-10 is a reliable airplane, fun to fly, roomy and quiet, kind of like flying an old Cadillac Fleetwood,' he explained. 'We're sad to see an old friend go.' Where can I see one? Next to a Concorde at Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park (see And, brilliantly, reconstituted as the centrepiece of the Gate 88 nightclub – on the Indonesian party island of Bali. 7. A380 Manufacturer Airbus Commercial service 2007 - present Number built 254 Passenger capacity Up to 853 The nuts and bolts Can you have too much of a good thing? This question applies to Airbus's colossal creation; the titan that, since it came into service 18 years ago, has been both the world's largest passenger plane, and the only full-length double-decker aircraft. The Toulouse-based aerospace giant began working on its behemoth as long ago as 1988, hoping to build a rival to the 747. The project was a success in one way; merely in taking off, the A380 eclipsed Boeing's greatest achievement in size and modernity. But it is so big that airlines have struggled to make it economically viable, and the pandemic – when many carriers were forced to place their A380s in storage – probably killed its future. Finest moment The initial buzz. The A380 arrived to considerable fanfare, and there was so much interest in its first flight – a Singapore Airlines jaunt to Sydney on October 25 2007 – that tickets were sold via a charity auction. One passenger reportedly paid more than $100,000 for their seat. It is tempting to snipe that this was a poor investment. Darkest hour Its slow death. Although the A380 has a flawless safety record (leaving aside a pair of emergency landings, due to engine issues, which made headlines in 2010 and 2017), airlines have fallen out of love with the 'Superjumbo'. Mainly due to its high operating costs; an issue only exacerbated by the pandemic. However, even before COVID, faith in the plane was failing – Virgin Atlantic and Qantas cancelled significant orders in 2018 and 2019 respectively. When Emirates followed suit in February 2019, pulling the plug on its purchase of 39 A380s, Airbus was forced to bow to the inevitable. Production of the aircraft ceased in December 2021, when the last remaining order rolled off the line. Where can I see one? For now, in the heavens above you, flying for the likes of Qantas, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and British Airways. Also at the Aeroscopia museum at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport – the second test model, as donated by Airbus. 6. A300 The nuts and bolts Where Boeing was out of the blocks as early as 1916, Europe's biggest aviation manufacturer took a while to emerge, only coalescing in 1970. So the A300 was important; a new power-player's first foray into an ultra-competitive industry. It was also the first twin-engine wide-bodied (ie double-aisled) airliner in the skies – ushering in the era of weary night flights where you not only find yourself in a middle seat, but a middle seat in the middle bank of seats, fighting for the armrest on both sides. Finest moment Making it big in the Far East. Launched in Air France livery on May 23 1974, the A300 had a stodgy start. Early sales were sluggish in the wider Europe, and in an America that needed to be convinced of the aircraft's charms. It would be in Asia that the plane enjoyed its first significant surge in popularity. By the end of the 1970s, it was a key element of the fleets of Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Airlines (of Taiwan) – and Thai Airways International (amongst others). Darkest hour The appalling circumstances in which Iran Air Flight 655 was sent to the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz on July 3 1988 – shot down by a pair of surface-to-air missiles fired from the USS Vincennes during a time of (particularly) heightened military tensions in the Persian Gulf. The United States Navy pleaded a case of mistaken identity and communications failure; Iran claimed the warship had acted with, at best, extreme carelessness, at worst, with malign intention. Either way, all 290 souls on the A300 died. Where can I see one? Production of the A300 ceased in 2007. Just short of 200 (197) of the planes are still in professional service – although largely, these days, on cargo duties. Remarkably, at least seven retired A300s have been converted into restaurants, including at Danialand – a theme park in Agadir, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. 5. 