» Sailing ship Mentality

Tronolog is the first aircraft in history specifically designed for the air-freight industry growing at 10% per year; twice as fast as the air-passenger industry.  If the present world still only had sailing ships, thousands of these vessels would be required to fulfil the same role of just one of today’s container ships. Sailing ships are better environmentally, but small loads coupled with traits of unreliability, vulnerability and much slower comparative speed render them useless for today’s needs. The air-cargo industry does not have its own product: it uses converted airliners completely inappropriate to handle cargo – a trillion dollar industry retarded by a lack of suitable product.

Without the modern cargo ship the present world would shut down.  Indeed, the Q-series of transport promises to bring over ten times the load of a sailing ship to any location in the world in a single day, versus voyages exceeding 3 months for a sailing ship.

» Enter the Tronolog

Not being able to lift any acceptable load of shipping containers has made the air-freight industry less competitive than it otherwise would be. At the present time the air-freight industry is unable to handle payloads in the most common form competitively or in number – even the largest military transports could only handle five shipping containers. Because it’s so convenient, and in such widespread use, it is vital shipping containers are designed into a specialised heavy lift aircraft.  

Shipping containers are made of steel and heavier than aviation alternatives, it nevertheless is no reason why a product should not exist to transport them. The payload in shipping containers must be transferred if air-freight is required. Transfer times affect turn-around times by creating delays and increasing expenses: few aviation specification LD containers are seen behind trains or on trucks.

An average freight train length is between 35-45 cars; trains servicing cities of normal size. This puts Tronolog at an ideal size to replace many rail services otherwise destined for export. Tronalog flies twice the amount of freight into an airport as its nearest competitor, using less fuel and fewer emissions. It delivers its payload conventionally in shipping containers enabling normal cargo handling to continue, and expediting turn-around and delivery times as the payload can go straight onto a truck or railcar.

» Under Pressure

Beijing, Atlanta, Madrid, Paris, Mexico and Moscow have something in common, as well as Brasilia, Frankfurt, Lahore and Chicago. The first six cities were Olympic cities, but all are inland cities hundreds of kilometres from the coast. These cities have huge populations - Mexico over 20 million people - with massive daily freight needs. The fastest way into these cities is by air, shipments by boat and rail take weeks: in some locations such as Russia, months.

This isolation denies access of commerce both from supply and the cities ability to export goods out. Growth and opportunities in these places is restricted putting high pressure on infrastructure and supply. In short, these cities are at varying degrees of disadvantage to port cities. Tronalog continues and increasing the economies of such cities, while augmenting other port cities as well.

» Turn and burn Independent loading and unloading

The reduced amount of tasks lowers the expense of freight and increases the speed of delivery. In business time is money: the longer it takes to unload an aircraft or ship, the more it costs, reducing profits and increasing prices to consumers. This all stems from wages, equipment, rent, insurance, equipment and other expenses.

Fast turn-around times bring operators higher profit, and facet the Q-series of freight aircraft have been designed for. Trucks can drive under Tronologs two load/unload bays to receive or be relieved of containers, giving a turn-around time of about 2 hours. The aircraft could even be parked over a rail spur or siding to unload directly onto trains. Two doors allow for redundancy if any failure occurs.

This design facet enables any country to benefit from Tronolog deliveries. It does not require any support infrastructure to load or unload cargo if transport is not there to pick up the payload. If necessary, the payload can be left on the ramp beside the aircraft for later pick-up; requiring a container crane to be located at the site. Tronolog carries payloads previously only able to be transported by ships and trains at a competitive cost to them. The Q-series is designed to use all sizes of shipping containers for the purpose of integration, yet can integrate all other types of payloads that can - dimensionally - fit inside.

» A clean new era

With 400 tonnes of available payload - more if less fuel is used - Q-400 lifts twice the amount of its nearest competitor, using five GE90 Turbofan engines. To lift the equivalent weight, present air-cargo types use a minimum 2 four-engine jets - 8 engines, equating to more than half again the power, fuel burn and carbon emissions used to lift a similar weight. This factor subsequently pushes up costs and increasing the damage to the atmosphere, and is how the Q-series will reduce freight costs by around 30%.  Q-300H has no carbon emissions.

» Lower fuel consumption

Tronologs performance was created by using the same conceptual ideals later used to create the Shaeneen series: the most efficient subsonic passenger airliner ever conceived. The main difference in operational expense of the Q-series versus present passenger and military derived cargo aircraft is fuel consumption. Specifically designed for heavy payloads Tronolog proportionately uses much less fuel per kilo of freight lifted. Using fewer engines to fulfil the same task lowers maintenance costs as operational expense of jet engines, per engine, are roughly similar to meet mandatory maintenance standards.

» Lower noise

Tronologs are designed to be very quiet during operations, as well as the foundation of using the latest, newest versions of the GE90. The profile and plan views of the Tronolog support estimates that, only a few kilometres from the airport on climb-out, Tronolog should be in the low sixty decibel range, over ten decibels quieter than the latest present types.  

The noise impact of using more aircraft to do the same task is noticeable to residents near airports. Since only one aeroplane can land on one runway at once, using fewer aircraft to do the same job frees up the airports for other users, enabling increased relative operations without the need to build new airports.  The fewer aircraft halve the noise impact as well, particularly when Q-series aircraft will be already much quieter in flight. The payload ability of the Tronolog reduces aircraft movements into major cities: 10 present freight aircraft will be replaced by 3 Tronologs. 

» Purchase price

The expected price of both the Q-400 and Q-300H will be about $330 million, significantly less than the cost of the two or more aircraft required to lift the same weight over long distances. The ability of Tronolog in decreasing costs, both operational and fuel burn, to operators, as well as the market growth from the enhanced capabilities of a dedicated air-cargo type will quickly enable this cost to be dissolved.

» Serious disaster relief

Possible future roles for Tronolog are in disaster relief roles or possibly as a large fire-bomber. The independence of a Tronolog makes it ideal to ferry aid, food medical supplies and large machinery into disaster areas or places of famine. Several preloaded Tronologs may exist for instant deployment to various international disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and oil spillages. Fire bombing versions could douse large fires quickly due to the amount of water and retardant deployable in one pass (500,000 litres) saving millions of dollars worth of timber and wildlife as well as stopping carbon dioxide and other pollutants - high potential, when the huge cost of losses from fires is considered.