A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future

Re:A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about th... by taneq on Friday February 08, 2019 @05:32AM (#19112981)

I think the problem with these is that they're terribly inefficient. Large plus slow equals low altitude, which means thick air.

Maybe it'd be possible to revisit nuclear powered aircraft? Modern, intrinsically safe reactors powering turboshaft engines could keep a ponderous flying platform aloft for months at a time.

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Re:A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about th... by Yizahi on Friday February 08, 2019 @06:19AM (#19113204)

I don't know much about modern reactors but I suspect even 3rd gen ones will still require immense shielding of a cabin and will be single contour design, meaning that exhaust will be irradiated, maybe less so than on prototypes from cold war. And as I remember soviet Tu-95LAL that did flew with a reactor did so WITHOUT any significant shielding for the crew.

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