787 The nuts and bolts As the 20th century neared its end and the mighty 747 began to approach elder statesman status, Boeing – among other aerospace companies – started to ponder life after the 'Jumbo Jet'. One of the results born of the design meetings was the 787 Dreamliner; an aircraft which sounds as if it was named to fit a fairytale, yet has become one of the most pragmatic planes on the runway. Though smaller than the legend it has partially replaced, it has become a firm part of many fleets. Finest moment Arriving as one of the heralds of a new generation of aircraft. While boasts of extra sustainability have become part of almost every brand launch in the 21st century, the Dreamliner can plausibly sell itself as a big step forward. Lighter than some of its predecessors (Boeing states that the 787 is 50 per cent carbon composite, and only 20 per cent aluminium), it is supposedly 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the Boeing 767. It has also been hailed as a game-changer in customer experience. On-board facilities include a 'gaseous filtration' system which provides a higher quality of air, the largest windows on any airliner (which passengers are able to lighten and dim, according to preference), and 'Smoother Ride Technology', which lessens the effects of turbulence. Darkest hour As of the start of 2025, the Dreamliner has not been involved in a single fatality. But it suffered teething troubles with the lithium-ion batteries built into its systems. The initial weeks of 2013 were difficult – on January 7, an overheating battery sparked a fire on an empty Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Airport; on January 16, an All Nippon Airways Dreamliner made an emergency landing on Japan's Shikoku Island when a similar problem caused an in-flight blaze. America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the 787 until the battery issue was resolved in the April. Where can I see one? All over the planet. But particularly above Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima et al – the two above-mentioned Japanese airlines are the two biggest users of the 787. Indeed, All Nippon Airways was the plane's earliest adopter, flying the launch flight on October 26 2011. You can also find one of the three prototypes at the Pima Air & Space Museum, amid the dust of Arizona in the southerly city of Tucson. 4. 737 The nuts and bolts There is an argument that the 737 is the most successful passenger aircraft in history. When Boeing put it into production in February 1965 (Lufthansa was the launch customer), the talk was of long-haul comfort on short-haul routes. Six decades on, little has changed. Though it has been through some 22 iterations, culminating in the 737 MAX family of aircraft, the 737 has been a relentless cog of the aviation world, flying short- and mid-range services (the 737 MAX has upped its maximum distance to 4,402 miles) without any great glamour or any particular fuss. If you have ever taken a flight of between three and five hours, there is a good chance that you were aboard a 737. Finest moment Its ongoing ubiquity. In 2013, the 737 accounted for more than 25 per cent of the global airline fleet; 5580 of the planes flying for 342 airlines in 111 countries. Darkest hour Inevitably, a plane of such enduring use has seen its share of troubles. As of the end of 2023, the 737 has been involved in 529 accidents and incidents. None caused more damage to its image than the two crashes, in quick succession, which led to the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX between March 2019 and December 2020. The crisis began when Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air suffered the loss of Flight 610 from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang on October 29 2018 – the plane dropping into the Java Sea 13 minutes after take-off, killing all 189 people on board. There was a similar catastrophe with Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10 2019; the aircraft coming down six minutes after departure, killing all 157 passengers and crew. Both disasters were attributed to glitches with the 737 MAX's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which is meant to stabilise the aircraft, but inadvertently pushed both planes into nose-dives. Boeing fixed the issue promptly, but lost an estimated $60billion (£47billion) – via the cancellation of some 1200 orders. Where can I see one? Almost any time you fly with Virgin Australia; the 737 makes up the bulk of its fleet. The Museum of Flight – on Boeing's home turf in Seattle – has a 737-130, N515NA; the first of the aircraft ever built. 3. A320 The nuts and bolts Airbus hit upon a splendid formula when it ushered the A320 out of the design workshop in the mid-1980s. Although it suffered an embarrassing false start – Air France Flight 296Q, an airshow demonstration flight for competition winners and journalists, crashed into trees at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airfield on June 26 1988, only two months after the A320's formal launch – it has gone on to become one of the true reliables of modern mid-range aviation. See a plane in the sky? It could well be an A320. Finest moment Becoming the best-selling passenger airliner of all time in October 2019 (in terms of deliveries and future orders), stealing this particular crown from the Boeing 737. There are a number of members to what Airbus describes as the 'A320 family' – including, somewhat confusingly, the A318 and A319 (both shorter than the A320), the A321 (a little