For the past 91 years, this magazine has reflected the shape of the industry of which it is part. In the beginning it was simply Flight, and the fledgling field of aviation was its sole purview. Now it is Flight International and the entire breadth of aerospace is its domain. To look back is to see an accumulation of achievements that cannot be matched by any other industry. To look forward is to see an industry with opportunities and challenges in equal measure. As aircraft have grown more complex, and the industry more diverse, so Flight International has recorded and kept pace with those changes. By the time you have read this special issue, Flight into the future, you will be aware that the industry is changing again.
This unique issue was known internally as F2K, a half-joking acknowledgement of the perils of placing limits on the future. Nevertheless, some interesting observations can be made about that potential future outlined.
It is apparent that the discrete disciplines which make up aerospace are dissolving. This special issue is organised along the lines of the industry as it exists today, but it makes clear that traditional boundaries are disappearing. Whether commercial or military, airframes, engines and avionics have their roots in the same technology stream, and increasingly these different markets will use similar products. These will include unmanned systems, which have as great a potential in the commercial world as in the military arena.
While technology is in hand to lift capacity limits on airspace and airports, the economics and dynamics of the commercial airline industry make it likely that rotorcraft and personal aircraft will become everyday means of transport for more people.
The commercialisation of space is blurring traditional national, institutional and industrial boundaries. Launchers and satellites enable the new communications and navigation infrastructure on which the world's airlines will depend. The distinction between aircraft and spacecraft will blur to nonexistence, and passenger travel to orbit and beyond will be as routine as a transatlantic trip.
Against this background, the major aerospace players are recognising that their skills lie in systems integration, not parts fabrication. They are looking for multi-disciplinary engineers with the communications skills to work in multinational design teams.
Flight International editors and correspondents from around the world contributed to this issue, which reflects the global nature of the manufacturing base and the marketplace. As aerospace enters the new century, Flight International will continue to provide the most balanced international coverage available anywhere.
Source: Flight International
