AVIATION

Aviation - Learn more in our comprehensive special report.

Just over 100 years after the Wright brothers first flew into history, the burgeoning aviation industry is suffering growing pains. In 2003, 1.7 billion passengers criss-crossed the skies. If current trends continue, that number will rise to a staggering 3 billion by 2030. But despite the economic benefits, those passengers will also bring concerns about noise and air pollution, terrorism and the spread of disease.

The two leading plane makers - Europe's Airbus, based in France, and the US aerospace giant Boeing - have very different strategies for dealing with increased passenger numbers. The Airbus answer is to build big - their A380 will be the world's largest passenger aircraft. The plane, which made its maiden flight in April 2005, can carry up to 850 passengers - double the number a Boeing 747 can carry.

Boeing believes small will be beautiful. Its new 7E7 Dreamliner only carries 200 passengers, but can fly directly between small airfields at which large aircraft cannot land. Boeing's thinking is that passengers will no longer have to change planes to reach their final destination, easing overcrowding at major hubs, such as London's Heathrow.

Safety in the sky

Will Airbus's challenge to Boeing's supremacy succeed? Perhaps, but the last one ended tragically, when the Anglo-French Concorde crashed in flames near Paris in July 2000. The world's only supersonic passenger plane started flying again in 2001, but not for long. Concorde never achieved commercial success, but the crash hastened its end, and the final flight came in 2003. It will be at least 20 years before there is another supersonic passenger plane.

In a bid to squeeze more planes into our crowded skies, Europe halved the minimum vertical distance between planes in 2002, although experts warned this was too close for comfort. Shortly after this, an overstretched Swiss air-traffic controller overruled a Russian plane's onboard collision avoidance system. The pilot was told to dive, not climb, causing a mid-air collision in which 71 people died.

Lessons learnt from crashes such as Swissair 111, which pitched into the sea off Canada in 1998, are a painful way of improving air safety. The plane's flight recorder stopped working six minutes before impact, because the aircraft lost power. New Scientist called for black boxes to have back-up power. In 2005 the Federal Aviation Administration decreed that black boxes should have batteries that could keep them working for at least 10 minutes after a crash.

Other safety problems that have hit the headlines in recent years include the continuing problems of metal fatigue, unclear air traffic control displays, worries about maintenance procedures and the threat of collisions with birds. Entirely new threats to safety have also emerged, including the risk posed by automatic unmanned aerial vehicles, deadly junk on runways and the quality of tests that assess both the lifetime of modern aircraft materials and check for surface defects.

Health and terror

Terrorism has always been a concern of the aviation industry but, since the devastating attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon on 11 September 2001, the threat has become even more worrying.

Airport security has been enhanced by installing improved equipment, such as 3D scanners and sophisticated bomb detectors to scan luggage. Onboard safety has been bolstered with: air marshals; stun guns; emergency autopilots; concealed cameras; double-door security barriers on cockpits and biometric techniques that verify the identity of a pilot.

Despite increased airport security, a Russian plane crashed on the way from Moscow to a Black Sea resort in 2004, killing all 46 people onboard. Investigators found traces of RDX explosive in the wreckage. Terrorists have also struck planes with anti-aircraft missiles. The US government is considering attaching laser-based missile-defence systems to civil aircraft for protection, though it may be too expensive.

The flying public also faces some less obvious threats to their wellbeing. Sick passengers are the main reason for diverting a plane. But the A380 is less likely to divert because few airports boast terminals that can cope with its colossal size.

Planes also spread infectious diseases. Twenty-two passengers caught SARS on a flight from Hong Kong in 2003 and spread the disease around the world while jet-setting mosquitoes have caused cases of malaria near Heathrow in 2002 and close to Geneva airport in 1989.

Pollution pressures

As air travel grows, so does its impact on the environment. The UK's Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution calculates that, by 2050, emissions of greenhouse gases from aviation will account for more than half of the UK's impact on global warming.

Part of the solution could be to run planes on soya oil, or to reduce their cruising altitude by between 1000 and 3000 metres to cut contrails. Or governments may force the industry to clean up its act. In February 2005, German and French ministers suggested a new tax on aviation fuel.

Studies show prolonged exposure to noise in people living near airports is linked to high blood pressure and stress and that it damages children's memory and impairs their reading ability. A variety of ideas have been proposed to silence noise from aircraft engines, including putting electrodes in the exhaust to change the airflow, using active noise and avoiding noisy turns by lengthening the glide path into airports.

