MagLevAir Magnetic Aircraft Could Revolutionize Urban Air Space

On a mission to lower the energy consumption, noise and size of the modern airplane take-off system, designers Leonie Lawniczak, Deniz Örs and George Milde offer the MagLevAir. While the name could use a little work, the concept is something like this: the decentralized maglev shuttle ferries the airplane for take-off using magnets to boost it into the air while saving fuel and limiting the space needed to obtain flight; the plane itself uses scram jets to accelerate into flight and bring passengers to their destination of choice. The space-saving, noise/fuel-lowering nature of the system makes it ideal for smaller, urban airports where space, noise space and clean air are at a premium. The idea is to use it as a link to connect passengers with larger hubs that utilize standard airplanes. [via Yanko]