Altering Planes, and the Way They Fly, to Save Fuel

In the New York Time's article Altering Planes, and the Way They Fly, to Save Fuel , the importance of reducing carbon emissions from planes is discussed. In order to do so, the amount of fuel used needs to be reduced. The most important change involves the way that planes fly. They currently fly miles out of their way from different radar systems to another. Instead, they need to follow a direct path that does not allow for unneccessary distances. There are also special ways to land called 'continuous descent' that reduces the amount of fuel as the plane lands and switches to idle settings. By using lighter materials in the plane construction, less fuel is also required. Although, these altercations can be very expensive. According to Bob Smith, the vice president of Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, “The ultimate goal is to be able to push back, roll to the runway, take off and land and go to the gate, all without ever having to hit the brakes."

The two main reasons cited for reducing fuel use are costs and environmental benefits. In the past four years, the cost of fuel has passed labor as the airline's largest expense. It has become imperil to reduce these costs. It has also created 2% of greenhouse gas emissions... A huge number!

The goal is to reduce fuel use by 6% on every flight using the techniques stated above. This would equal 90 million gallons of fuel being saved per year!