by CherryPoint

Airlines spend millions of dollars per year inspecting their aircraft and making sure they are safe, not only to prevent accidents damaging their costly equipment and to save lives, but also because Federal Aviation Administration Regulations (FARs) requires it.

This means mechanics must pull inspection panels on the fuselage, and wings of the aircraft, all over the aircraft actually, and inspect the airframe for cracks, electric wiring problems, and corrosion. But what if some of these aircraft panels were translucent, made out of translucent aluminum?

That would sure solve a lot of problems, save a lot of time, and thus, save quite a bit of money. Well, it just so happens that some scientists in Hamburg Germany have created translucent aluminum, by using small micro-laser’s to discharge electrons off of aluminum atoms. The scientist claim this creates what is similar to a fourth state of matter, and it makes the aluminum indivisible, or at least translucent.

The implications for the aerospace and aviation industry are mind boggling.

The United States Air Force is talked for years about making invisible aircraft, and it would be wonderful to have our stealth unmanned aerial vehicles in the battle space invisible to the enemy. It could also help with the space shuttle, having translucent aluminum rockets, could help us see any problems in advance, therefore, preventing calamity. It’s all about safety with NASA.

Still, it could also help with corporate aircraft, as it could provide better visibility for pilots. Translucent panels below their feet and around the cockpit could increase visibility tenfold. This would prevent dangerous aircraft runway incursions, and midair collisions. Indeed, translucent aluminum could change the way aviation operates, and the aerospace industry forever. Please consider all this.