What’s the purpose of doing this? (Site won’t load for me)
Operation from aircraft carriers, obviously. /s
Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
31–40 of 60 posts
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#32It looks like you can get ~10-20% efficiency gain from these kinds of wings.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/11/18/175391/folding-w...
That's a meaningful improvement but not that big. Perhaps the limits to this kind of technology are ~50% fuel gain? https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wi...
We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten exponential enshittification of my google experience. Is AI going to unlock the detonation engine and bring down the cost of my plane ticket? https://www.technologyreview.com/2012/11/23/181486/exploding...
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
don't worry, they are built with: "very rigorous ... [areospace] engineering standards." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM
The wing isn't supposed to fall off, for a start!
But if it does, we'll make sure the plane crashes outside the environment.
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#34What’s the purpose of doing this? (Site won’t load for me)
Ground infrastructure.
E.g. for the 777X it fits in Category E. Without folding tips it would be in Category F. Less gates can accommodate Category F.
https://skybrary.aero/articles/icao-aerodrome-reference-code
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#35Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#36FTA: The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight So no, they are not foldable today - the headline submitted to HN is total clickbait.
AFAICT they don't exist at all today. They are just renderings. So double clickbait. A more accurate title would be, "Airbus announces plans to develop foldable wing extensions, with non-foldable versions as the first step" or something like that.
"Airbus tests extended-length wings to see if it's worth developing the technology to produce folding versions of the same"
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#37FTA: The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight So no, they are not foldable today - the headline submitted to HN is total clickbait.
AFAICT they don't exist at all today. They are just renderings. So double clickbait. A more accurate title would be, "Airbus announces plans to develop foldable wing extensions, with non-foldable versions as the first step" or something like that.
I mean the article is not lying about it only the title here, the title there is "Airbus launches new flight test programme for Wing of Tomorrow" and it's a press release for the start of a new program in their innovation area.
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
AFAICT they don't exist at all today. They are just renderings. So double clickbait. A more accurate title would be, "Airbus announces plans to develop foldable wing extensions, with non-foldable versions as the first step" or something like that.
"Airbus tests extended-length wings to see if it's worth developing the technology to produce folding versions of the same"
No, they are not testing these wings in the present, they are planning to test them in the future:
"Over the next three years, Airbus will design, build and flight test full scale wing extensions."
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#39It looks like you can get ~10-20% efficiency gain from these kinds of wings. https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/11/18/175391/folding-w... That's a meaningful improvement but not that big. Perhaps the limits to this kind of technology are ~50% fuel gain? https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wi... We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten e…
20% would be an absolutely massive accomplishment. Think about how many decades of incremental improvement have gotten us to the efficiencies we have today.
Re: Full Scale Foldable Wing Extensions
#40It looks like you can get ~10-20% efficiency gain from these kinds of wings. https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/11/18/175391/folding-w... That's a meaningful improvement but not that big. Perhaps the limits to this kind of technology are ~50% fuel gain? https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wi... We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten e…
20% efficiency means you can open single isle flights on 25% longer distances, which open a lot of routes that are not profitable with regular long haul planes.
I've flown on the A321LR a few times, and it's always crazy to think about that tiny plane cruising over the Atlantic without stops.