European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                1 British airways passengers at much 2 since 1976. Of the Wing slopes backward in a Sharp Triangle while the Back half spreads out Al a wide Angle such shapes have generally been viewed As difficult to stabilize but designers Hope to Olf Sel this by capitalizing on new advanced electronic control systems to define precisely the Best shape for the Wing and fuselage. Engineers Are using computer modelling to simulate High Speed air flow Over a hypothetical plane a second major requirement is to develop building materials that ate stronger lighter and far More heal resistant than those used today the wings and fuselage will probably be made from advanced composite materials rather than metals but identifying composites with the right mix of strength weight hardness and durability is still a Long Way off experts predict that the next generation of supersonic engines is Likely to Burn the same kerosene based fuel As today s jets but the lets will have to be far quieter than those on the concorde which Are unacceptably loud for most airports in addition the new plane is Likely to require variable Cycle engines which Ope tale efficiently at both subsonic and supersonic speeds because of differences in the behaviour of air flows. The Turbo fans of supersonic engines Are different torn those of conventional aircraft and Are relatively inefficient at slow speeds minding an aircraft. One Way. Shown Al Bottom in it away possibly through the plane s Eten and might eventually make supersonic travel As Enro Ute to the next Century by . Reid and Karen Brown Washington Post the forming of feb 25. 1997, dawned amp and b eak m Washington with As of adj Wel Snow tailing from the Gray sky and congealing into slush on the ground John q tout isl took one look out the window and made up his mind today was the Day to Start thai Winter vacation and so John tourist got Down to the business of world travel. 1990s style sitting Al irs Home computer he began to Ponder destinations How about that new ski resort in Hungary Tho one president Quayle just visited John cont Aclid n the Tiave facts data base but the corrupt or Outcen showed that the crowds were thick and the   How about Acapulco on the screen to ? a picture of a suite he could get at t if Inlet Continental i had a Beautiful Beach View. Hat would to the place hitting keys on the computer. John found the Best air late made la Ghl reservations reserved a room Anco arranged a tourist visa. He stuck his credit card is cd personal smar card into a Slot in the computer within seconds his plane ticket passport and visa information and hotel reservation number were All magnetically stored on the card after Riding the High Speed rail line to Dulles John fought through the crowds Only to find he faced a two hour delay. He passed the time at the movie healer in the new Airport shopping mall. Finally he stuck his smar card into a Slot at the boarding Gate and got his seat assignment. Just before boarding the plane he flicked a Zipper and two velcro snaps on his suitcase and turned it into a matched pair of carry on bags. Enro Ute John checked his Wallet and discovered he d left Home with a total of $11.33 no problem he used the computer built into the tray table at his Seal to fax his Bank and arrange for peso travellers checks to be sent to his hotel room. He ordered a cocktail and watched the movie by touching a Button the flight attendant billed the charges to the same smart card account that paid for John s ticket. In Acapulco John whisked the smart card through another machine and after 50 seconds the keys to his rental car came tumbling out. Unsure about the route downtown John flicked on the navigational Monitor in the car to offered directions in six languages Al the hotel John bypassed the desk and went straight to his assigned room. His smart card opened the lock and the travellers checks were waiting on the Dresser. On the Holographic to in his room John zipped through a video of the room service menu then switched to a visual directory of local marinas using the to s Remote control he reserved a motorized Sailboard and a robot sail boarding instructor for the next morning then he crawled happily into bed the preceding vacation trip is a fantasy but it May not be As fantastic a few years from now Asil seems today everything that happened to John o tourist on thai dreary Winter s Day in 1997 is within the realm of predictions from Industry experts Aboul the state of travel in the 1990s. Indeed much of the technology that made John s trip so easy is already available in some form or other Jim Prosser. A marketing manager at at to says his company has already created a credit card size smar card with a memory Chip thai can hold passport visa airline car rental hotel and similar information for any trip. Voil Gilmore president of the american society of travel agents says he expects to see magnetic cards that serve As combination plane tickets and hotel keys with ready replacement if the numbered card is lost. One thing that seems safely predictable about travel in the 1990s is that there will be a lot of it. If you think airports ski Hills beaches and theme Parks is no Rytti i United airlines in 1987 opened a future attic facility at Chicago s o Hare International Airport that it Calls the terminal of  Are crowded now you Ain t seen nothing yet us airlines carried 450 million passengers in 1987 by the end of the 90s, the projected total will be about 700 million a 56 percent increase Aulo and recreational vehicle travel Are expected to increase roughly that much As Well but with tight Public budgets nobody is predicting a 56 percent increase in Highway or Airport capacity. There is Only one map new Domestic Airport in the works the new Denver International scheduled to open about 1994. United airlines opened a glitzy futuristic terminal at o Hare International Airport in Chicago in 1987. With airports More crowded than Ever the terminal will take on added importance As a Center of business and Commerce airports will become in essence regional shopping malls with an Airport attached says Siegbert Pool sky of the Airport operators Council americans will to taking More trips in the 90s. But the average trip will be Shorter. With the Advent of year round schools and two Job families the traditional two week summer vacation is becoming exl Mcl travel in the new decade seeded somewhat by a new generation of aircraft will More Likely be of the three to five Day variety on the ground High Speed rail May become an option to gridlock Florida is planning two such projects a 325-mile High Speed rail circuit connecting Miami. Orlando and Tampa Al speeds of More than 150 Mph should go into service by 1995, according Locharles Smith who is overseeing the pro Jacl and a magnetic levitation train floating above the stack on a magnetic Field May be in operation by 1994 Between Orlando Airport and Disney world freed from the friction Between the wheel and the rail this express rain is expected to reach speeds of Mote than 300 Miles pet Houi although it sounds Lolly magnetic levitation technology is Well grounded in addition to one in operation at Birmingham International Airport in England. German engineers have developed and successfully tested a Magdiev Irain american travellers will also be hitting the Road More in the 90s. According to Osti males by the american automobile association. Unless More is done to improve the Road network Road travel will be in jeopardy in Many regions of the country said Geol Sundstrom a spokesman for aaa. Futurist Herman Kahn saw All this coming a Quarter Century ahead of time Kahn wrote in 1976 in the next 200 years it seems reasonable to assume that by the end of the Century tourism will be one of the largest industries in the world " and he wrote that before anybody had personal computers smart cards. Navigational monitors or magnetic levitation trains. January 24,1990 stars and stripes Page 15