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Testing The Radical: KLM/TU Delft’s Scale Model Of A Flying-V Aircraft


Testing The Radical: KLM/TU Delft’s Scale Model Of A Flying-V Aircraft

In the world of aviation, radical design changes are not the normal, because for every change there has to be untold hours of testing to make sure that there is no doubt when it comes to airworthiness. Think back to examples: the Wright Flyer worked after untold thousands of designs failed due to one defect or another. The deHavilland Comet failed due to a design flaw nobody saw coming until aircraft started falling out of the sky in pieces. The SST aircraft were successful, but ultimately didn’t work due to their inefficient natures and the noise of the sonic boom. With aviation packing around nearly a billion passengers in 2019 alone, it is imperative that any radical change to the design of an aircraft undergo the most rigorous testing, with an eye for detail so intense that cellular level creatures should be concerned.

So why reinvent the wheel? Fuel efficiency. The Flying-V design is a form of a flying wing aircraft that has been under development for about six years now by researchers at Delft University of Technology and is financially backed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The goal is a 300+ passenger airliner that uses 20% less fuel than the modern tube-and-wing craft flying today. That’s a hell of a savings, and that’s why everybody on the ground is nervous for this remote-controlled scale model’s first flight. The blue-and-white model lifting off isn’t the first step in the program, but it’s a monumental one that might lead to a shakeup in aircraft design across the industry.


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