A scaled version of the V-Wing made its first flight, showing that
alternative designs could become long-distance aircraft of the future.

A scale model of the “Flying-V”, an experimental aircraft design with huge
wings, took flight recently in Germany. The blended-wing aircraft concept is a
project by Delft Technical University (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, with
financial support by KLM Airlines. It was recently flown from a German airbase,
with the support of a team from Airbus.

The Flying-V was designed as a fuel-efficient, long-range aircraft in which the
passenger seating, fuel tanks and baggage hold are built into the wings.
Research shows that the unusual design stands to gain up to 20 percent better
fuel efficiency than an Airbus A350 jetliner, considered today’s most advanced
design. It’s also about 15 percent more aerodynamically efficient than
conventional aircraft. At full scale, the Flying-V would seat 314 passengers in
two classes.