Not your fathers Star Trek!

The shuttle has flown its last mission.  President Obama has cancelled plans to return to the moon.  NASA is getting restructured to perform a different type of mission.  The days of space exploration, as we know it, are gone.  It is now the dawn of a new age of Space Exploration.  The Final Frontier is now a new Final Frontier.  The real question is, what is happening now?  What is NASA planning out over the next 25 years?  Who is going to take on the role of the Astronaut now?  Well, those answers aren't too hard to imagine.

First up, we have Virgin Atlantic.  Sir Richard Branson has taken it upon himself to create the first commercial space fleet.   If anyone can pull off commercializing space flight, it would be Mr. Branson.  He has been a pioneer in the field of aviation, and it's clear that he is determined to bring this frontier to the common folk.  On that note, he is also essentially creating a new need for pilots.  Pilots will now become astronauts, of sorts.  Low earth orbit is not like what NASA has done, but it's still considered space.  Combine all of this with the fact that he has decided to create his 'spaceport' in New Mexico, and it's a win win for the United States aviation industry as a whole.  Oh, and if you ever get a chance to read this Richard, contact me.  I'm available.  I will fly for food.

NASA, on the other hands, appears to not have abandoned its mission of Space Exploration (thankfully).  NASA has released its Global Exploration Roadmap which details it's mission over the next 25 years, and it includes robotics, human working environments in space, a possible moonbase, Mars base, and the possibility of traveling to an asteroid in the future.  It's good to see that NASA is trying to move forward with its original intentions, even if programs have been scrapped.

Eventually, and likely not in my lifetime, we will have the technology to venture to new worlds, new solar systems, and to colonize extrasolar planets.  We have already identified a number of planets that could sustain life as we know it.  The immediate affects of the space industry are rather apparent.  There is massive potential growth for aviation jobs in the space industry.  Virgin Galactic has already shown that there is a desire for commercial based space travel, with customers lined up for flights and having already paid deposits.  The benefits are also limitless.  The time required for commercial flights across the globe can be cut down dramatically.   Technologies needed for sustained space flight can go to benefit mankind in ways we haven't even imagined yet.  Essentially, the sky is the limit. 

Hopefully, we will continue to innovate in ways not yet though of, and continue to offer the aviation industry new avenues of exploration, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial.

Cap and Trade: EU vs the US.

Recently (within the last 6 years), the European Union has passed legislation that puts a 'Cap and Trade' system in place to help reduce carbon emissions and makes for a better atmosphere.  Essentially, companies have to purchase 'tokens' based on the amount of greenhouse gasses they produce, and the funds are used to develop technologies that are more environmentally friendly.  This sounds great, on paper.  They have introduced legislation that adds onto that the emissions given off by aircraft, and thus the airlines in the EU also now have to abide by that program.  This legislation is supposed to go into effect as of 2012.  

There's one little problem with the legislation as it stands, however:  They are forcing US based carriers to pay for the entirety of a flight that goes into their sovereignty as a destination.  Essentially, if a flight starts in Los Angeles, and flies to Frankfurt, the carrier would have to pay for the entire flight to Frankfurt, including the portion over foreign airspace and US airspace, in essence paying a 'tax' to the EU over US property.  That doesn't make any sense. If this were to stand as is, US carriers would have to pay billions in revenue on a yearly basis to the EU Emissions Trading System.  This is money out of the airlines pockets, directly into the EU pockets.  It would make more sense if the system was designed to reinvest directly into aviation for technologies that burn fuel more efficiently, but that is not the case.  This is basically the EU forcing their policies and beliefs on a different sovereignty.  

Honestly, it's a little scary.  I'm not going to argue that their intentions aren't good.   A simple read through the aviation portion of the EU ETS site tells me they are doing this with the intention of doing the right thing, building it as a model for other countries.  Their method, however, is wrong.  What gives them the right to impose their will on the US?  Nothing.

The overall cost to the airlines will be huge.  The Airlines will likely find workarounds to game the system anyway, which would most likely cause more emissions than before.  A good example is the fact that the US carrier may just land somewhere in Turkey, and then take the flight into their EU destination, avoiding a heft cost.  It was found that about 9% of an overseas trips would actually be within EU airspace, which means that the carrier should only have to pay for 9% of that flight.  Instead, the EU is forcing payment for the entire flight.

As it is, the US Congress has created a bill, HR 2594, that prohibits any US based carrier to pay any fees to the EU in their cap and trade scheme.  The bill essentially tell the EU to bugger off.  I agree with this bill.  The only problem is where does that leave the US carrier?  Will they have to cancel overseas business to the EU? Will they have to find longer routes to avoid EU airspace?  Only time will tell what's going to happen, but rest assured, it's going to happen soon.  We only have 2.5 months left in this year.  I, for one, will be keeping a very close eye on this situation.

Who new to follow?

Runway Girl.  Here blog can be found at http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/runway-girl/.

Her blog appears to be geared more toward technology, and what it has to offer the world of aviation. She covers everything from the use of tablets to seats in business class for across seas trips.  Her coverage of topics is very detailed, and her commentary is bright and refreshing.  On top of that, not only does she talk about the new technologies afforded customers and employees, but she also tests a lot of the technologies out herself.

Check her out, you won't be sorry!

Look at the size of that thing!

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is finally here.  After almost four years of delays, the first Dreamliner was delivered in September of this year.  Several delays ranging from manufacturing defects to assembly issues plagued the release of the 787, costing billions more in R&D than initially anticipated, but with the delivery of the first one, it would appear the payoff may have been worth it.

The aircraft itself is impressive.   Through the use of composite materials and newer technology for the engines, the aircraft has received an efficiency boost equal to that of the large jumbo-jets, but at the size variation of a medium sized jet.  This link from the Boeing website gives some good specifications for the aircrafts -8 model variant, with the most notable specification being:

Range:
7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles (14,200 to 15,200 kilometers)

The range of the aircraft is quite impressive, and with an overall fuel savings from the aircraft, flights overseas could become cheaper in the longrun, giving a large incentive for companies ranging from airlines to cargo to invest in the aircraft for their overseas operations.

The introduction of the Dreamliner is going to pave the way of the future for the airlines, giving an overall lower cost and high efficiency to their operations.  As a pilot, I look forward to hopefully flying this aircraft one day.  There are several variants that are being looked at, and they range from regional sizes to cargo variants, showing that the aircraft is very versatile, and may eventually replace the simple 727's and 757's we see now in domestic use.