Engineers and designers in the automotive, aeronautical and aerospace industries have accomplished more than their fair share in the effort for global sustainability. That people can travel to all four corners of the globe (and beyond!) in a safe and timely manner has opened borders and inspired multinational collaboration and mass production. Particularly in the area of flight, we are seeing innovation that will shape the concept of travel as we know it.
Perhaps no greater achievement in travel can match the airplane. During National Engineers Week in 2000, Neil Armstrong unveiled 20 engineering achievements that had the greatest impact on quality of life in the 20th century. . .Third on the list was the airplane.
Engineers aren’t the type that rest on their laurels. Boeing just recently announced its 787 Dreamliner, introducing a new era of lighter, more fuel efficient planes. This commercial aircraft is the first to use composite materials for most of its construction, and it’s a superb step in the right direct for sustainable, accessible travel.
