TAILORED ARRIVALS: A FUEL-EFFICIENT FUTURE
Video via WIRED
Since I travel so much for work, I’m obsessed with finding ways to navigate the airport faster and more efficiently, whether it’s a paper-saving, digital boarding pass or a roll-on bag with an ultra-convenient computer sleeve. After all, getting to where we are going as fast as possible is top priority these days, so I love hearing about new ways the industry is streamlining, like Boeing’s new Tailored Arrivals system.
Right now, the air traffic management system is incredibly safe—but it’s not incredibly efficient. It dates back to the 1950s and uses a step system for landing, which wastes fuel, makes flights longer, and contributes to airport noise.
To improve on this, Boeing has developed Tailored Arrivals, an ingenious system that saves between 400 to 800 pounds of fuel per arrival, explains Suzanne Hawkins, systems engineer for Boeing Research & Technology. Putting it into simplest terms, “it’s like taking a ramp rather than taking the stairs on landings.”
The old way requires a plane to power up its engines after each step. The new system allows for a smooth, continuous descent. Says Hawkins, “Airplane computers know the most efficient path to take, so when we can let the airplane do that, we can save fuel.” Burning less fuel also has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions, making it greener, faster, and better.
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