Another idea that surfaces at regular intervals is to use airships, which would slash noise and pollution. But not since the Hindenburg went up in flames in 1937 has any airline had plans for airship-based passenger services.

Record breakers

As the industry has grown and aviation technology has improved, pioneers have pushed themselves to the limit in breaking a series of records.

In recent years an unmanned NASA scramjet smashed speed records by flying at 10 times the speed of sound, a private consortium broke civilian altitude records by sending the rocketship SpaceShipOne to the very brink of space, a millionaire adventurer was the first to complete an around-the-world solo aeroplane flight without refuelling, having already completed the first solo around-the-world balloon trip.

Other records remain to be re-broken. Balloonists have their eyes on the record for the highest ever crewed balloon and skydivers are planning the highest free-fall jump in history.

Aircraft swarm around single airborne controller

Successful flight demonstrations of a multi-aircraft remote-control system may pave the way for squadrons of uncrewed drones, controlled by a lone pilot

Breaking News - 02 April 2007

Uncrewed aircraft swarm together indoors

An indoor arena allows tests of cooperative missions in which uncrewed swarms protect a military convoy from attack

Breaking News - 27 September 2006

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• Robo-planes fight for airtime

  
  The aviation industry's dream of flying pilotless cargo planes may be grounded by a lack of radio frequencies to control the aircraft
  Technology - 26 November 2005

• ‘Blended wing’ craft passes wind-tunnel tests

  
  NASA engineers may have overcome some of the controllability challenges associated with the revolutionary aircraft design
  Breaking News - 14 November 2005

• Radar tags tell friend from foe

  
  The US army successfully tests a radar tag which allows aircraft to easily identify their own ground vehicles, helping to prevent "friendly fire" incidents
  Breaking News - 01 November 2005

• Rocket racing gets ready for blast-off

  
  A new league will pit rocketplanes against each other on a virtual racetrack in the sky – computer gamers may also be able to take part
  Breaking News - 04 October 2005

• Dangerous contamination found in water on US planes

  
  An investigation of over 300 planes reveals that 15% of craft contained drinking water tainted with harmful bacteria
  Breaking News - 20 October 2005

• In-flight internet shown off by Boeing

  
  And passengers were able to use cellphones in flight, while live TV news was beamed in via satellite – the plane’s instruments were unaffected
  Breaking News - 07 October 2005

• SpaceShipOne donated to US flight museum

  
  The first private vehicle to reach space, has been donated to the US National Air and Space Museum – it will hang beside other historic craft
  Breaking News - 06 October 2005

• Ups and downs of jetpacks

  
  Daredevil jetpack travel has never really caught on with commuters, and for good reason. But is all that about to change?
  Features - 01 October 2005

• Urgent call to end near-misses on runways

  
  Collision warning systems that rely on a response from air traffic controllers don't give pilots enough time to act
  Technology - 01 October 2005

• Cellphones at 35,000 feet

  
  Is the clamour to allow in-flight cellphone calls threatening to endanger airline passengers' lives? New Scientist investigates
  Features - 10 September 2005

• Air travel boosts climate change

  
  The growing industry is in danger of swamping all efforts to cut greenhouse emissions elsewhere, a new study suggests
  News - 24 September 2005

• Japan to test supersonic airliner prototype

  
  The uncrewed aircraft will ride atop a rocket at Mach 2 gathering aerodynamic data – the ultimate goal is a 300-seater craft to zoom across the Pacific
  Breaking News - 24 August 2005

• Robotic spy-planes use shape-shifting wings

  
  The small surveillance drones are designed to fly around urban landscapes and can switch from stable glider mode into ultra-manoeuvrable fliers
  Breaking News - 25 August 2005

• 'Singing' wings help prevent small-plane stalls

  
  Attaching a sound-emitting film to wings boosts lift by over 20%, and may give pilots vital extra seconds to avert a stall - and avoid a crash
  Breaking News - 18 August 2005

• Loss of air pressure key to Helios plane crash

  
  The initial evidence points towards a catastrophic air leak – at high altitude, crew have only seconds to react to such emergencies
  Breaking News - 16 August 2005

• Planes go greener by shifting altitude

  
  A small change in aircraft altitude could reduce their impact on global warming, suggests new research into supersaturated air
  Breaking News - 07 August 2005

• No air crash miracle, just safer design

  
  The incredible escape of all 309 people aboard the Air France jet that careered off the runway in Toronto owes much to its modern safety features
  News - 13 August 2005

