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Electric airplane towing concept could mean longer zero-emission flights
(www.engadget.com)
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This one seems a bit less silly of an electric plane idea: https://www.vox.com/recode/2023/2/2/23582152/nasa-x-plane-boeing-air-force-sustainable-aircraft
Apparently the engines use regular fuel for takeoff but use battery for the rest of the flight.
I wonder if someone is working on a gound-based launch system like the catapult used on aircraft carrier.
The energy for takeoff wouldn't have to come from battery, but passengers would take more acceleration. Hopefully it'd be more tolerable than on aircraft carrier, if the runway is longer the acceleration may be lower.
I’m not sure how much this would help. I believe the plane is using almost as much fuel during the ascent to cruising altitude as during the actual takeoff from the ground. And of course the physics of launching a heavy passenger plane this way might be more challenging than a smaller military aircraft.