Autonomous Cargo Gliders

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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… removing the pilot and the engine from an aircraft produces huge savings.

Aerocart - Aerolane

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Did you ever read “The Longest Day,” Irish journalist Cornelius Ryan’s non-fiction account of the D-Day invasion at Normandy?

Many of the U.S. troops were brought inland by silent cargo gliders that were towed by relatively quiet propeller planes. The 16 U.S. companies contracted to build gliders completed a total of 13,909 Waco CG-4As before World War II ended.

Everything old is new again, it seems.

Wendy

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I haven’t read that book, but I am familiar with the use of gliders in WWII. The big difference between WWII models and the modern version is that in WWII, glider flights were largely one way trips and the aircraft was abandoned on the battlefield. I’m pretty sure that Aerolane expects theirs to be reusable.

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Kinda like the trucks on the highway that have 3 trailers.

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Not often mentioned: about 10% of troops coming in gliders were killed or maimed before they got out of the plane because it crashed on landing.

https://ww2days.com/glider-phase-of-d-day-begins-2.html#:~:text=Twenty-one%20of%20the%20850,casualties%2C%20either%20killed%20or%20maimed.

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These gliders will be landing at airports. I would not be surprised if they were facilities specifically designed for them. The troop transports were landing in fields that met 2 criteria. They were empty and near a battle zone. I doubt that the comparison holds. I can see a lot of NIMBYism happening with these cargo gliders though.

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I can’t imagine why anyone would object to them. They are silent and would use conventional runways.

Wendy

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Ever heard of a missed approach? How would you like to live near an airport and know that a glider can’t make a second try if the first one doesn’t go right?

They only happen a couple times per 1,000 flights. Of course at O’Hare they have about 1,400 landings a day, so…

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The Aerolane glider remains attached to the powered tow aircraft during approach and landing. They can still execute a missed approach. That’s the big difference between Aerolane and the WWII models.

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The link also shows future gliders making independent landings.

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image2368×952 187 KB

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I agree that that might be an issue.

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