Small, Hybrid Aircraft

A reader asked me to comment on this article featuring the promise of a “hybrid triplane” design that could be put into place by 2030, offering very low-cost intercity travel– “airfares cheaper than rail.” The plane (see artist’s rendering) has a total capacity of 19 passengers.

I honestly can’t think of a single thing that makes this at all credible. Air travel has to be safe, and closely monitored by government agencies. Even if the cost of fuel can be reduced, as is the claim, this will have very little effect on the overall cost per passenger.

This is akin to the piece I published about a month ago on the company that is developing personalized single person aircraft that it claims will replace automobile commuting to and from work. In other words, the skies will soon be filled with tens of millions of little airplanes piloted by people with 30-minutes’ virtual reality training and no pilot’s license. If that seems feasible, I’m not sure what to tell you.