Long jumps instead of short flights: Electric Airplanes + EMALS

I have been always fascinated by the way the aircraft carriers launch their airplanes.

They used to have a sort of steam catapult system which releases a piston where the aircraft is attached on.

Now with the release of the brand new Ford NAVY Aircraft Carrier category, the steam system has been replaced by a more powerful and complex system, the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS).

The current steam catapults being used in the CATOBAR system require about 615 kg/ 1,350 pounds of steam for each aircraft launch, and this steam in return produced from the nuclear reactor. To propel the catapult forward huge amount of hydraulics and steam is essential. Generation of this steam is an extremely demanding procedure and requires high amount of purified water be piped through the nuclear reactor. This involves very high maintenance. EMALS being an electric-magnetic driven launch system has many advantages and mainly is a system that requires extremely less maintenance.

EMALS will allow to launch a wider variety of aircrafts, including the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). But there are another advantages provided by EMALS as described by the General Atomics in their website (http://www.ga.com/emals):

“ EMALS provides significant benefits over current launch systems, including:

Reduced manning and life-cycle cost

Reduced thermal signature

Increased launch operational ability for manned, unmanned aircraft

Reduced topside weight

Reduced installed volume "

Think about it, the civil and commercial applications of EMALS + Electric Airplanes in light of the fourth industrial revolution where chances are AI will allow to manage very complex systems.

Perhaps, we can foresee a future where highways (at least as we know it today) will be no longer necessary, therefore cities will be only connected by air and high speed trains.

For one side, we could have the development of short range electric aircrafts and commercial EMALS airports and for the other side we could have the development of high range low cost electric vehicles in order to assemble the right equation to figure out eventually the proper design and configuration for the future flying cars.

But the equation should involve the design of a new urban landscape,it is not only a matter of design the electric devices itself but also their new environment.

Think about it, if we have available powerful EMALS/airports to cover short flights, perhaps will be switching hypothetically from the usual short flights to long jumps in the near future, at least in terms of the energy conservation laws.

*Image courtesy of: http://sajeevpearlj.blogspot.com.co/2015/03/emals-electro-magnetic-aircraft.html