

If I had unlimited frequent-flyer miles, I definitely would not have missed last night's Royal Aeronautical Society lecture by Dr. Ian Poll, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Cranfield University and head of the Omega Project, an effort to develop more eco-friendly aviation. The Times of London has a curtain-raiser on the lecture, which is supposed to call for converting more aviation from fossil fuels to nuclear power.

“We need to be looking for a solution to aviation emissions which will allow flying to continue in perpetuity with zero impact on the environment," Professor Poll tells the paper. “We need a design which is not kerosene-powered, and I think nuclear-powered aeroplanes are the answer beyond 2050. The idea was proved 50 years ago, but

I accept it would take about 30 years to persuade the public of the need to fly on them.”

Professor Poll said the big challenge would be to demonstrate that passengers and crew could be safely shielded from the reactors.

* “It's done on nuclear submarines and could be achieved on aircraft by locating the reactors with the engines out on the wings,” he said.

* “The risk of reactors cracking open in a crash could be reduced by jettisoning them before impact and bringing them down with parachutes.”*

Now, I wouldn't want to have a reactor sailing down on me, whether it is attached to a parachute or not. But I guess it beats getting hit by frozen lavatory waste.

Actually, the idea is not that far-out. The Air Force and the old Atomic Energy Commission spent billions during the Cold War to develop nuclear-powered aircraft. While a plane never successfully flew under nuclear power, a converted B-36 bomber carried a reactor in dozens of test flights in the 1950s. Seriously.