The LTJ 100 airliner is a radical new concept in airliner design, and it’s another one of the trend-resisting ideas to fall out of my head.  I’ve known for years that I don’t think like most people do, the real challenge has been in trying to figure out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.  I’ve sensed that no clear consensus has yet been formed on the matter : )

 Anyway, about a month ago I started taking notice that with the Bombardier CSeries jet getting an official re-launch of the program, there was a pretty large field of approximate 100-seat airliners popping up in the world, and most all were taking the same basic form: 2 fan engines mounted on the wings while the rest of the shape between them all was just a little bit of a push, a pull, or a point away from being the same. 

 That’s where the idea for the Twinjet Beauty Pageant Poll I posted last Friday came from… wondering which of these similar looking airplanes was the best looking overall in the mind of the people.  It also got me thinking that while it’s not a bad thing that they all have a similar basic design, there’s gotta be something fresh out there to bring to the world of airliners intended to cart around enuf people to fill 200 shoes.

 So, a couple late nights of wringing out my transversely-mounted gray matter and the LTJ 100 was born.  Well, kind of.  It’s not really a complete concept just yet.  This is also a good time to remember that I skipped out on going to aeronautical engineering school in the fall of ‘79 to be an airport bum instead.  I’ve also had a really hard time coming up with the cash to make my car payments in the last 18 months, so I’m really about the least likely person to come up with the definitive 100-seat airliner for the late two thousand teens.

 But I am a dreamer who sometimes comes up with some pretty sweet ideas, so let’s talk a little about the basics of the concept.  If you look at the picture above, you’ll see my idea for what the cabin of the future needs to look like.  In a word, roomy.  I did a poll last year that asked this question:  Would you ride a 400mph airliner over a 550mph one if it offered a lot more seat room and many additional cabin comforts and activities to take your mind off the time?  It’s not a scientific poll, and the sample size is tiny, but 84% said they’d take the slow ride.  Hmm, interesting.  It made me wonder if it was feasible to design an airliner around a 400mph cruise speed with the assumption that it would lead to a significantly lower fuel burn.