Blended-Wing Airplane

A scale model of an experimental aircraft known as the Flying-V recently took flight in Germany. The unusual design features passenger seating, baggage and fuel tanks built into the wings, and would be capable of seating 314 passengers at full-scale.

Flying-V is part of a company initiative to improve sustainability. Research indicates that it could increase fuel efficiency by 20 percent over today’s most advanced planes. It’s also more aerodynamic than conventional aircraft.

This initial test flight revealed some difficulties with keeping the wings level due to their shape. However, the radio-controlled model performed as expected in terms of thrust, flight speed and angles. The data collected will be used to fine-tune a design for a second scale model.