Expert Opinion
AIN Blog: Have Airplane Designers Lost the Edge?
Aerion's SSBJ, something new and exciting.
Aerion's SSBJ, something new and exciting.

Here we are in 2012, nearly 110 years since the Wright Brothers made the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air flight, and with some notable exceptions aircraft design over the years has become about as conservative and uninspired as a bowl of Jello.

The modern business jet has evolved into simply a tube to which wings are attached amidships, an empennage is attached to the tail cone, and an engine is hung on either side of the tail section.