design, according to Newman. As a result, airports and runways might become the exclusive domain of large jetliners that travel across the country or internationally, Newman said. Vertiports would be commonplace, constructed on the tops of city buildings or on seaport barges, to service the rotorcraft. Small airplane use might be eliminated or greatly curtailed because of this. Convenience would be the motivator. Newman thinks all of this is possible. “The target distance for vertical flight to be valuable is where you take the fourhour car ride and turn it into a 40-minute 1931 Y1B-9 bomber The first Boeing monoplane bomber, the B-9 (Model 215) revolutionizes bomber design. flight,” Newman said. “Up to 400 miles is where there is valuable time savings with vertical flight, portal to portal. I think the future will include more runway-independent aircraft. We’re Boeing and if it’s going to happen, we’re the ones to do it.” Jill Seebergh is a Boeing chemical engineer and Senior Technical Fellow in Seattle who specializes in coating materials and processes. She looks for ways to make aircraft more fuel-efficient, environmentally sound and cost-effective to build and operate. In the future, Seebergh sees a Boeing jetliner parked at the gate with images 2 This concept depicts a personal rotorcraft used for commuting and private transportation. 3 An orbital drone laser defense would protect against asteroids and meteors. 20
Frontiers July 2016 Issue
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