Anti-Gravity at Boeing?
I'm a little embarassed I didn't spot this BBC Report on anti-gravity experiments at Boeing earlier. The story's almost a month old. But wouldn't it be neat if this sort of technology panned out?
My Inner Skeptic is already ranting at me. Companies get fooled by bogus ideas all the time. An understanding of how science really works is sadly missing in most of the world, and the corporate world is no different. But dare to dream...
I would just bet that Boeing's hope is not to replace traditional aviation, but to cut the per/pound cost of air transport. You'd load a plane normally, then initiate a system that would cut the weight of the craft by 10%. The big question, would the fuel savings be enough to justify the energy costs of such a system?
I'm neither a physicist nor and engineer, but when I read about it it sounded to me rather like perpetual motion.
more energy would be saved if thrusters are used. instead of using 10%, make the aircraft hover. at high elevation, all you would need is a thrust instead of a jet engine that needs to operate while in flight at all times, or the plane drops.
Read the book the Hunt for Zero Point - It is by a Janes writer - makes some interesting reading - the last chapters though are a bit skeptical sounding.