EASYJET JOINS FIRMLY THE HYDROGEN PROPULSION CAMP

The British carrier EasyJet is supporting the use of hydrogen green technology to reduce flight emissions and ultimately to achieve zero-carbon emissions. Since April 2022, it has supported the development of GKN Aerospace’s Hydrogen Combustion (H2JET) and Hydrogen Fuel Cell (H2GEAR) technology, including exploring the options for flight demonstration.

In opposition to other European carriers that are primarily focused on investing in alternative jet fuels made from synthetic fuels and SAF to only reduce aircraft carbon emissions, EasyJet wishes to make sure that any investments in clean, emission-free technologies like hydrogen are not offset by investments in SAFs. According to EasyJet, its short-haul aircraft fleet of the future will be ultimately hydrogen-powered.

Many airlines recognize the potential hydrogen fuel has to offer in terms of decarbonizing the aircraft industry, but there are still obstacles to be removed before hydrogen planes can truly be considered the future of short-haul travel.

For example, there is less room for cargo and passengers because hydrogen needs more space and storage than conventional fuels, which means that fuel cells are going to have to be miniaturized. As hydrogen gas burns hotter than kerosene, aircraft must be built to endure intense heat. Airports will need to be modified because new facilities for fueling and storing hydrogen will be needed to support aviation.

Despite these challenges, there are no limitations apart from the renewable energy to produce it, and the cherry on the cake is it that is has three times the kerosene density for the same weight.

GREENPEACE NEW TARGET: BUSINESS JETS’ SOARING POLLUTION

Between 2020 and 2022, Europe private jet travel volume increased by 855%, with a corresponding alarming increase in the level of emissions.

According to a February report by CE Delft, a Dutch environmental consultancy hired by Greenpeace to survey over 572,000 private flights that were registered in Europe last year, the result was more than 5.3 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

Flights almost tripled between 2020 and 2021, while pollutants more than quadrupled. And then flights rose 1.5 times more between 2021 and 2022, and emissions doubled again. The 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK are all represented in the study's data collection. The UK, France, and Germany produced the most carbon emissions from private aircraft in 2022.

According to The Guardian, the UK was the worst offender last year, recording 90,256 private aircraft flights – or one private flight every six minutes – that released over 500,000 metric tons of CO2.

Last year, flights between London and Nice, Paris and Geneva – both of which are serviced by high-speed trains – and London and Paris were the most popular.

However, across all three years, it was short-haul trips covering just 251 to 500km that were the most prevalent. Nearly a quarter of all private trips in 2022 were for short distances.

Europe's elites are failing to consider less polluting travel options, which makes these reductions difficult to maintain as economic activity returned to pre-pandemic levels. This makes it more difficult for the EU to achieve its goal of cutting pollution by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In a news release on March 30, 2023, Greenpeace asked for a ban on private planes for short-haul flights when trains could be used in their place as part of a fair strategy to combat climate change.

See: Private jet emissions quadrupled during 2022 World Economic Forum | Greenpeace UK Private Jets Investigation - Politics.co.uk

In 2023, the European Commission gave France permission to end domestic flights under 2.5 hours, and in the same year Germany increased its tax on short-haul flight tickets. Spain has stated that it wants to ban all short-haul flights by the year 2050.

Private Jet Emissions report card by the digits (Source Quartz)

50x: How much more polluting private jet flights are compared to trains

5–13x: How much more polluting private jets are compared to passenger commercial flights

2: Metric tons of CO2 that private jets produce per hour, on average equivalent to consuming 4.6 barrels of oil

1%: World population that produces about 50% of commercial aviation emissions

2%: Global energy related CO2 emissions produced by all the aviation sector (2021)

-LAST MINUTEAMSTERDAM HUB TO HALT NIGHT FLIGHTS AND BAN PRIVATE JETS TO CUT CO2

Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam has a lot to be proud of, including the finest direct flight connectivity in all of Europe, an easy-to-navigate terminal layout, and an underground railway station that connects it to important European cities. Now, a plan to limit capacity in order to reduce noise threatens to lessen one of Europe's important centers' appeals.

