Airbus is testing a plane with moving wings

The new aircraft will be called AlbatrossOne. As the name suggests, the engineers were inspired by albatross famous for its ability to fly long distances without flapping its wings.

Apparently, the planes will very soon be able to wave their wings not figuratively, but literally. Airbus is already taking steps in this direction by testing the AlbatrossOne aircraft, whose main distinctive feature will be flapping wing-tips.

The company claims that the new design will help the aircraft to better cope with strong gusts of wind and turbulence. When the aircraft encounters strong resistance, its wings will take on a different position, thus avoiding unnecessary drag. Real-life albatrosses fly by the same principle.

AlbatrossOne is a drone, which has already made several test flights, proving that the idea is workable. It is made on the basis of Airbus A31 and the main materials are carbon composites and fiberglass.