Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
For the 100 years or so of air transport, the form factor of airplanes has been essentially consistent: a fuselage, usually cylindrical, with attached wings and tail. While relatively simple to build, with a good strength to weight ratio, aerodynamically, this form factor is not the most efficient.
Eliminating the fuselage and building the aircraft as a flying wing has long been recognized as a path to greater efficiency and performance, and since the late 1940s, multiple flying wing designs have been proposed. Very few have made it into hardware, but a form of hybrid concept, called the blended wing body, appears to be a practical way to reduce drag, and consequently fuel burn, and commercial aircraft.
* * *
engineering.com TV:
Watch in-depth engineering videos made for the engineering professional and found exclusively on engineering.com TV:
Panel Expert Roundtables: engineering.com/category/watch/the-engineering-roundtable
For the Design Engineer: engineering.com/category/watch/designing-the-future
For the Manufacturing Engineer: engineering.com/category/watch/manufacturing-the-future
* * *
STEM GAMES:
Play some fun engineering-based STEM games on engineering.com:
engineering.com/games
* * *
#JetZero #BlendedWingBody #aviationindustry
For the 100 years or so of air transport, the form factor of airplanes has been essentially consistent: a fuselage, usually cylindrical, with attached wings and tail. While relatively simple to build, with a good strength to weight ratio, aerodynamically, this form factor is not the most efficient.
Eliminating the fuselage and building the aircraft as a flying wing has long been recognized as a path to greater efficiency and performance, and since the late 1940s, multiple flying wing designs have been proposed. Very few have made it into hardware, but a form of hybrid concept, called the blended wing body, appears to be a practical way to reduce drag, and consequently fuel burn, and commercial aircraft.
* * *
engineering.com TV:
Watch in-depth engineering videos made for the engineering professional and found exclusively on engineering.com TV:
Panel Expert Roundtables: engineering.com/category/watch/the-engineering-roundtable
For the Design Engineer: engineering.com/category/watch/designing-the-future
For the Manufacturing Engineer: engineering.com/category/watch/manufacturing-the-future
* * *
STEM GAMES:
Play some fun engineering-based STEM games on engineering.com:
engineering.com/games
* * *
#JetZero #BlendedWingBody #aviationindustry
