A radically different aircraft design has had a first airborne test with a scale model, and its developers at the University of Delft in the Netherlands have big smiles over the result.
Despite worries that it might be subject to 'rotation' on take-off, the 22.5 kilo model with a 3-metre wingspan—if you can really call that wingspan—worked just as the engineers hoped, with a take-off at 80 km/h. The only issue was a landing described as 'slightly rough;' like the Concorde, it needs to land with its nose high, on extra-long landing gear. The video below omits the landing.
Delft's partners and funders in the development include KLM and Airbus, which are both interested in the potential for a plane that could seat up to about 315 passengers while reducing fuel burn by about 20% through improved aerodynamics and lower weight.
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