bit longer), and the A320neo (which, introduced in 2016, offers significantly superior fuel economy to the original). As of February this year, this 'family' adds up to 11,918 planes on duty with airlines (or an overall total of 19,112 if you include those on order or under construction). Darkest hour The A320 has a largely admirable safety record – and the biggest blot in its copybook was scarcely its own doing. The destruction of Metrojet Flight 9268 – an A321-231 carrying 224 predominantly Russian passengers and crew back home to St Petersburg from Sharm El Sheikh on October 31 2015 – was most likely down to a terrorist device in the hold that detonated shortly after take-off. There were no survivors. Where can I see one? At airports everywhere. Jetstar uses A320 variations on all its short-haul routes (with Dreamliners for its longer international flights). American Airlines is the A320s largest operator, with 469. 2. Concorde The nuts and bolts While it certainly isn't the only plane to achieve the feat, the phrase 'supersonic flight' mainly conjures mental images of one aircraft. Few would deny that Concorde is one of history's greatest engineering achievements. Perhaps, too, it is the greatest ever example of Anglo-French cooperation; a post-war aviation dream brought to reality by clever minds on both sides of the Channel. Certainly, it was a very graceful bird, easily capable of breaking the sound barrier in flying at speeds of up to 1,354mph (Mach 2.04). Many would suggest that its disappearance from the clouds was a step back – and as long as there is no direct replacement, Concorde will remain an icon in absentia. Zooming into JFK on November 22 1977, as both British Airways and Air France belatedly began Concorde services to the Big Apple. Although the plane had been in the air since January 21 1976 (London to Bahrain; Paris to Rio de Janeiro), the US had moved to ban it from its airspace, nominally on noise grounds. That embargo was lifted in February 1977, but it would take until the end of the year before that fabled nose-cone was seen heading for Queens. The trans-Atlantic dash to New York would become Concorde's signature; in record-breaking style on February 7, 1996, when a BA flight managed the return leg to Heathrow in just two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. Darkest hour July 25 2000, when Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after take off from Paris Charles de Gaulle – brought down by metallic debris on the runway, a burst tyre and a consequent fuel-tank rupture. The plane would continue in service for another three years, but the Concorde era effectively finished that day, on the ground in Gonesse. Where can I see one? Eighteen of the 20 Concordes have been preserved, and 16 of them are on display. In locations as varied as the Imperial War Museum Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset, Brooklands Museum in Surrey, at Aerospace Bristol – and at the Udvar-Hazy Center, an offshoot of the Smithsonian Museum at Dulles Airport, outside Washington DC, and on board the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, now a museum docked in Manhattan. 1. 747 'The Jumbo Jet' Manufacturer Boeing Commercial service 1970 - present Number built 1574 Passenger capacity Up to 524 The nuts and bolts The greatest passenger aircraft ever built? Quite possibly. Though far slower than Concorde (it has a top speed of 614mph, in the case of the 747-8i), no plane is quite as emblematic of the development of air travel from niche luxury enjoyed by the few to a basic commodity available to all. Lovingly nicknamed the 'Jumbo Jet' from the moment it emerged from a Boeing hangar on September 30 1968, the 747 has been a fixture in the firmament for over half a century. And while its era is drawing to a close – the last one, a 747-8F, was delivered to American cargo carrier Atlas Air on January 31 2023 – its iconic four-engined shape will be visible above us for a while yet. Finest moment Carrying the Space Shuttle on its broad back. Two 747s were extensively modified for this very high-profile purpose. Each aircraft would transport all five of the operational Space Shuttle orbiters at various points between 1977 and 2012. The definition of excess baggage Credit: Getty Darkest hour Two, in particular, linger starkly in the memory. The runway collision of two 747s at Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife on March 27 1977 – a cataclysm of miscommunication in heavy fog that took the lives of 583 passengers and crew across the two aircraft (only 61 survived) – remains the deadliest ever air disaster. The death toll from the downing of a Pan Am 747 over Lockerbie on December 21 1988 (270 people, including 11 on the ground) was smaller, but the image of the Clipper Maid Of The Seas cockpit, lying disembodied upon the Scottish turf, is arguably air travel's most haunting. Where can I see one? Loading Flying for Lufthansa; Germany's national carrier still has 27 747s in its fleet. At the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland, you can walk along the wing of a retired jumbo. At Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, where G-CIVB, a 747-400 put out to pasture by British Airways when it retired its remaining jumbo jets in 2020, has been converted into event space. At the Delta Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, where the first 747-400 off the Boeing line sleeps in the sun. The Telegraph, London
