Airplanes have had the same basic shape for decades now, a long barrel filled with passengers flanked by wings to lift them into the sky. A new aircraft being developed by a team of Dutch researchers, however, was successfully tested promising longer distances and better fuel efficiency.
A scale model of the Flying V, as the team from the Technical University of Delft calls it, successfully completed its first real test flight.
The shape of the aircraft, as the name suggests, is that of the letter V. Like most modern planes, it carries its fuel in the wings, but unlike planes, it also carries passengers in its wings.
According to the TU Delft, the Flying V’s improved aerodynamics helps to reduce weight as well as fuel consumption by up to 20 percent when compared with modern airliners.
The team has been doing extensive wind tunnel testing on the aircraft testing velocity and forces around the structure and weeding out any weak spots.
TU Delft says the next step is to compile the acquired data for a software model for tests in a simulation.
