posted by
Fnord666
on Saturday October 20 2018, @08:31AM
from the could-almost-use-a-magnetic-rail-for-launch dept.
from the could-almost-use-a-magnetic-rail-for-launch dept.
The BBC are reporting that the Scottish airline Loganair's flights between Westray and Papa Westray, two islands in the Orkneys off the British coast, could be scheduled with electric planes.
The airline is working with experts in the hope of making the electric service a reality by 2021.
Loganair said the Islander aircraft it uses could be modified rather than developing a model from scratch.
It takes about two minutes - including taxiing - to complete the 1.7 mile Westray / Papa Westray leg flight, which is about the same length as the runway at Edinburgh Airport.
The record is 53 seconds.
Cranfield Aerospace are working on the project.
There is also a ferry between the islands, and there have been discussions about a bridge
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Orkney Islands Flight May Go Electric
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(Score: 5, Informative) by suburbanitemediocrity on Saturday October 20 2018, @09:03AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pizP-00lVLM [youtube.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Saturday October 20 2018, @09:24AM (2 children)
The sound would be something like a twin-engined version of this [youtube.com]
The Pipistrel in the above link uses regenerates on final approach, which makes sense for conservation of energy., but also makes it almost silent when landing. Glide approach freaks a lot of people out - from my experience in smaller planes, if any passengers notice the engine noise going away, they assume there is something wrong; The pilots are going to have to explain this to the passengers!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday October 21 2018, @02:10AM (1 child)
What would be even quieter would be a non-electric, dumb concrete bridge, or a tunnel. Make it carbon-sequestrating concrete and it's even greener than batteries, if that's what you're worried about.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday October 21 2018, @03:18AM
Quite. From TFS: there have been discussions about a bridge [scotsman.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @09:53AM (6 children)
The flight is so short, there's no point even boarding a plane. Stand at the end of the runway, while the ground crew inserts a 480 volt catheter into your anus. You'll jump that far when the catheter is energized.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Saturday October 20 2018, @10:11AM (5 children)
Use a glider with electric tow launce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVMUbbwti24 [youtube.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by suburbanitemediocrity on Saturday October 20 2018, @10:14AM (2 children)
you'd save a huge amount of money setting up an electric ferry with cables between the islands.
(Score: 2) by legont on Saturday October 20 2018, @01:19PM (1 child)
The weather is bitch over there. Just consider 28 feet tides...
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 4, Touché) by bob_super on Saturday October 20 2018, @04:17PM
I'd go for the zipline option: Two towers, one zipline in each direction.
Would bring tourists and revenue.
(Score: 2) by legont on Saturday October 20 2018, @01:25PM (1 child)
Glider would work nicely, but there are no large gliders currently and development of anything certified for flying is very expensive. One needs scale.
I doubt they would be able to have even this simple electric mod in place any time soon.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @10:33PM
Trebuchet.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @10:32AM
It also might not...
CLASSY INFORMATIVE HEADLINES FTW!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @03:10PM (2 children)
that my first thought after reading that the average flight time was minutes thought that the ferry was probably quicker because you could skip security?
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @09:28PM
It says you are American. If you were Canadian, your first thought would be "that flight time is too short to finish a joint, man". If you were a Saudi journalist, your first though would be "why does applying for a marriage license involve getting your fingers cut off".
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday October 21 2018, @04:31AM
I've not been to the Orkneys, but when flying from the Irish mainland to Inis Mór (~2 minute flight) check-in involved little if any security theater; the emphasis was on weighing luggage and passengers(!) to ensure the plane would not be overloaded.