"My jet-fueled carbon footprint is stamped all over the sky this season, so
I look forward to the period when we're moseying around the atmosphere, packed even more like sardines, in slow, no-emission, wonky prop-job fuel-cell aircraft."
Then there's the Aeroscraft, which pokes along at 140 mph but can carry 500
tons. No packing in like sardines; instead, when you detect incipient blood clots in the deep veins of your legs, you just head down to the recreation deck for a game of ping pong.
Aeroscraft Luxury Passenger Cruiser:
Description
http://www.aeroscraft.com/Aeroscraft%20Travel.htm
Video
http://www.aeroscraft.com/Videos/Cruiser.wmv
Aeroscraft for the Military (DARPA Walrus):
Video
http://www.aeroscraft.com/Videos/Walrus.wmv
More info (about a previous design iteration):
http://www.aerosml.com/aeros-ml.asp
Popular Science article, Jan 15, 2006
"The Flying Luxury Hotel"
http://www.aerosml.com/PopSci.asp
"To minimize noise, the aft-mounted [cruising] propellers will be electric, powered by a renewable source such as hydrogen fuel cells. "
Laurence Aurbach
http://pedshed.net
(((Hey, thanks, Laurence! The perfect luxury craft for the former jet-set elite to watch massive wildfires, mudslides and species extinction with all the comforts of a formerly-stable biosphere!)))