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dayton prepares to welcome NATO guests with unique gift bags
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Preparations continue for the upcoming NATO Parliamentary Assembly coming to Dayton at the end of May. This week, Congressman Mike Turner's office worked in collaboration with some Dayton businesses and organizations to gift the over 600 visitors a welcome token as they arrive in the Gem City. 'These gift bags are more than tokens, they're expressions of Dayton's legacy of annuity, equality and community pride,' said Jacquelyn Powell, Destination Dayton CEO and president. In less than 24 days, over 600 delegates from 45 countries will fly into Dayton, and to welcome them, local businesses and organizations are working with Turner's office to give them a one-of-a-kind gift bag. Each gift bag is made in Dayton, with all the materials used made in the U.S. The Dayton Sewing Collaboration is producing the nearly 700 bags, after they were given a one-week time crunch from Turner's office to come up with the design and prototypes. 'And ours are just far superior, and they will last forever because of the fabric they're made out of,' said Brenda Rex, Dayton Sewing Collaboration. 'Congressman Turner has done a great job with them and Destination Dayton deciding that what goes in this banquet represents Dayton.' The Lion Group helped the Dayton Sewing Collaboration bring the bags to life, and Hero Coins LLC helped fill the bags with a special Dayton coin. On the outside of each bag is a zipper, with an exclusive 3D-printed Wright Flyer plane, courtesy of local business Kingman Creations LLC. The business says they are happy to include a small but impactful detail. 'It's a small addition, but just be able to see our 3D-printed item on the outside of the bag is that zipper pole has been just awesome,' said Chandler Hemmerich, Kingman Creations LLC. The bags are unique, made out of firefighter turnout material and designed around Dayton history. All of the organizations and businesses involved are hopeful that the gift makes a long lasting impression on our international guests. 'These bags are just the beginning of what we hope will be an unforgettable experience for our guests,' said Powell. Alongside the bag, there will also be a snack bag full of Dayton-centric treats like Cheez-it crackers and Ester Price candies. The NATO Spring Parliamentary Assembly arrives in Dayton May 23-26. to find more coverage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The Wright brothers invented the airplane, right? Not if you're in Brazil.
PETRÓPOLIS, Brazil — Who invented the airplane? Questions don't get much simpler. But in Brazil and the United States, the answer you'll get isn't likely to be the same. In 1903, U.S. schoolchildren are taught, the Wright brothers piloted their Wright Flyer into the air in Kitty Hawk, N.C., and soared into the history books. Brazilians hear a different story: that the true inventor of the airplane was Alberto Santos Dumont — commonly described here as 'the father of aviation.' For more than a century, ever since he steered his 14-Bis into the Paris sky in 1906, the country has been trying indefatigably to give their man his due, regardless of the academic consensus. Santos Dumont's mustachioed visage has graced Brazilian currency. One of Rio de Janeiro's airports is named after him. A replica of his airplane, piloted by a Santos Dumont look-alike, swooped through the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Now Santos Dumont truthers have found a new and powerful champion: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In his third presidential term, amid a slew of foreign and domestic crises, Lula has repeatedly found time to trumpet Santos Dumont, and even take a few swipes at the Wright brothers. 'I can't even pronounce their name,' he scoffed in July. In comments to The Washington Post, the Brazilian president went further, delving into the minutiae of early 20th-century aerospace engineering and mourning what he described as the wrongful denial of Brazilian valor. 'Everyone knows that Santos Dumont was the first to make something heavier than air fly, in an autonomous way, without any assistance,' he vented. 'But the Americans have the movie industry and were able to promote the Wright brothers.' 'It's essential to restore aviation history and duly attribute Brazil's role,' Lula added. 'A nation needs to have values.' While in many ways a harmless kerfuffle, the dispute raises important questions about nationalism, the stories countries tell about themselves — and the limits of any universal truth. In other words, both sides are dug in. 