Technological changes could transform the aviation industry, including advances that should make cockpits much more intuitive for pilots. / Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images

Question: I was wondering what you think the next 10 or 20 years holds for commercial aviation in terms of technological improvements. How much more efficient can airframes, engines and flight control systems become? Do you ever see any manufacturers or airlines pursuing supersonic flight again?

-- submitted by reader Dan Kehlenbach, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Answer: I do believe that we will fly supersonically again. The question is, when will we make the decision to invest the resources to do it?

New technologies are just coming into the industry, such as composite airframes in airliners. This will allow further improvements in efficient design. It is likely that new generation jet engines will use new technologies to be more efficient and reliable, as has happened in the past. In the next twenty years, it is possible we could see breakthroughs in engines that make supersonic flight easier.

We are likely to fly higher, where air resistance is lower and with more comfortable cabin conditions (higher humidity, lower cabin altitudes), and quieter.

I can barely imagine what the flight decks of airplanes twenty years from now will look like. They will be much more intuitive, human friendly and capable. The memory of our successful landing on the moon with computing power that is now exceeded by a calculator tells me that we will expand air traffic and flight deck capabilities greatly in the next couple of decades. It will be an exciting time to be in aviation.

Q: We made so much progress in the first 50 years of aircraft design and flight time (from the Wright Brothers to the 1960s), however, in 2013 we can't fly any faster between destinations than President Kennedy did on his first Boeing 707 Air Force One. When can we expect to see commercial airliners that can economically fly from New York to Paris in less than 4 hours?

-- Ruth, Los Angeles

A: You are right we do not fly much faster than we did in the 1960s, but we do it much quieter burning much less fuel. The focus changed from speed to efficiency. Additionally, we are much safer than we were then. The priorities of safety, efficiency, and noise reduction overcame the demand for speed when we approached the speed of sound. The military had proven that supersonic flight was possible but very expensive, and complex. In spite of the challenges, the British and French built Concorde that flew at twice the speed of sound but was difficult to maintain and very expensive. No other manufacturer attempted supersonic transport flight.

We will fly supersonically again -- when that will happen will be determined by the societal decision to put the necessary research and assets in place. We have the technology and knowledge, we just need to decide to use them. I hope it is soon.


Copyright 2015

Read the original story: Ask the Captain: What's in store for the future of aviation?

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