The Giant Jet Will Revolutionize Flying

People have always wanted to fly. After aircraft were invented, flying from one continent to another became possible in just a few hours. There’s still more to come. Inventors are working on new ways to make flying faster and safer. 

Boeing’s Blended Wing Body Airlifter Boeing’s unique feature: Blended Wing

Production cost: Unknown

Designers often look to nature when making planes. Airplanes were designed to look like birds.

The Blended-Wing Body Airlifter was inspired by birds in the sea. The Blended-Wing Body (BWB) airplane is still a concept.

787-9 Dreamliner

Manufacturer: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Unique feature: longer non-stop flights

Estimated production cost: 145 million euros* (2018)

The latest model, the 787-9, can fly 14,000 km and reach 900 km/h. The company always aims to give customers the best service. It can carry around 280 passengers on a 17-hour flight between Perth and London.

Concorde

Manufacturer: British Aircraft Corporation & Sud Aviation

Unique feature: supersonic speed

Estimated production cost: 25 million euros* (1971) It was the first supersonic passenger plane.

The Concorde could carry 92 or 128 passengers at 2166 km/h above the clouds. Tickets cost 8,000 euros in 1997, around 13,000 euros today.

The Spaceliner

Manufacturer: German Aerospace Center

Unique feature: sub-orbital travel

Estimated production cost: €33 billion

The German aerospace center wanted to get passengers to their destinations faster with suborbital travel. Eleven reusable liquid rocket engines are used, and the plane can reach 24,000 km/h.

Le Vahana

Manufacturer: Airbus

Airbus

Special feature: self-piloting

Estimated production cost: unknown

The Vahana can move vertically. People could fly from building to building.

It looks good and could become a reality soon. Eight electric motors power the plane, which can fly independently. Intelligent sensors allow the aircraft to be maneuvered seamlessly in the sky. This new Airbus can fly 45 km and reach 190 km/h.

CityAirbus

Manufacturer: Airbus

Special feature: self-piloting

Estimated production cost: unknown

In recent years, Airbus has developed several small demonstration aircraft.

They will take tilting traffic out of the road and into the air. The CityAirbus could fly over the city at up to 120 km/h. It’s an electric aircraft that takes off and lands vertically, like the Vahana, but for four passengers.

Alice Commuter by Eviation Eviation

Unique feature: Fully Electric Eviation, an Israeli start-up, created it.

Travelers would benefit from using smaller airports. Alice can carry nine people, which makes large airports more convenient.

Boeing 777X

Manufacturer: Boeing 777X

Unique feature: folding wing

Estimated production cost: €442.2 million* It is bigger and more luxurious.

The aircraft has two aisles and a large fuselage, which provides more space for passengers’ belongings. Its wing can fold to a 90° angle.

Zero

Manufacturer: Hero

No emissions Designing an aircraft is hard. Joe Doucet, an Arts Center College of Design graduate, had the chance to do just that.

He designed a zero-emission HerO plane. The plane is battery-powered, which is why it’s also known as the Tesla of the Air. The batteries are at the back.

Flying-V

Manufacturer: KLM & TU Delft

Special features: Unique shape

Cost: The Flying-V model took off in 2020 after years of research and construction.

Justus Benad, a TU Delft graduate, designed the aircraft. Its wing also contains the cargo, fuel tanks, and passenger cabin.