Re: Electric planes?
> Can anyone explain why an electric plane would be a good idea?
That was my first thought too, but then I thought it's possible that some different way of thinking might come from such a project.
The only one my non-aerospace-engineer brain could think of is to reduce necessary onboard power, along with associated weight etc, for the critical take-off phase of flight. Most of the flight is spent in cruise mode, with far less power being required, so if this can be supplied from a new design of generator, while the extra power required for take-off could be supplied by supplementary power, eg batteries, maybe that's worth exploring.
Just a thought, and may be far off, of course.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