• Runway-sweeping radar seeks dangerous debris

  
  The radar to be installed at Vancouver International Airport will detect potentially dangerous objects shed onto its runways
  Technology - 30 July 2005

• Aviation - The shape of wings to come

  
  What will tomorrow's aircraft look like? Can aviation battle its greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution? Who's getting serious about flying cars? And why might traditional pilots stay on the ground as your plane takes off?
  Breaking News - 29 June 2005

• Flying high with virtual airways

  
  In the ultimate flight simulation, everything is real except the view from the cockpit. New Scientist watches NASA's latest system take off
  Features - 18 June 2005

• Deal struck to develop ‘Son-of-Concorde’

  
  A deal to develop a new supersonic commercial jet has been signed by Japan and France - it may fly at over five times the speed of sound
  Breaking News - 16 June 2005

• Building the A380

  
  It's got mega-engineering, cut-throat business battles and a heart-stopping explosion. Documentary film-maker Ben Bowie was watching as the world's biggest airliner came together
  Features - 11 June 2005

• Astronomers criticise plans to allow cellphone use on planes

  
  Phoning to say you are ‘on the plane’ could fool astronomers into thinking they are witnessing the death of a star
  Breaking News - 09 June 2005

• Testing times for composite flight

  
  How will the new breed of carbon-fibre composite aircraft - taking to the skies in the next two years - be guaranteed safe to fly?
  Technology - 28 May 2005

• Sea Harrier jets land on autopilot

  
  Landing on the pitching, rolling deck of an aircraft carrier is hard, and fog can make it all but impossible - a new system has automated the process
  Technology - 28 May 2005

• Air-travel maths could limit spread of disease

  
  The formulae that describe global air travel could be used to mitigate the spread of deadly diseases such as SARS or flu, researchers say
  Breaking News - 23 May 2005

• Giant plane raises fear of medical emergencies

  
  With few airports geared up to deal with the huge Airbus 380 aircraft, what happens when a passenger falls ill?
  News - 20 May 2005

• Aircraft surfaces may need improved checks

  
  Airlines visually inspect the surface of composite materials for signs of trouble, but an Airbus accident sparks fears that this is not enough
  News - 14 May 2005

• Flying circles around the helicopter

  
  An American missionary, a length of cable and some skilful flying - it could all add up to a replacement for the helicopter, says David Hambling
  Features - 30 April 2005

• World’s largest passenger aircraft takes off

  
  The Airbus A380 completes its maiden flight - it is capable of carrying up to 840 passengers or 150 tonnes of cargo
  Breaking News - 27 April 2005

• Personalised robot aircraft for US soldiers

  
  One day soon every US soldier could go into battle with their own backpack-sized robot aircraft - flight tests begin this month
  Technology - 26 March 2005

• Boosting aircraft ventilation may cut disease

  
  The spread of bugs like SARS or influenza could be reduced on aeroplanes by pumping clean air faster around the cabin, a new study suggests
  Breaking News - 11 March 2005

• An end to black box black-out

  
  Cockpit voice recorders in US airliners are to be upgraded to provide more useful data in future air accident investigations
  News - 05 March 2005

• Global Flyer successfully circles the globe

  
  Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to complete an around-the-world solo trip without refuelling - it took just 67 hours
  Breaking News - 04 March 2005

• Global Flyer presses on despite fuel fears

  
  Over a tonne of fuel may have leaked from the experimental aircraft's tanks - but jet stream winds are pushing the plane homewards
  Breaking News - 03 March 2005

• Solo world record flight gets underway

  
  After a nerve-racking take-off, an attempt to fly solo around the world without refuelling, and in less than 80 hours, has begun
  Breaking News - 01 March 2005

• Defending civil aircraft 'may be too costly'

  
  Fitting passenger planes with laser-based missile defences would be prohibitively expensive, says an influential think tank
  Technology - 05 February 2005

• Video of Hercules air attack is 'bogus'

  
  A video purportedly showing a British military aircraft being shot down over Iraq is almost certainly fake, say experts - but the plane did break up at altitude
  Breaking News - 01 February 2005

• Antarctic balloon breaks endurance record

  
  It circled the South Pole three times during its 42-day voyage, recording cosmic rays as they tore into the atmosphere
  Breaking News - 31 January 2005

• NASA scramjet smashes speed record

  
  The X-43A scramjet blasted to speeds near Mach 10 but the future of the radical craft remains up in the air
  Breaking News - 17 November 2004

• Scramjet record attempt delayed by 24 hours

  
  Concerns over faulty instrumentation caused NASA's attempt at a new world speed record to miss its launch window
  Breaking News - 16 November 2004

• Revolutionary plane prepares to set speed record

  
  NASA's air-breathing scramjet will attempt to fly at 10 times the speed of sound - the technology has massive potential for space
  Breaking News - 11 November 2004

• Was pilot misled into error that caused New York crash?

