Airbus tests new smooth wing to cut fuel use by 4%
Company says after French test flight that saving may 鈥榮ound little, but for us this is huge鈥�
Airbus has flown the first test flight of new wings for its A340 that will cut CO2 emissions by 5% while maintaining all other flying characteristics of the plane.
The EU-sponsored Clean Sky 鈥楤lade鈥� project tests 鈥榣aminar flow鈥� over the wings and involved fitting new end segments to the A340 demonstrator that cut air friction on the wing by 50%.
If proved successful, the wings could produce fuel savings of 4% for short-haul aircraft and Charles Champion of Airbus said 鈥淚t sounds little, but for us this is huge.鈥�
The test aircraft, nicknamed Flight Lab, took off from Tarbes (Hautes-Pyr茅n茅es) where the 9m outer wing sections 鈥� one wing made by Saab and the other wing by GKN Aerospace 鈥� were fitted. It landed in Toulouse after the three-hour, 38-minute test.
Part of the aim is to replicate glider wings where the air flows evenly and parallel across the top of the wing 鈥� meaning no rivets or any other obstructions 鈥� and to use carbon fibre composites to cut the weight of the wing panel to further reduce fuel needs.