The decision has sparked a legal battle between the airline sector and the Dutch government, which wants to reduce Schiphol's annual flight capacity by up to 12% to 440,000 flights by 2024. Airlines opposed to the move, including national carrier KLM Group, claim that the limitation violates international law, goes against policy stability, and hurts connectivity.

When the modifications take effect in the following two to three years, aircraft will no longer depart from the Amsterdam center between the hours of midnight and six in the morning, the airport announced on Tuesday. There won't be any flights between midnight and five in the morning.

The actions are a part of a campaign to lower carbon pollution and noise in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. According to the airport, private aircraft and small business aviation generate a "disproportionate" quantity of noise and CO2 pollution and will be outlawed. Additionally, Schiphol is abandoning preparations for a second runway.

The Dutch government had previously suggested reducing the airport's annual capacity by as much as 12% to 440,000 flights by 2024.

This proposal is currently being contested in court by airlines. The new regulations, which will result in 10,000 fewer night flights each year, came after that proposal.

CEO of Royal Schiphol Group Ruud Sondag said, "Our decisions may have significant effects on the aviation sector, but they are necessary. This demonstrates our seriousness” .

ENGINES: SAME FACE TO FACE USA Vs EUROPE

GE (USA) and Rolls Royce (UK) are facing each other in a very similar competition to Boeing and Airbus.

They are preferred engine suppliers for their respective fleets but many airlines are agnostic and you can find Airbus with GE engines and vice versa Boeing with RR engines. This depends a lot of the aircraft flight plan and their general design.

The GE9X engine: it is twin-annular pre-swirl (TAPS) combustor, a feature of the GE9X engine's architecture, which enhances fuel efficiency and lowers emissions by offering improved fuel and air mixing.

The engine is made to fit the largest Boieng commercial aircraft, such as the Boeing 777X, with a thrust range of 45 tons to 60 tons.

To decrease weight and increase durability, the GE9X engine uses cutting-edge materials like ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) and additively manufactured components.

The GE9X engine's advanced architecture and materials are intended to make it 10% more fuel-efficient than its forerunner, the GE90 engine.

On Rolls Royce side, the advanced design of the ULTRAFAN engine includes a geared fan system. As a result, the fan can work at a different speed and is no longer connected to a low-pressure turbine, which improves overall efficiency.

The engine is made to be appropriate for a variety of aircraft, with a thrust range of 12 tons to 45 tons.

The engine uses cutting-edge production processes like 3D printing as well as cutting-edge materials like lightweight composites and ceramic on par with GE.

Due to its advanced architecture and materials, Rolls Royce says that the ULTRAFAN engine will be 25% more fuel-efficient than its current engines.

It is difficult to directly compare the most recent aviation engine developments between the Rolls Royce ULTRAFAN and the GE’s GE9X because the two companies are pursuing different technical trajectories and have different priorities in terms of their engine designs.

However, both are designed to be significantly quieter than their current engines line up, which will help reduce noise pollution around airports.

In conclusion: the GE9X is the largest and most potent commercial aircraft engine worldwide today. The GE9X uses cutting-edge technologies like 3D-printed parts, CMCs, and sophisticated cooling systems in a extremely efficient design.

In the other camp, the Rolls Royce ULTRAFAN engine uses also lightweight composites and geared fan systems to increase efficiency and lower emissions. But compared to the GE9X, the ULTRAFAN is made to be more compact and adaptable, and it places more of an emphasis on minimizing noise pollution.

Additionally, both businesses are focusing on creating engines that are compatible with environmental fuels like SAF today and hydrogen in the near future.

IS THERE A PILOT IN THE PLANE?

Major and minor aircraft companies are working on prototypes and systems in the study and development of AI software for autonomous aircraft. The following technical terms are used in the algorithm and AI software creation process for autonomous aircraft:

Computer vision: To sense and understand their surroundings, autonomous aircraft heavily depend on computer vision algorithms. The area of AI known as computer vision is concerned with giving computers the ability to decipher and comprehend visual data from their surroundings.

