Radical new Boeing aircraft takes flight

Båseline SG

The company's new blended-wing plane prepares for its first test, carrying with it the airline's hopes for fuel-saving planes.

It would be a dream come true for the airline industry: A plane that uses up to 30 percent less gas to reach its destination, compared with today's jets.

That's the promise of the blended-wing, a radically new kind of aircraft set to take to the skies for the first time this month. Originally conceived by McDonnell Douglas and developed by NASA, the blended-wing merges fuselage and wings and eliminates the tail, reducing drag. That makes it vastly more fuel-efficient than regular "tube-and-wing" jets, according to Boeing (Charts) engineer Norm Princen.

His X-48B blended-wing prototype, now on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, is only about a 10th the size of the 240-foot-wingspan craft he hopes to build. But the Pentagon is watching keenly. "Blended-wing technology can cost-effectively fill many roles required by the Air Force," says Capt. Scott Van-Hoogen of the Air Vehicles Directorate. As a tanker, for example, it could refuel two planes in midair at the same time.

Read the rest of the article over HERE.

polarsnake SG

Hmmm... that's quite a breakthrough. But eliminating the tail? I think manuveuring the plane would be very much different from the current commercial jets that the world has...

Unless i'm mistaken.. are they are using it solely for military purposes?

Pitot SG

its at a model stage now.. see how it goes..

blended wings have already proven themselves..

The 787 is also on track! Will post a thread on it as the prototype first flight date nears ! Mr. Green

pics of the blended wing project..

although we shld expect the design to change as it progresses..

SingaporeMacross SG

hmm... unless they can get enough orders for this new design, they probably won't be able to recover their R&D costs fast enough.

And I wonder if the savings in fuel will be rendered obsolete by the cost of the plane.

^tamago^ SG

no more window seats Crying or Very sad

polarsnake SG

Fuel cost savings ar... probably would be getting quite a number of deals... that is if the cost of the plane doesn't put off the buyers..

polarsnake SG

The design is subjected to change. But judging by the design.. you'd probably only be able to look up, not down or to the sides. Laughing

Pitot SG

polar! Mr. Green

polarsnake SG

Pitot! Mr. Green

SingaporeMacross SG

whoa....

the future is here.... Mr. Green

^tamago^ SG

Polar-polar! Mr. Green

polarsnake SG

Ok, this is getting embarassing Embarassed

Meia Gisborn SG

True.

The flight control surfaces would probably closely resemble those of the B2 "Stealth" bomber currently in the USAF inventory. Split "elevons" (movable surfaces combining the functions of elevator and aileron) on the trailing edge of the wing would move in tandem and differentially for pitch and roll control respectively; yaw control would be achieved by splitting the outboard elevons to increase drag on one wing and induce a yawing motion.

(If I am not mistaken, Concorde used elevons for pitch and roll control, as it lacked a conventional horizontal stabilizer and elevator.)

Edited: Alamak! Dunno what I was thinking when I typed ailevator. I meant to type elevon. Corrections made. Embarassed

polarsnake SG

Edited: oh.. ok i get it now Embarassed

kopiosatu SG

ooh. like the B2 "Spirit".