: Sep 14, 2020 -
: 1:58 pm
A scale model of the KLM & TU Delft Flying-V has successfully completed its maiden flight from an airbase in Germany.
The design of the energy-efficient aircraft of the future was announced 1.5 years back by TU Delft and KLM during IATA 2019. A scale model of the aircraft was presented by KLM for the first time during KLM’s 100th anniversary in October 2019. Airbus is now one of the partners involved in the project.
“We were very curious about the flight characteristics of the Flying-V. The design fits within our Fly Responsibly initiative, which stands for everything we are doing and will do to improve our sustainability. We want a sustainable future for aviation and innovation is part of that. KLM has been among the top three most sustainable airlines worldwide in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for many years. We want to continue to do so in the future. We are therefore very proud that we have been able to achieve this together in such a short period of time,” says Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM.
You can’t make the aviation sector more sustainable on your own, but you have to do it together,” says Elbers. “Collaborating with partners and sharing knowledge takes us all further. That’s why we will further develop the Flying-V concept with all partners. The next step will be to fly the Flying V on sustainable fuel.”
The Flying-V is a design for a very energy-efficient long-haul aircraft, which integrates the passenger cabin, cargo hold and fuel tanks in the wings, creating a spectacular V-shape.
Computer calculations have predicted that the improved aerodynamic shape and reduced weight of the aircraft will reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent compared to today’s most advanced aircraft.
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