When I think about the changes in the way we fly now, I can’t help wonder what things will be like in the future. Computer radios were just a dream in the 1950s. Carbon fiber was a closely guarded secret, only available to the aerospace and defense industry in the 1970s. How will things be in the next 30 or so years? What astounding advances does the future hold?

The radio controlled airplane hobby will be alive and well. Our equipment and construction of airplanes will be very different from what it is today. Only the goal, to have fun, will stay the same. Airplanes made from balsa wood will be in short supply. Advances in composites and polymers will pretty much replace wood as the material of choice, being stronger at the same or lighter weight. Airplanes will survive crashes with less damage. Many of the factors involved in a crash, including the dumb thumb, will be eliminated.

Most of us old timers will still fly with internal combustion engines, but some of the newer pilots will be using electric motors. Continuing advances in batteries will enable electric powered airplanes unlimited flight time. The engine of the future will still run on methanol but I don’t think nitro methane will be around. The carburetor will be gone, replaced by a fuel injection system that will be controlled by a microprocessor, A crystal imbedded in the combustion chamber will read air and exhaust temperatures, engine load, and rpm, along with barometric pressure and meter fuel accordingly. These engines will require no needle valve and be self-starting. The microprocessor will be located in the back plate and powered by the receiver battery. Eventually we will have combination engines that will be capable of running on fuel or switching over to electric.

Turbo prop engines will be developed and the jet engine will be pretty common. These engines will be a lot more user friendly and include afterburners to shorten takeoff runs.

Radios

Eventually, you will own one radio, and you will wear a good part of it. Your entry level purchase will include a base radio that will automatically read the frequencies in use and adjust itself to an unused channel. If interference is detected or when someone turns on another radio, your radio will switch frequencies with the receiver automatically. You and your airplane will never know the difference.

The receiver will play a more important part in the future. Today, the receiver just receives what is sent to it from the transmitter and tells the servos what to do. In the future, the receiver will serve as a data link device, returning information to the transmitter about what’s happening inside and outside of the airplane. The receiver will send back information about engine rpm, air speed, and altitude. Problems with any part of the airplane will be reported so the pilot can land and correct them.

Receivers will include a video link that a tiny camera can be plugged into and transmit video back to the ground. You will be advised as to what’s going on by a digital voice system and you will use voice commands to supplement your transmitter sticks and switches. Your sunglasses will include a heads up display that will keep you informed about what the airplane is doing. They will also will include lenses that will telescope so you can see your airplane at greater distance.

You will be able to switch your airplane to an auto-pilot mode so you can take your eyes off it without fear of losing track of where it is. The heads up display will include a 

target lock feature that will show you where the airplane is, just like the heads up display in modern fighter airplanes. If you do lose track of the plane and it goes down, the built in GPS receiver will tell you exactly where it is. The transmitter will be capable of projecting a holographic image of what the airplane is seeing. You will be able fly and land the airplane as if you were inside. Speaking of landing, there will be a module imbedded in each end of the runway that will allow the airplane to land itself. The receiver will have a built in gyro. If you get into trouble while flying, you will have the option of hitting a panic button on the transmitter or giving a voice command and having the radio automatically right the airplane. The servos that control flight surfaces won’t look anything like they do today. They won’t include motors, they’ll work on a magnetic drive actuator. The servo will be mounted in the wing at the leading edge of the control surface. First models will be hard-wired to the receiver, later designs will be wireless. They will offer increased resolution, lighter weight and the elimination of linkage.

Your probably thinking that there’s no way any of this can happen. That’s the same thing that I thought in 1973 when I attended a lecture given by a Detroit engineer. He said that automotive engines of the future would be controlled by a computer. The first thing to go would be the carburetor, replaced by fuel injection. Next item on the extinct list was the distributor. Twin overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder would be common. Supercharging and turbo-charging would be in wide spread use. Not very many of us believed him. I’m not an engineer, but given where technology has been taking us, if anyone can imagine it, it’ll happen.

Flying in the future will be a lot of fun. Trust me.

from Flightlines
Bill Heinson, editor
Moxee WA

Editors note: It sounds like all you will have to do is take the model to the field, turn it loose and watch it fly

Bill

As far as I can tell this was for real. My son was in M1A1 Abrams tanks and I am ever so grateful the US Army didn't latch on to this idea. Maybe someone would like to model it?

Rich

Roadable Aircraft - Antonov KT Flying Tank