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NASA Offers $1.5 Million For 200MPG Aircraft

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the cheaper-than-doing-it-yourself dept.

coondoggie writes to mention that NASA's Green Flight Challenge is offering up to $1.5 million for an aircraft that can hit 200 passenger miles per gallon while maintaining 100 mph on a 200 mile flight. "The Challenge is intended to bring about the development and convergence of new technologies and innovations that can improve the community acceptance, efficiency, door-to-door speed, utility, environmental-friendliness, affordability and safety of future air vehicles, CAFÉ stated. Such technologies and innovations include, but are not limited to, bio-fueled propulsion, breakthroughs in batteries, motors, fuel-cells and ultra-capacitors that enable electric-powered flight, advanced high lift technologies for very short takeoff and landing distances, ultra-quiet propellers, enhanced structural efficiency by advances in material science and nano-technology and safety features such as vehicle parachutes and air-bags."

7 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can I get a CAR that will get half the miles per gallon at half the speed?

    I guess really I can, if I load three other people into the car, it's not too hard. Nevermind.

    --
    Qxe4
  2. That's it? A measley 1.5 M? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean, the aircraft itself might be worth more than that off a production line once it's been invented.

    That's like offering someone $1000 for the process of turning lead into gold. I don't know that anyone would take such a low amount seriously.

  3. Re:It is called high speed train by JesseL · · Score: 4, Funny

    When your train flies.

    --
    "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
  4. Re:$1.5M? Peanuts. by Delwin · · Score: 4, Informative

    They're looking for amateurs and university projects not Boeing or Northrup to take this one up.

  5. A-380 halfway there by GGardner · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Airbus A-380 gets roughly 100 passenger-miles per gallon, cruising substantially faster and further. Surely with only enough fuel for a short 100 mile flight, no cargo, you could cram twice as many people in it, and easily get your 200 passenger-miles per gallon. Of course, chartering one, might cost more than the prize is worth...

  6. "Passenger miles" the catch. by Anonymous+Freak · · Score: 4, Informative

    Moving four passengers the 200 miles at 100 MPH on four gallons of gas would pull it off. That would be a 'raw' MPG of 50 MPG. Or, in airplane parliance, that two hour trip would consume at an average rate of 2 gph (Gallons per Hour, the normal measurement used in the aviation industry.) A two-place airplane would need to consume half as much fuel to qualify.

    A Cessna 172, with four passengers, consumes somewhere between 7-10 gallons per hour. So this would be a serious improvement. There are some 'light sport' aircraft that draw near 4 GPH, but those are two-place.

    Either way, still way better than requiring a raw 200 miles per gallon.

    --
    Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
    The purpose of that site was not known.
  7. Whats the big deal by dpeltzm1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This; http://machinedesign.com/article/throw-out-the-textbooks-diesel-airplanes-are-here-0619 is a production airplane already getting 133 passenger miles per gallon per the contest conditions. its a 4 seater in current configuration but has a 950 lb load rating with full fuel. so if we assume 170 lbs per passenger 6 passengers would put you 70 lbs over max. lose 10 gallons of fuel and your back to overall weight. this would give you 200 passenger MPG of course two would have to ride in the luggage bay but you would still be within the planes limits. feel free to correct me if my math is off but if not and you decide to go do it and win, well 10 grand as a finders fee would be nice!!!