Designing the future in aviation

 What could the future really look like in aircraft design?  Stuart Nathan, writing in The Engineer magazine, looks at some of the real blue sky thinking from the major players. At the Green Aviation symposium held recently at Imperial College, Airbus presented a concept plane and engine maker Pratt and Whitney looked at new ways to improve engine efficiency. The placement of the engine is key to some of the suggestions now being made, often with plans to place it the rear of the aircraft. This leaves more options open to designers in the shape of the wings and the rest of the fuselage. In the article, the Airbus concept plane is described as having ‘body-incorporated engines, swept laminar wings, and a transparent cabin roof.’ Another design from Reaction Engines is also shown compared to the present-day  Airbus A380. For more on the ideas from today’s aircraft designers read the whole article at http://www.theengineer.co.uk/home/blog/breaking-the-airliner-paradigm/1013042.article