Machine Learning: The creation of AI software for autonomous aircraft makes significant use of machine learning algorithms. In order for algorithms to learn and become more effective over time, it entails training them on sizable datasets of real-world data.

Sensor fusion: To detect their surroundings, autonomous aircraft use a variety of sensors, including cameras, radar, and lidar. Sensor fusion is the process of combining data from various sensors to produce an environment model that is more precise and trustworthy.

Control Systems: The software elements in charge of regulating the behavior of the airplane are known as control systems. To decide how the aircraft should move and react to its surroundings, these systems use data from sensors and other sources.

Fault Tolerance: Fault tolerance is a consideration in the construction of autonomous aircraft systems from the point of origin. This indicates that they are built to continue working even if specific parts or modules malfunction suddenly.

Simulation and Testing: Constant simulation and testing go into the creation of AI software for autonomous airplanes. Prior to testing on actual aircraft, these simulations are used to evaluate how the software behaves in a variety of situations to spot possible issues.

Cybersecurity: To guard against possible cyberattacks that could jeopardize the safety and security of the aircraft, autonomous aircraft software is also developed with high-end cybersecurity benchmark.

You will agree that this is is still a rather complex and highly technical process. The creation of AI software for autonomous airplanes requires a simultaneous knowledge of computer vision, machine learning, control systems, sensor fusion, fault tolerance, simulation, prototype testing, and cybersecurity that both majors are mastering.

The first test flight of Boeing's autonomous passenger air vehicle prototype was implemented in 2019.

Earlier, in 2016, Airbus was working on developing autonomous aircraft technology. And in 2018, it successfully achieved the first test flight of its prototype autonomous air taxi. Bell and Rolls Royce are both creating autonomous aircraft technology. Bell is doing so on the US side and Rolls Royce on the European side.

Even though the idea of flying without a captain may be a little unsettling, we can all find solace in the fact that the future of autonomous aircraft technology is in capable hands. After all, AI technology makes split-second choices based on a vast amount of data, does not get tired or need to go to the bathroom. So the next time you fly without a pilot, just lay back, unwind, and take it all in. Do not be alarmed if you spot a robot in the cockpit, it is presumably the co-pilot, not the pilot. Remember the 1980 movie?

Supersonic Flight Is Back

It is 76 years since humans broke the sound barrier. Capt. Charles E. Yeager, flying a Bell X-1 rocket-powered experimental aircraft, became the first person to surpass the speed of sound in level flight on October 14, 1947.

He did so with little difficulty, overcoming an invisible barrier that was previously thought to be epic for the development of aircraft and to modern aircraft structures.

After British Airways and Air France stopped the Concorde flights program, the central question is whether there a market for supersonic commercial jets with so much emphasis on reducing carbon emissions?

For supersonic flight, will 2023 finally see the results of decades of NASA research?

The X-59 is a key component of NASA's Low-Boom Flight Demonstration Mission, which aims to develop and test systems that can reduce the sonic boom produced by supersonic aircraft.

Because of the noise effects, US regulators have prohibited overland civilian supersonic flight for decades But NASA believes its research will enable supersonic flight over land.

In 2018, NASA gave Lockheed a $247.5 million contract to design, develop, produce, and fly test the X-59 as part of the program.

According to NASA, the aircraft's attributes, such as its long, skinny fuselage and distinctive structural parts, will cause a sonic boom that is perceived to be 75dB on the ground, which is similar to distant thunder.

By contrast, the perceived boom of Concorde was measured at 125db.

At its Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, Lockheed is building the single-pilot X-59, which is propelled by a 22,000lb-thrust (98kN) GE Aviation F414-GE-100. The jet flies at speeds of up to Mach 1.4 while cruising at 17km in space.

NASA wants to utilize the X-59 to conduct "community flights,” during which it will fly over the country and measure how loud the sonic boom is and whether or not people on the ground can hear it.

NASA plans to give US regulators the X-59 noise data ASAP before the final test is done.