  
  Flaws in pilot training and design of aircraft control systems were partly to blame for fatal crash
  Technology - 06 November 2004

• Compounded errors caused New York crash

  
  The second-worst air crash in US history was due to training gaps and "unnecessary and excessive" co-pilot actions, the safety board finds
  Breaking News - 27 October 2004

• Team reflects on X Prize success

  
  After rocket-boosting and gliding to victory, the SpaceShipOne team considers its place in history - and looks to the future
  Breaking News - 05 October 2004

• SpaceShipOne wins X Prize for spaceflight

  
  The civilian craft completes its second voyage to the edge of space within the two week deadline - scooping the $10 million prize
  Breaking News - 04 October 2004

• Rough ride won't stop next X Prize shot

  
  The rolling experienced by SpaceShipOne on Wednesday will not spoil plans for the second clinching flight, team members say
  Breaking News - 30 September 2004

• First X-Prize spaceflight returns safely

  
  SpaceShipOne successfully soars towards space and back, and is reported to have reached its target altitude
  Breaking News - 29 September 2004

• We have a problem

  
  In the headlong rush for the glory of the X prize, safety seems to have become a mere afterthought. The consequences could be devastating, says David L. Chandler
  Comment - 25 September 2004

• Beyond the X prize

  
  What's next for private space travel? New Scientist quizzes media-shy space pioneer Burt Rutan
  Features - 18 September 2004

• Spinning spy plane could hover for days

  
  "The Whirl" spy craft is designed to hover, uncrewed, at an altitude of 16 kilometres for up to four days at a time, watching all the while
  Breaking News - 09 September 2004

• Explosives found in wreckage of Russian plane

  
  Traces of hexogen are reported by official investigators, indicating that a terrorist attack caused the tragedy
  Breaking News - 27 August 2004

• Grit-blasting threatens aircraft

  
  Boeing 737 aircraft may be susceptible to critical damage caused by incorrect maintenance procedures
  Technology - 31 July 2004

• Fighter pilots could command drone 'swarms'

  
  Up to five unmanned planes operated by software 'agents' could be sent out to 'search and destroy'
  Breaking News - 26 July 2004

• In-flight cellphone network passes test

  
  Passengers make calls via a satellite link, but concerns remain over possible interference with on-board electronics
  Breaking News - 16 July 2004

• Welding breakthrough means stronger planes

  
  For the first time, an electron beam has been used to weld thick metal plates in air, rather than inside a vacuum chamber
  Technology - 03 July 2004

• Plasma pockets could reduce aircraft noise

  
  Using electrodes in exhaust pipes can control the flow of the plume, experiments show, which should reduce noise
  Breaking News - 25 June 2004

• Alarm raised over aircraft materials

  News - 05 June 2004

• Up in the air!

  
  Airship designer Hokan Colting is in love with all things dirigible, and he believes that the new generation of ships will revolutionise everything from communications to safaris
  Interview - 22 May 2004

• Hi-flying Wi-Fi debuts on transatlantic flight

  
  The satellite-based system enables passengers to surf the web and send emails from their own laptop
  Breaking News - 17 May 2004

• Life-saving chutes to rescue jet planes

  
  A light aircraft rescue system is proving so successful at saving lives that its inventors are now planning a version for small jet planes
  Technology - 24 April 2004

• Soya-powered planes promise greener air travel

  
  A fuel that blends soya oil and traditional jet fuel could slash consumption of fossil fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  Breaking News - 26 March 2004

• The next 100 years of flight - part two

  
  In a second special interview celebrating the centenary of the Wright brothers' first flight, DARPA tells New Scientist about morphing aircraft
  Breaking News - 17 December 2003

• The next 100 years of flight - part one

  
  A century after the Wright brothers' first flight, New Scientist looks to the future in two special interviews - today, personal planes and UAVs
  Breaking News - 16 December 2003

• Beetle's jet may inspire new engines

  
  The beetle can bombard enemies with 300 chemical squirts a second, an efficiency that would delight aircraft engine designers
  Breaking News - 09 December 2003