'This is a very Brazilian thing,' said Peter Jakab, an emeritus curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 'And in some ways, it's sad.' 'This is a typical American thing,' said Henrique Lins de Barros, a Brazilian physicist who has written three books on Santos Dumont. 'If it's not them, it can't be anyone.' So the question, again: Who invented the airplane? In the spring of 1900, Wilbur Wright set out to find a windy location to test his aviation theories. 'I'm afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man,' he wrote a colleague, soliciting suggestions for a 'suitable locality where I could depend on winds' to test his 'flying machine.' His search ultimately led him to Kitty Hawk, on the North Carolina coast. On its sand dunes 3½ years later, in winds that reached 27 mph, the Wright Flyer I rolled down a 60-foot rail and lifted off, carrying his brother Orville 120 feet. Three more flights were made that same day, the final one lasting nearly a full minute and traveling 852 feet. 'The airplane had been invented!' is how the National Air and Space Museum summarizes the moment. Not so fast, Brazilians counter. How can the world be sure that this flight was legitimate, that the Flyer would have lifted off without a boost from Mother Nature? 'That was a region that was rich in wind,' said Rodrigo Moura Visoni, a historian of Brazilian aviation. But the brothers weren't done. The next year, the Wrights' Flyer II pushed into the air in a field in Dayton, Ohio. And the year after that came the Flyer III. It achieved a flight that lasted for nearly 40 minutes and 24.2 miles — encouraging enough for the Wrights to propose the sale of the design to the U.S. government. Because the Flyer II struggled to reach the air without Kitty Hawk's strong gusts, and because the Ohio prairie afforded less open space for a runway, the brothers used a catapult when testing their next-generation flying machines so they could quickly reach the velocity needed to achieve liftoff. (Though a few brief wobbly flights, Wright historians note, were apparently achieved by the Flyer II without the catapult.) To Brazilians, the catapult should be disqualifying. 'They didn't take off on their own,' said Márcio Bhering Cardoso, the former director of the Brazil's national aerospace museum. 'They needed help.' Seconds Lula: 'The help of equipment and tracks.' Presented with these claims, Jakab, who has written or edited three books on the Wright brothers, could barely contain his exasperation. Brazil's 'argument,' he said, 'is so easily deconstructed it's not even really an argument.' He said it was 'preposterous' to claim that the Wright brothers' flights didn't count because of a catapult. Navy jets, he noted, still use a catapult system when lifting off from short runways on aircraft carriers — and no one says they're not real planes. Moreover, he said, the Flyer III sustained itself in the air for nearly 40 minutes. 'It's just patently ridiculous, on its surface,' Jakab said. 'They're just trying to negate everything the Wright brothers did before 1906.' That was the year Santos Dumont stepped out onto a field in Paris for a crucial test. The scion of a Brazilian coffee magnate had relocated to Europe, where he was famed for his debonair dress, fine dining habits — and aviation engineering. First came his affair with ballooning, and then the construction of his single-passenger airplane, the 14-Bis. On that day in November, before a gathering of judges and reporters, Santos Dumont climbed aboard his plane and sped down the field. As a headwind bore down, according to historian Lins de Barros, the plane lifted off, traveling 722 feet. 'It took off by itself,' Lula said. 'Without depending on external devices.' At first, since the Wright Brothers had been toiling in relative obscurity, French aviators heralded Santos Dumont's flight as the world's first. Now, much to Brazil's distress, the French and most of the world look differently upon that day. 'There is no doubt,' said Marion Weckerle, the aircraft collections manager at France's Air and Space Museum, 'that the Wright brothers flew before Santos Dumont.' On a recent overcast day in the mountainous town of Petrópolis, about 40 miles northeast of Rio, a tall man of regal bearing stepped up to the house Santos Dumont built atop a steep granite slope. As the aviator's closest living relative, Alberto Dodsworth Wanderley has spent much of his life steeped in the debate over who invented the airplane. He believes to his core that Santos Dumont deserves the credit, and has spent decades advocating that position. But now, at age 81, with his wife ill, he no longer thinks the argument matters all that much. 'What's the importance?' he wondered. 