KLM & TU Delft's Flying-V future plane takes first test flight

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A scale model of the Flying-V, a new aircraft design that Dutch national carrier KLM hopes could revolutionise air travel, took its first successful test flight earlier this week in the skies above Germany. 

Developed after two years of collaboration between engineers from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and KLM, the Flying-V integrates several formerly separate parts of a traditional aircraft in its one piece fuselage and wing structure including the cargo hold, passenger cabin and fuel tanks, forming a V-shape. 

The improved aerodynamic design enables it to use present infrastructure at airports, such as runways and cabins, whilst burning 20% less fuel than today's most advanced aircraft, the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

For the test flight, the team built a scale model of the Flying-V, three metres in width and weighing 22.5 kg, which required the pilot to take-off, perform a number of test manoeuvres until the battery was almost empty, and then land.

In a statement, project leader Dr. Roelof Vos said: “One of our worries was that the aircraft might have some difficulty lifting-off, since previous calculations had shown that ‘rotation’ could be an issue. The team optimised the scaled flight model to prevent the issue but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You need to fly to know for sure.”

The statement also added that the model was able to take off easily after it reached 80 km per hour, but there was still more work to be done on the landing, which it described as "slightly rough".

The Flying-V's design requires it to land in a similar fashion to the Concorde, with its nose high, which means the landing gear needs to be extra long.

The team at Delft University aim to make air travel more sustainable and are also looking at ways in which fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems could be utilised to lower carbon emissions. 

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