Electric Airplane Sets Speed Record

Yes, there are road cars that can go faster than this airplane and for longer. But this is an achievement that is absolutely on the right path ahead: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/15/new-electric-airplane-sets-world-record-for-speed-w-video/ Autoblog Green Must be thanked for giving this achievement publicity.

The world's car manufacturers are making decent strides (albeit sometimes reluctantly) as far as fuel efficiency is concerned. But aircraft and watercraft have been a different cup of tea so far. All work in these areas has been on a small scale and laws pishing these companies to do something significant have been few. That said, airlines like Emirates, Japan Air Lines and Air India have done some work in reducing the amount of fuel burned in take offs and landing by tinkering with time schedules and similar. However, it is only technological breakthroughs in electric aircraft power that will help reduce the use of fossil fuels in the air significantly. That said, algae based fuels have been successfully tested by the Japanese as well as by the US Air Force, though, there again, carbon is emitted into the air. My hat's off to the Sky Spark team. Their website is: http://www.skyspark.eu/web/eng/index.php

Air India Follows Emirates in Saving Fuel

After a dispute with Air India (where the consumer courts ruled in my favor) many years ago, I swore never to use that airline and I am convinced thhat I did the right thing. Recently, when my mother in law visited Chicago, I told the jokers at their counter that I never traveled in their miserable apology of an airline and that I never would. My mother in law is a masochist - no one who isn't one, would want to spend their own money to travel on this airline, in my opinion. But then, as my late grandmother used to say, you could find something useful even in a dead snake if you tried. Treehugger has this post about Air India saving fuel: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/air-india-fuel-efficiency-efforts-save-9-million-dollars-in-six-months.php

Considering that the jokers who run this Indian public sector farce have been living on handouts from the Central Government for decades, this must be one way the management is trying to keep this airline afloat. I guess, from the viewpoint of this blog, it saves fossil fuel from being burned and polluting the atmosphere - Air India have to be acknowledged for showing fossil fuel the fist. That said, Emirates, probably the best international airline these days, have a much bigger program than Air India's and they were there even earlier. With considerably more planes than Air India can even dream about buying, they do a much bigger job of saving fuel.