Jets, global warming et al

[suckseed]

There have been several references made in the last year about how much more damaging jet engines are to air quality than cars.

Without digressing too much into the whens and ifs of air travel by jets being curtailed in our lifetimes...what do you folks think about the possibilities of a future where only the very rich or the most critically needing to fly are able to?
And...as far as i know, there aren't any alternatives to jet propulsion engines powered by petrochemicals....are there? Anyone ever heard of any inventions that are planned?

[posty]

Without digressing too much into the whens and ifs of air travel by jets being curtailed in our lifetimes

You can't separate the two. For the unwashed masses to be excluded from flying, the price of air travel would have to rise dramatically presumably because of rising fuel costs. The demand would still be there, however. This would result in two things. The first would be the design of engines that would be more cost effective. The second would be the designing of more efficient aircraft (ie, carrying more people for the same price to operate).

R&D is always spurred by economics. When it becomes economically feasible to look for alternative sources of travel, the research will get funded.[/quote]

[ausbeachstyle]

Take a catbus instead!

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/3/30/Catbus.jpg

[Felicia Katt]

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread4877/pg1

they actually had plans for nuclear powered bombers during the cold war. A jet engine is just a pump for air, so theoretically, any power source is possible. But power to weight issues rule out a lot of possible sources.

FK

[ausbeachstyle]

well there are alternative fuels, and there have been for decades now. The oil companys have ways of keeping their profit huge (keeping things hushed, eliminating competition etc).