Concept of Flying-V aircraft unveiled

Aircraft designers at the Dutch company KLM and the researchers from the Delft Technical University have recently presented a concept of the new Flying-V passenger airliner. Most of the planes have approximately the same shape, but the engineers did not want to follow the beaten path in this case.

Changing the conventional shape and design of an aircraft was not just a whim. If the conventional shape of air transport had been retained, the engineers would not have been able to improve the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft, so the experiment was well justified.

The interface between the Flying-V’s fuselage and its wings is hardly visible. So, it turns out that the passengers will be almost inside them. Such a change will improve the aircraft’s uplift, although it will make its handling much more challenging.

Flying-V’s wingspan is 65 metres, its length — 55 metres and height — 17 metres. The aircraft will be able to carry 314 passengers plus the crew. Overall, Flying-V is similar to Airbus A350, but it is expected to consume 20% less fuel. The aircraft’s flying prototype will be demonstrated already this autumn.