'Will this dispute bring us anywhere?' He walked through Santos Dumont's old home, now a museum. The inventor spent his final years here, horrified over the use of airplanes in war, before taking his own life in 1930. As Dodsworth Wanderley looked at the images of his great-uncle on the wall and the replicas of his inventions, word of his presence began to spread through the museum. Soon, people were crowding around him. They were shaking his hand. Touching his arm. Asking to take his picture. Someone whispered that he was a celebrity. His visit was front-page news in the local newspaper. 'It's an honor to know you,' one person told him. 'Your DNA is very important.' 'What a privilege,' said another. In this throng, there was no doubt who invented the airplane. But it was more an act of faith than a matter of fact. 'It's now an ideological problem,' Dodsworth Wanderley said. 'Pick your side and you'll find the arguments you need to stay there.' Marina Dias in Brasilia contributed to this story.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This So-Called Flying Car Sure Seems Like A Miserable Way To Travel
New video surfaced this week of Alef Aeronautics new Model Zero A "flying car" taking off, hovering over a Chevrolet Suburban, and touching down again on the other side. While the non-car media is hailing this as a "world's first" flying car, I hesitate to actually call this thing a flying car because it barely flies, it's barely a car and flying cars aren't a thing. Alef CEO and co-founder Jim Dukhovny has been endeavoring for an entire decade to build this half-assed contraption, and says it will reach production later this year, you know, if nothing goes wrong. "If everything goes right, if we have enough funds, if the legislation does not get worse, we plan to start production of the first one by the end of 2025," is what Dukhovny told a CNBC reporter back in April. Everything about this machine seems supremely sketchy. Judging from how loud it is, to how floaty and uncontrolled it looks in the air to how small and narrow the wheels are, it is a high level of bad idea to sign up for by getting in one of these. At the car-hopping test Dukhovny told a reporter from the Independent "...this drive and flight test represents an important proof of technology in a real-world city environment. We hope it will be a moment similar to the Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk video, proving to humanity that new transportation is possible." In fairness, the Model Zero A looks about as stable and capable as the Wright Flyer was 112 years ago. This video (below) is less a demonstration of human ingenuity and more what seems to be a Silicon Valley grift to raise more funds for Alef to keep working on this flimsy vaporware piece of crap. The Model Zero A is a very small and lightweight pod for one person with a quartet of really big, really loud drone propellers under the bodywork. The drone rotors can't lift a ton of weight, so passenger capacity is limited to just 250 pounds. The company says it has over 3,000 pre-orders for the $300,000 electric drone with vaguely car-shaped bodywork. As a car the Model Zero A can allegedly do 198 miles on a full battery, but as an aircraft you can cut that figure in half. The company will begin working on a more fiscally responsible version in the coming years, which it calls Model Z, allegedly for just $35,000. I'll believe that when I see it. Read more: GM Hopes A Clutch Pedal Is Enough To Make Enthusiasts Buy EVs The Model Zero A prototype owes its questionably automobile-shaped aesthetics to its ability to "fly." Each of the Model Zero's rotors are hidden under the car's mesh-and-skirts bodywork, which allows for air to pass through the upper structure of the car, and the solid vertical surfaces acting as a shroud for the rotors. Alef says that the car is designed to be driven most of the time, then operate as an eVTOL when you need to jump over a traffic jam. "We're building the solution to the issues of modern congestion," claims the Alef website. The car is sized to drive in a regular lane and park in a regular parking space or garage. How that plastic skirting along the bottom is supposed to hold up under doing regular car things is anyone's guess. I'm a big fan of automakers trying to figure out how to build more efficient and super-lightweight commuter electric vehicles with 200 miles of range, but when they added the fans to make the car fly, they lost me. The whole idea of eVTOLs scares the crap out of me, and Alef doesn't do anything different enough to alleviate my fears. Not only do I not want a car that can fly, I don't want other people to have them either. The amount of poorly trained drivers on the road is already too high, you're going to give them the power of flight, too? The idea that a thousand pounds of spinning blades and carbon fiber can just drop out of the sky while I'm minding my own business sitting in traffic sounds like a nightmare. And on top of that, the thing sounds like a swarm of angry bees when you fire up the rotors. Don't give Americans access to this kind of machine, it will only end in death. Read the original article on Jalopnik.