NASA is evidently encountering resistance. Public Workers for Environmental Responsibility, a non-profit organization, has encouraged NASA administrator Bill Nelson to investigate the X-59 program in light of "climate consequences" in a letter dated January 12, 2023.

The letter states that supersonic aircraft consume several times more fuel and emit many times the amount of pollution as contemporary commercial flights.

Using tax money to “allow higher-polluting aircraft" is "difficult to reconcile," the letter continues, with NASA's overarching objective of cutting emissions.

In response, NASA recognized that there are several barriers to making commercial supersonic flight a reality, including the long-term ambition of tackling difficulties such as pollution and fuel use. Yet, the agency's priority right now is only on X-59 flights supporting the QUEST mission.

NOTE: The NASA QUEST (Quality Education for Students and Teachers) program is an educational program developed by NASA that aims to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in schools across the United States. The overall goal of the NASA QUEST program is to inspire and engage students in STEM learning by connecting them with NASA scientists, engineers, and educators. Through this program, students can learn about a wide range of topics, such as Earth science, space exploration, and aeronautics.

A Cover up or a real argument?

BOOM: A COMMERCIAL NEW ADVENTURE

Despite these difficulties, some businesses are actively engaged in the development of supersonic aircraft.

The Overture, a supersonic airliner being developed by Boom Supersonic, is intended to travel at speeds of up to Mach 2.2 (roughly 1,700mph or 2,700km/h), which is more than twice as fast as current passenger planes.

The Overture will be able to travel from New York to London in just over three hours as opposed to the seven or more hours that a subsonic aircraft currently needs to do so. It is designed to accommodate up to 88 passengers.

Three J85-15 engines, which are more fuel-efficient – with SAF fuels planned for the moment – and quieter than earlier supersonic aircraft engines, will power Overture. Advanced aerodynamic materials and technologies will also be used on the aircraft to increase efficiency and reduce drag.

Significant funding for Boom Supersonic has come from a number of sources, including venture capital firms and governmental organizations.

Airlines like United Airlines, American Airlines and Japan Airlines have also placed early orders for the firm's supersonic aircraft.

Currently in the development stage, test flights for Overture are expected to start in 2024, and commercial service will likely follow prior to 2030.

Overall, the Boom Supersonic program is an exciting advancement in the field of aerospace engineering and has the potential to completely change the way people travel by lowering the cost and increasing the effectiveness of supersonic travel. However, the program must also overcome significant technical, governmental, and financial obstacles, and serious environment issues. How well it does so in the coming years will determine how successful it could become.

Beautiful on paper, it is under watch as climate change preoccupations has modified the paradigm. Innovation just for the sake of innovation is not acceptable anymore. Do better Gentlemen to keep us excited about aviation modernism.

China Join The Civil Hypersonic Race

In 4 hours, can I get from Shanghai to New York? Flying aboard a hypersonic spacecraft solves the issue. With the creation of a passenger-carrying aircraft that can soar through the air at one mile per second, or more than double the speed of Concorde, Beijing-based Space Transportation (known as Lingkong Tianxing in China), hopes to make this possibility a reality.

The company has unveiled an animated promotional video in which passengers board a 12-seat space plane that is tucked behind an aerodynamic structure in the shape of a delta, flanked by two mammoth booster rockets https://www.spacetransportation.com.cn/welcome.html

According to the website for Space Transportation, the business plans to launch its first suborbital space tourism test flight in 2025 and a "complete full-scale global hypersonic vehicle flight by 2030."

If achieved, this project will be the personification of China's ambitions to straddle the potentially lucrative niches of hypersonic point-to-point flight for business passengers. It is supported by important participants in the Chinese financial scene with an injection of more than $80 million in funding.

The spacecraft is launched vertically into space, and after it reaches cruise altitude, it separates from its boosters and begins to skim the edge of space at a speed of 7,000 Km/h (Mach 7.2). It then uses a tripod-style undercarriage to land vertically at its target.

