Why Fast Airplanes are Bad for the Environment
Since the dawn of time, man has sought to get there quicker.
Whether it be domesticating wild stallions, bobbing back and forth in a metal tin over deep waters, or sipping ginger ale 35,000 feet above the Earth, it’s evident our need to move — and do so more and more efficiently — has always been a central driver of humanity.
Our desire for adventure, economic gain, and leisure has, quite literally, propelled us forward as a civilization. For better or for worse, we’ve been bred to value speed; engines are compared by horsepower, and supercars are sold based on top speed (“it goes 0–60 in how long?”).
In the airline industry, customers are promised additional legroom and gourmet snacks, though what we all really wish for is a way to spend less time in the air. As a nervous flyer (and an aerospace engineer — yes, I recognize the irony), I never seriously consider investing in teleportation start-ups harder than when I have a flight approaching.
Un-luckily for me (and for all you parents traveling with young children), commercial airline speeds haven’t changed much in the last few decades. Nevertheless, absurd amounts of money are continually poured into airplane research and development (for money spent on safety and those little foot-rests — thank you).
