As summer travel plans to visit friends and family wind down, the question arises if there is a reasonable alternative to long distance air travel. An earlier post, which hailed the success of high speed rail between Madrid and Barcelona, reiterates the limited scope of train travel as an alternative to flying. For trips of short (200mi) to medium (600mi) distance high speed rail on the order of the Spanish trains or Shinkansen in Japan provide a viable option, with all the benefits mentioned in that previous post. However, what choices does the long distance traveler (1000+ mi) have if they hope to cut back on their consumption without sacrificing the relative convenience of air travel?

One answer may lie in Virgin Atlantic’s biofuel alternative to jet fuel. However, this does not alleviate the need to produce fuels in the first place. At this juncture though, it may represent the best option, assuming that the biofuels do not directly compete with food stuffs or deplete fresh water supplies. If there is a way to grow biofuels (whether from switchgrass or algae) with water that comes from less than desirable sources (i.e. polluted, degraded, reclaimed, etc) then biofuels would be a better option. As it stands, “green” options that most closely approximate current products seem to have the greatest market penetration. Mimicking the modern conveniences of life have become the best option for eco-conscious materials to gain acceptance.

In a recent post about solar powered flight (no, not the humorous take we posted last year), a plane covered in solar panels stayed aloft for 26 hours. This advancement definitely presents an intriguing option, but is not a viable alternative to large scale aviation. Perhaps what is needed is a wholesale revision of air travel, starting with the design. Although it has worked for 100 years now, maybe nature could provide a better model. I don’t mean papier-mâché wings, like those seen in silent films of man’s first attempts at flight.

Aside from science fiction and more airplanes, is there another option for long distance travel? Trains seemingly have limited appeal, especially in this country, with extremely high infrastructure costs and large distances between the coastal populations and the country’s grand interior. Cars remain limited by efficiency and speed concerns. How can humans travel over vast spaces in a “sustainable” manner? Renewable fuels provide a promising choice, but the limitations (i.e. need to store electricity generated from wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources) stand in the way of a major breakthrough. Will we see electrified air travel? Does this even make sense? Maybe science fiction holds the answers after all.

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