Although it will be some time before hypersonic flying is available for commercial planes, the concept is already being profited from. Whoever can use it more efficiently first at this moment will win.

CIVIL HYPERSONIC: NOT YET ON THE CARDS

SABRE is a hypersonic air-breathing rocket motor developed by Reaction Engines, a UKbased business. A novel class of hypersonic vehicles that could travel at speeds of up to Mach 5 (6,100 km/h) or higher are made possible by the SABRE engine.

Because it blends the fuel efficiency of a jet engine with the force and speed of a rocket engine, the Sabre engine is exceptional.

The engine is built to propel through the atmospheric air at up to Mach 5 and then transitions to a rocket mode to reach even higher speeds. This would make hypersonic travel possible without the use of conventional rocket fuel, which would increase efficiency and lower costs compared to earlier hypersonic technologies.

Both the UK government and commercial investors like Boeing and Rolls Royce have contributed significantly to Reaction Engines' development of its technology. Additionally, the business has partnered with a number of aerospace firms, such as BAE Systems, Boeing, and Rolls Royce, to improve its technology.

The SABRE Pre-cooler Test Program is a ground-based demonstrator for the SABRE engine that the company is presently developing. The program entails putting the engine's heat exchanger technology, an essential part of the air-breathing system, to the test.

Part of the European Union-funded Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies (LAPCAT) is a larger hypersonic undertaking that Reaction Engines has in addition to the SABRE engine. A hypersonic airplane that could travel from Europe to Australia in under four hours or from Europe to New York in under an hour is the goal of the LAPCAT project.

Additionally, a number of aerospace firms, such as BAE Systems, Boeing, and Rolls Royce, have backed the LAPCAT initiative.

In general, the LAPCAT project is a bold and forward-thinking effort to create the technology required for hypersonic travel. The project emphasizes the potential for this technology to revolutionize future air travel, despite the substantial technical and regulatory challenges connected with hypersonic flight.

Supersonic flight will come first though hypersonic will be still under watch by the defense sector. So, no wild expectations for the moment, and let’s keep calm on supersonic for the time being.

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

WILL WE STILL BE FLYING IN 20 YEARS?

There are more hostile actions against flights, so much that airlines are revising all their plans post-pandemic recovery.

The ‘flygskam’ (‘shame of flying’) movement, which was started in Sweden in 2018, appears to be spreading in favor of ‘tagskryt’ or ‘the pride of riding a train.’

For some, climate change is "airplane bashing," while for others, it is a very serious and divisive, impassioned topic.

Air traffic growth predictions could be halved if the flygskam rises, according to a 2019 poll by the Union of Swiss Banks: 21% of individuals polled in the US, Germany, France, and the UK said they were limiting their air travel. So, will we still be traveling in twenty years?

The flygskam movement, which has garnered popularity worldwide, calls on people to cut back on their use of the air because of its negative effects on the environment.

Progressively, people are becoming more aware of climate change, and starting to use alternative modes of transportation or travel less overall, which implies that it is a slow but unstoppable movement.

The aviation sector is forced to make investments in environmentally-friendly technologies in reaction to these worries, like electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft. But in order to lessen their carbon footprint, airlines will also adopt more efficient flight paths and operational procedures.

To promote more environmentally-friendly aviation, governments and international organizations should enacting stricter laws and policies, such as carbon taxes, emissions trading plans, or financial rewards for the creation of low-emission airplanes.

In conclusion, it is likely that we will continue to travel in 20 years, but there may be significant changes to the aviation sector as a result of environmental concerns and shifting customer preferences.

The former non-stoppable growth business model of flights anywhere–anytime is in reverse. Beware airlines: Flygskram is today a small movement but it is very serious. You should revise your business spreadsheets accordingly.

Soon

Good Spirit Conclusion

In conclusion, the future of flying will be poised for a bright future as it experiences rapid change post-pandemic, with new discoveries in technology and inventions promising to revolutionize how we travel.

On one hand, the development of VTOL drone taxis marks a significant advancement in the search for effective and sustainable urban transportation.

