{"id":18954,"date":"2018-10-18T14:24:44","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T14:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=18954"},"modified":"2018-10-18T14:24:44","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T14:24:44","slug":"hypersonic-nuclear-airplanes-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=18954","title":{"rendered":"Hypersonic, nuclear airplanes of the future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n(CNN) \u2014 <\/cite>From blended wing airliners powered by nuclear fusion to a new generation of spacecraft designed to carry tourists to the moon, it’s hard not to be mesmerized by Oscar Vi\u00f1als<\/a>‘ boldly ambitious aircraft designs.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

The Barcelona-based designer’s futuristic concepts resemble something from a science fiction film. But the designer isn’t affiliated with NASA or any other aerospace research organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

He doesn’t even hold a degree in aerospace engineering. However, his daring visions of the future have captured the imaginations of flying enthusiasts the world over.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Technology often comes in radical waves of disruption, rather than through progressive change,” he tells CNN Travel<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Futuristic concepts<\/h3>\n

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None of Vi\u00f1als’ concepts are likely to become a reality anytime soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

For them to come to fruition, the technologies that would make them possible would need to move beyond the purely conceptual stage. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet he remains adamant about the feasibility of his designs — from a theoretical point of view at least.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t intend my designs to be just beautiful or eye-catching,” says the designer, who’s spent most of his professional career as a freelance graphic designer for competitive motor racing teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Every one of them is backed by in-depth research and the expectation that one day they can serve as the basis of a real project.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Clean aircraft, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, portable nuclear fusion, active flux control systems. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Many of these things are now in laboratories, at concept stage, and I think much of this will eventually become a reality.”<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Self-taught designer <\/h3>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Vi\u00f1als’ ambitious, speculative designs seem well suited to the times, when nascent, disruptive technologies are starting to redefine what we can expect from the aviation industry in decades to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

His lack of formal aerospace engineering background hasn’t proved to be an obstacle either, as he’s immersed himself in an intensive self-study program. <\/span><\/p>\n

Vi\u00f1als has also invested considerable sums of money in state-of-the-art tools, such as professional-grade aircraft design software.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Oscar<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Magnavem concept aircraft is powered by a compact fusion reactor. <\/p>\n

Courtesy Oscar Vi\u00f1als<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The result is an eclectic mix that fits Vi\u00f1als’ vision of a future where different technologies evolve in parallel, each covering a specific market niche.<\/span><\/p>\n

“For shorter journeys we will use electric and hybrid aircraft of different sizes, while for longer distances we may have hypersonic aircraft that go suborbital — an option for the most affluent or adventurous passengers — or supersonic aircraft able to carry a few hundred people,” he tells CNN Travel.<\/span><\/p>\n

“The latter could be powered by new propulsion technologies such as compact fusion reactors or ramjet systems. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Finally, giant aircraft with up to three floors powered by hybrid engines could be like the ocean liners of yesteryear, carrying hundreds of passengers at any one time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Limitless possibilities<\/h3>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

A common thread throughout Vi\u00f1als’ portfolio, besides the dazzling nature of the designs, is a focus on environmentally-friendly technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take the AWWA Sky Whale, an aircraft design with self-repairing wings that can carry 755 passengers, for example — or the AWWA-QG Progress Eagle, a triple-decker aircraft with zero carbon emissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Take a first look at the AWWA-QG Progress Eagle, a concept aircraft that would generate its own electricity and be 75% quieter than current airliners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

He’s enthusiastic about the prospects for nuclear fusion as a zero-emissions source of energy with virtually limitless possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yes, it’s still years away, but far from being in the realm of fantasy, even big names in the industry are investing in this,” he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Lockheed Martin, for example, has been working on a portable nuclear fusion reactor for quite a few years.” <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, Vi\u00f1als’ aircraft are not only emissions-free, but would also make a positive contribution towards keeping our skies clean. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some of his concepts would be fitted with a device to capture and withdraw carbon from the atmosphere and he’s even envisioned a laser-fitted aircraft that would be able to pulverize all sorts of man-made debris from space (MKS-1B LSJC Space Debris Cleaner).<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, only time will tell how much of this will one day become a reality. <\/span><\/p>\n

Vi\u00f1als has been approached by firms and investors active in the field of aerospace innovation with a view to tapping into his creativity and insights and opening up a way for him to make aircraft design a full-time occupation.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the meantime, it’s clear that he intends to continue envisioning a perhaps not-so-distant future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Miquel Ros is an aviation blogger and consultant. An economist by background, he’s worked for Flightglobal and Bloomberg. He currently covers the airline industry through Allplane.tv<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(CNN) \u2014 From blended wing airliners powered by nuclear fusion to a new generation of spacecraft designed to carry tourists to the moon, it’s hard not to be mesmerized by Oscar Vi\u00f1als’ boldly ambitious aircraft designs. The Barcelona-based designer’s futuristic concepts resemble something from a science fiction film. But the designer isn’t affiliated with NASA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":18955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}