The aerial relay system - An energy-efficient solution to the airport congestion problem

The aerial relay system concept, which was developed as a means of exploiting inflight transfer, utilizing large 'cruise liner' aircraft that fly continuously along their routes and dock periodically with short-haul 'feeder' aircraft for payload exchanges, is discussed. The system employs two distinctly different kinds of aircraft, one for takeoff and landing and one for cruising, with provisions for the routine inflight transfer of passengers, baggage, fuel, etc. The liner design consists of a module of 320 ft span and 80 ft chord with an 800 seat capacity and capable of cruising at 0.75 M, while the feeder is a relatively conventional short-haul transport aircraft with a modified fuselage to accommodate special docking and transportation operations. It is concluded that this concept could alleviate present inadequacies in an extremely cost-effective and fuel-efficient way, and could be expanded indefinitely to become a high-quality, high-capacity national system.