With the potential to significantly lessen traffic congestion and carbon emissions, these vehicles provide a quick, convenient, and environmentally-friendly means of getting around cities.

On the other side, commercial aviation is benefiting greatly from the advances that engine manufacturers are making to reduce pollution and increase engine efficiency.

The aviation industry is investing in a wide range of cutting-edge options to lessen its environmental impact and face the problems of climate change, from the usage of biofuels to the development of hydrogen and electric powered aircraft.

As we progress in time – or one private flight every six minutes – it will be crucial to achieve a balance between these two developments, maximizing each one's advantages while reducing any potential negatives.

Even though VTOL drone taxis present a promising urban transportation solution, their widespread adoption will necessitate careful planning and management to guarantee their compatibility with current transportation systems.

The development in commercial aviation is also positive, but we must keep pushing for greater environmental responsibility and sustainability across the board.

The future of aviation will ultimately rest on our capacity for innovation, teamwork, and adaptation to the shifting demands and difficulties of the world around us.

We can build a better future for ourselves and future generations by embracing new technology and working toward a more fair and sustainable aviation sector.

Personally I don’t care about flying cars – sorry to the inventors – but I still enjoy a good old musical in London’s theater quarter such ”Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (photo next page). Do you agree that it is good to be a kid for a few hours only!

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

Sources

REUTERS.COM

AIRJOURNAL.FR

NYTIMES.COM

CLUBIC.COM

AEROBUZZ.FR AIR-COSMOS.COM CAPITAL.FR

H2-MOBILE.FR

INTERESTINGENGINEERING.COM

FUTURA-SCIENCES.COM

POPULARMECHANICS.COM

ROBBREPORT.COM

VISUALCAPITALIST.COM

QZ.COM

BUSINESSWIRE.COM

NASA.GOV

SPACE.COM

CNN.CCOM

SPECTRUM.IEEE,ORG SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM

TECHCRUNCH.COM and PUBLICATION PROGRAM

WIRED.COM

2023

Chronicle 19: EARTH POLYCRISIS -Part 1–Reality Check

Chronicle 20: EARTH POLYCRISIS -Part 2-Pragmatic Future

Chronicle 21: SPACE RACE 2.0.

Chronicle 22: WATER TECH

Chronicle 23: THE FUTURE OF FLYING

Chronicle 24: AI 2.0

Chronicle 25: JOURNEY TO MARS

Chronicle 26: BIOHACKING

Chronicle 27: NUCLEAR FUSION

Chronicle 28: SMART CITY

2024

Chronicle 29: HYDROGEN TRENDS

Chronicle 30: NEW ENERGY STORAGE

Chronicle 31: SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

Chronicle 32: WASTE TO ENERGY

Chronicle 33: WEARABLES

Chronicle 34: QUANTUM Computing Trend

Chronicle 35: NEUROSCIENCES Trend

Chronicle 36: CLIMATE Change update

Next month - June Edition – N0 24 - AI update from no 3 of March 2021

New Book Published

Being the author of four books at the crossroad of science, geopolitics, and macroeconomics, as well as one historical fiction book.

Fors the fifth one, I focus on the biggest problem facing humanity: Climate Change.

The book's first section deals with all the immediate and long-term problems, and the second section presents the current and potential solutions.

Your interest and motivation will be maintained throughout with my frank blunt style. "Earth Polycrisis" provides a plan of action that will inspire you and get you motivated to make a difference.

Scary or entertaining? The decision will be yours after reading

If you wish to purchase Amazon.com: EARTH POLYCRISIS: REALITY CHECK - FRANK: 9782958293031: GENIN, Mr FRANK: Books

Books published in French

Monnaie Europeenne – Enjeux et Reflexions – Editions Economica

Afrique du Sud – Le Pari – Editions l’Harmattan

La Construction Europeenne – Editions Edusoft

Books published in English and Greek

Resistane- War-Passion- Greece 1941- Amazon

To be published in English and Korean

Silicon – War Games- Barnes & Noble

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”