Ground Effect Flight Transit (GEFT) in Subways

Extending the flight corridors of ground-effect flight transit (GEFT) from above-ground railway tracks to subway tunnels could ultimately allow improved access throughout cities for both commuter and intercity transit. Since GEFT do not have undercarriages, the opportunity exists to increase capacity by converting single-lane tunnels into upper and lower lanes with resulting evolution toward high-speed non-stop subway service. The digital prototype simulation of GEFT aircraft in tunnel corridors identifies that high efficiencies are attainable with flight in corridors at half the height of most subway systems. A critical analysis identifies that energy consumption is sufficiently low (e.g., from 10% to 25% of the energy for helicopter transit) so as to be of negligible cost relative to the value of reduced transit times and reduced infrastructure depreciation for this transition. The inner-city subways would evolve to being part of a trans-modal network of railway, subway, highway, waterway, and greenway transit for high-speed non-stop intracity, intercity, transcontinental, and intercontinental transportation.