PHOTOS: Boeing's Giant Plane

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THE PELICAN WITH A WINGSPAN OF 500 FEET IS THE LARGEST PLANNED PLANE IN HISTORY. IT WILL CARRY 5,000 PEOPLE OR 38 BATTLE TANKS ACROSS ANY OCEAN TO ANYWHERE ON EARTH SKIMMING THE WATER AT 20 TO 100 FEET BEFORE RISING TO ENTER AIRPORTS. ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA GRONDAHL, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

PELICAN WILL BE A FLYING WEAPONS PLATFORM ABLE TO WIPE OUT ENTIRE ARMIES OR CITIES FROM ABOVE. THE GIANT PLANE CAN ALSO CARRY 38 MASSIVE ABRAM US BATTLE TANKS, 5,000 ARMED US SOLDIERS AT ONE TIME OR IN PEACETIME, 1,000 VOLKSWAGENS OR 120 FULLY LOADED 18-WHEELER TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCKS OR ALMOST THREE MILLION POUNDS OF CARGO.ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA GRONDAHL, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

THE EKRANOPLANE EXPERIMENTAL SEAPLANE BUILT BY THE SOVIETS WAS TO CARRY 900 TROOPS ACROSS THE SEA BUT FAILED BECAUSE OF DESIGN FLAWS. IT WAS FIRST SPOTTED BY US SPY SATELLITES IN 1967. US MILITARY PHOTO.

THE MASSIVE INTERIOR OF A PELICAN SUPER PLANE COULD EASILY CARRY THREE ENTIRE 747 JUMBO JETS MINUS THEIR WINGS. EMPTY, THE PELICAN WEIGHS AS MUCH AS 7 FULLY LOADED 747'S. ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA GRONDAHL, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

THE PELICAN SHOWN IN FRONT VIEW WILL SKIM ACROSS OCEANS AT 20 TO 100 FEET ABOVE THE WATER USING A PHENOMENA CALL 'WIG' WING IN WATER WHICH CAUSES AIR TO BOUNCE BACK UP AND KEEPING HUGE PLANE FLYING AT VERY LOW FUEL COST. EVEN FLYING HIGH THE PELICAN WILL BE THE MOST FUEL EFFICIENT AIRCRAFT IN THE SKIES. ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA GRONDAHL, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

NORMAL PLANE FLYING HAS AIR SWIRLING UNDER ITS WINGS PUSHING DOWN ON WING TIPS. ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA GRONDAHL, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

A MAJOR RULE OF FLIGHT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE HIGHER THE BETTER, BECAUSE FLYING THROUGH THINNER AIR TAKES LESS FUEL. BUT IF YOU FLY A PLANE VERY LOW TO THE GROUND THE SMALL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SURFACE AND THE WING PREVENTS THE AIR FROM SWIRLING IN THE FIRST PLACE – THE SO CALLED ‘WING IN GROUND’ EFFECT. IN FACT, THE AIR GETS TRAPPED UNDER THE WING AND MAKES A CUSHION THAT PUSHES UP INSTEAD OF PULLING DOWN.
ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA GRONDAHL FOR EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

A SOVIET-DESIGNED EKRANOPLAN INSIDE A GIANT HANGER NEAR THE CASPIAN SEA IS BEING BUILT BESIDE A GIANT TANKER AND A LARGE BARGEAT LEFT. IT'S A SEA PLANE DESIGNED TO FLY 20 TO50 FEET ABOVE THE WATER AND HAS EIGHT GETS ON ITS FRONT WING AND FOUR ON ITS TAIL. THE GIANT PLANE WAS FIRST DESIGNED TO CARRY 900 SOVIET SOLDIERS BUT THE PLANE SHOWN WAS TO BE BUILT FOR RESCUE - IT WOULD HAVE CONTAINED A HOSPITAL WITH OPERATING ROOMS AND WARDS. RUSSIA FINALLY STOPPED WORKING ON THE PLANE WHEN IT RAN OUT OF MONEY. AS BIG AS THE RUSSIAN PLANE IS, THE AMERICAN PELICAN WHICH CARRIES 5,000 TROOPS IS ALMOST TEN TIMES AS LARGE. PHOTO EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

The long-anticipated, long-delayed double-decker Airbus A380 super jumbo jet will be the world's largest passenger jet when it finally enters commercial service. It seats 555 passengers in a typical three-class interior layout. It can also hold as many as 880 passengers but is still one fifth in size and capacity as the Boeing Pelican which will be used first for military transportation.
Photo from AIRBUS and Edit International.

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