3 planes that SHOULD have changed the world

Originally posted by Live-Free
just outta curiosity why dont airlines use this effect?

Deamed impractible.

Could inteffere with shipping etc.

More prone to disaster I suppose, at an alt of 20 m you could get taken out by something as random as a whale jumping out of the sea!

Even if it is safe - try to convince the paying public of that!

Radar? civil avaition looks upwards.

That one is a civilian 6 seater - vid don't run to well on this computer.

and heres where you can buy one!!

Peace

The Soviet space shuttle "Buran" deserves to be in that list too IMHO.

The same is true for the gigantic An-225 transporter, that ferried the Buran around sometimes.

The Energia booster rockets that were also a part of the Buran programme also deserve equal praise.

If it had not been for the lack of funding and the groundbreaking political changes, the Buran would have dominated the space shuttle scene.

Here are some neat resources on this mighty engineering feat ...
www.buran.ru...
US space shuttle program v/s Buran-Energia

That BURAN is cool, never knew the soviets had a reusable shuttle - in my ignorance thought only the US had that

Surprising how close the design is. I herd that the US shuttle designers originally wanted the shuttle atop of the rockets at launching. But the military demanded a larger capacity hence the bolting on to the side. Looks like the soviets got to the same conclusion

Originally posted by sardion2000

Originally posted by Gazrok
Spaceship One DID change the world...

The other three simply SHOULD have, and I agree wholeheartedly with the selections....

That is when Canada truely dropped the ball in Aircraft design... Now all our armed forces have to brag about is our Snipers heh

[edit on 10-1-2005 by sardion2000]

If you knew really knew anything about the arrow project you would now that there were alot more forces going into the cancellation then just the Canadian goverment. Also I doubt that you even trully know the capablity of our current military with a blind statement about snipers like that. I try not to jump to a extreme defensive but a poorly worded statement like that goes a long way to further the lie about the canadian forces being hopeless. not perfect yes but frankly neither is Aussies military and I could point out 100 more poor choices made by US forces then Canadians.

This is a very thoughtful and thought provoking thread, but I would argue with the wording.

These designs were touted as having the capacity to change aviation, and possibly the world, but they didn't because they were too limited in their utility.

So, I wouldn't say that they SHOULD have changed the world, because they weren't deprived of the opportunity. They simply were designs that didn't live up to the hype.

VSTOL military aircraft have faired best of these designs, I think, because they fill a genuine, though limited, role in combat. They didn't eliminate the tail hook and arresting gear on aircraft carriers, though.

The space shuttle always reminded me of someone attempting to drive nonstop from NY to LA in a VW Beetle with 600 gallon gas tank welded to the roof. It will get you there in one fill up, but not without some serious beefing up of the engine and suspension and some serious risk taking to boot.

As far as the Concorde was concerned, it turned out to be little more than a novelty for the rich. Ultimately, no one's time was so valuable as to make supersonic transatlantic flight really worth the price of a ticket. For amusement and conspicuous consumption, it was hard to beat, though.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
As far as the Concorde was concerned, it turned out to be little more than a novelty for the rich. Ultimately, no one's time was so valuable as to make supersonic transatlantic flight really worth the price of a ticket. For amusement and conspicuous consumption, it was hard to beat, though.

How about airships? If time is the question - why not cruse?

Helium instead of hydrogen could mean luxury on high.