The ‘Flying V’ Aerodynamic Airplane Makes Successful Maiden Flight
By: Jesús Salazar
Tags: Ideas, Transportation, Technology, Energy, Innovation

The Flying-V

In the Flying-V — originally an idea of TU Berlin student Justus Benad during his theory venture at Airbus Hamburg — the traveler lodge, load hold, and fuel tanks are coordinated into its wing structure.

The plan isn’t up to an Airbus A350, yet it has a similar wingspan. This permits the Flying-V to utilize the current foundation at air terminals, for example, entryways and runways.

The Flying-V conveys about a similar number of travelers — 314 in the standard design — and a similar measure of load, 160 m3. Undertaking pioneer at TU Delft, Dr. Roelof Vos: “The Flying-V is more modest than the A350 and has less inflow surface zone contrasted with the accessible measure of volume. The outcome is less opposition. That implies the Flying-V needs less fuel for a similar distance.”

“One of our worries was that the aircraft might have some difficulty lifting-off since previous calculations had shown that ‘rotation’ could be an issue,” Roelof Vos, assistant professor at the aerospace engineering faculty of the Delft’s University of Technology, who led the project, explained in a statement.

“The team optimized the scaled flight model to prevent the issue but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You need to fly to know for sure,” he said.

Distantly controlling the airplane, specialists figured out how to take off at a speed of 80 km, while the airplane’s flight speeds, points, and push were as arranged, they noted.

Marleen Hillen, MSc Aerospace Engineering / Photo by (www.tudelft.nl)

“We will continue to hear and see a lot of the Flying-V in the near future.”

Marleen Hillen, MSc Aerospace Engineering, MSc Track: Flight Performance and Propulsion

Specialists endeavored to upgrade the plane: so as to improve telemetry, the group had to change the airplane’s focal point of gravity and change its receiving wire.

There is still work to be done to refine the aircraft before it could take to the skies with passengers aboard: researchers said that the test flight showed that the aircraft’s current design allows for too much “Dutch roll,” which causes a rough landing.

The student found the practical part of the project particularly enjoyable. First, he had to laminate the nacelle, the housing of the engine, himself, after which he could take the measurements in the wind tunnel.

Van Empelen: “One of the biggest challenges was the strict deadline. You only have a short time slot in the wind tunnel, so you have to prepare every single detail in advance.”

Van Empelen’s research provides a solid basis for further extensive research into the aerodynamic behavior of the Flying-V’s landing gear and winglets. Meanwhile, the Flying-V has been further developed and the first test flight has successfully taken place

Sjoerd Van Empelen, MSc Aerospace Engineering / Photo by (www.tudelft.nl)

“Hopefully, we will see the plane fly full-scale someday in the future.”

Sjoerd Van Empelen, MSc Aerospace Engineering, Track: Flight Performance and Propulsion

Specialists intend to utilize the information gathered from the practice run for a streamlined model of the airplane, permitting them to program it in a pilot test program for future tests and to improve flights.

The group will direct more tests on the model and would like to give the Flying-V supportable drive, given that the plan fits conveying fluid hydrogen rather than kerosene.