Could you please convince us that the "Liftport seeks backers for space elevator" (Flight International, 1-7 April) isn't an April fools day lark.

For the elevator to rise the full height of the ribbon in a week, it would have to travel at 590km/h (369mph). Even travelling a third the total height at something like 190km/h seems a little unlikely.

Then there is the effect of air currents of the 1m (3ft)-wide ribbon.

Mark Sawyer Airbus A380 Wing Ribs Stress Team Bristol, UK

Editor's reply: The story is real. Liftport was formed by a former director of HighLift Systems, a Seattle company that in 2002 received a $570,000 grant from NASA to research the space elevator concept. Its timetable is ambitious - NASA thinks 2100 more realistic - but the ribbon concept is common to most proposals.

Source: Flight International