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The future of airplanes may resemble the changes we are currently seeing in cars and ground transportation.Greener: Fuel consumption is a major expense for the airline industry, so expect to see significant ongoing innovation around greener aircraft.While battery technology may not entirely replace traditional fuels given energy density differences, electric motors are more efficient in energy to work conversion. This is opening up opportunities for hybrid engines, electric taxiing of vehicles, and other electrification opportunities.New wing technologies: wings that have the ability to morph their shape for greater efficiency in flightMulti-prop aircraft: electric motors are relatively small vs their gas relatives and don’t require the extensive fuel infrastructure… merely a power line. This is opening up potential new types of aircrafts.Image: NASA X-67 “Maxwell” with 14 electric motorsIncreased autonomy: The introduction and proliferation of ADS-B and WAAS will allow vehicles to follow more optimized flight paths, rather than be confined to the air corridors that currently exist. In addition, drones are demonstrating the ability to operate autonomously and over longer ranges; while in the US, operators must still be able to see the drones, long-range autonomous operation is being demonstrated in fuel pipeline monitoring, in Africa for medical delivery, fire monitoring, military operation, etc. Technology associated with autonomy will migrate into aircraft and drones, such as greater use of fly-by-wire, cameras/LIDAR, image recognition, etc to avoid power lines, tree limbs, etc.Interestingly, a self driving airplane might be easier than self-driving cars, since the airspace is more controlled (no pedestrians and bicycles, less risk of unexpected things happening, etc), less dense, and time pressures (eg, “time to collision”) are less severe.Greater software: Coupled with increased autonomy is the need for increased software and software upgrade capabilities. In ground vehicles, Tesla arguably pioneered rapid deployment and upgrading capability through software. Over time, aircrafts will become more intelligent and provide new monitoring, better diagnostic capabilities, upgraded avionic capabilities, improved fuel efficiency, etc.New vendors / vehicles: In the automotive world, numerous companies (especially in China) have emerged given the relative simplicity of electric vehicles vs traditional fuel vehicles. Similarly in aviation, numerous startups are developing drones for different applications and markets. Cargo delivery, mail delivery, short-hop transportation, medical supply delivery, agriculture drones, mapping, etc are just some of the markets where niche drones are being developed. The development and renaissance of these different drones has been enabled through innovations and the rapid proliferation of 3D printing, battery and motor technology, powerful inexpensive microcontrollers, high-bandgap semiconductor products (allows higher voltage operation and more efficient motors), and inexpensive software development tools.Image credit: AmazonNew business models: In ground transportation, new business models are rapidly emerging and changing the industry: ride sharing, electric scooter rental, food delivery, etc. Similarly in aviation, Internet stories of drone deliveries of Amazon packages, pizza, coffee and burritos are becoming more frequent.Image credit: UPSDrones could also open up new business models to address delivery of packages to remote locations: eg, package delivery to a remote farm, Alaskan fishing community, or oil rigs. They can enable more efficient crop management through cameras monitoring plant health and harvest maturity/tracking. They are used for inspecting wind turbines and gas lines. They are being explored for human transportation through programs such as Uber Elevate.Infotainment and connectivity: As people spend more time in their cars, infotainment and connectivity have become more commonplace and a selling item. In aircraft, we are also seeing greater infotainment options and connectivity capability; given their prevalence in cars, this is something that people expect, but it also provides a distraction and pleasant escape for the traveler, which the airlines embrace.Interestingly, enabling greater connectivity means that airplanes could eliminate display screens since many people carry tablets… this cuts down on weight in the airplane (lower fuel costs) while allowing the airlines to up-sell the connectivity… a double win for them.Image credit: CNNIncreased sensors: While these are often unseen by the user, they are becoming more common in vehicles, both ground and in the air. Through greater tracking, anomalies and issues can be identified thereby reducing maintenance costs and improving up-time, which decreases operational costs while increasing revenue. Another double-win for the airline companies, as well as a service revenue opportunity for vendors and suppliers.All of these are changes and innovations that are happening in ground transportation. They provide a nice template for changes that will and are occurring in the air.