Cold War Idea Could Make Resurgence As Oil Dwindles

With all the hype surrounding carbon footprints and fuel prices, a British professor thinks he has just the answer.

Ian Poll, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Cranfield University, and head of technology for the Government-funded OMEGA project, is calling for research to allow airliners to transition to nuclear power.

London's Times Online quotes Poll as saying experiments conducted during the Cold War proved it could be practical. Besides the environmental benefits, the extended range of nuclear airliners would make it possible to fly nonstop from London to Australia or New Zealand.

The US and the Soviet Union were both working on nuclear-powered bombers a half-century ago, seeking the same benefits nuclear power gives submarines -- extremely long loiter times near targets, without the need to refuel. Both superpowers later abandoned the programs as intercontinental ballistic missile technology emerged.

So, would airlines add surcharges for seats farther from the reactor? Would this create a race of Super-NIMBYs who'd fight to keep nuke-liners from flying over their homes?

Professor Poll thinks the PR issues could be solved with patience. "The idea was proved 50 years ago, but I accept it would take about 30 years to persuade the public of the need to fly on them.

"If we want to continue to enjoy the benefits of air travel without hindrance from environmental concerns, we need to explore nuclear power. If aviation remains wedded to fossil fuels, it will run into serious trouble."

Which leads one to wonder... given the imminent extinction of leaded aviation fuels, could general aviation one day be in line for nuclear power?

If that ever happens, we'll need more diligent FBO line boys. It's bad enough when they put Jet-A in a piston plane marked "turbo" on the cowl. Imagine if they screwed up and put Plutonium fuel rods in your LSA instead of Cesium pucks!

FMI: www.cranfield.ac.uk/