Fuel Efficient Aircraft

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have come up with a new fuel efficient aircraft on that may revolutionize the airline industry.  Their new design calls for a long flexible wing that allows the wing to bend and reduce the drag of the aircraft at higher speeds.  This would lead less fuel being used and less fuel means cheaper airline tickets.  Their design can improve the fuel efficiency of modern aircraft by up to 10 percent.  This means massive saving to the airlines whose major expense is fuel.  This allows for airlines to reduce their operating cost and pass the savings to the consumer.  We see a major push for more fuel-efficient aircraft over the traditional quad-jet airliners.  We see Delta Airlines fazing out their fleet of 747s as well as United Airlines.  Instead, they are favoring cheaper 787 and A350 mid-sized long-range plane.  With the retirement of all quad-jets looming and the production of new 747s and A380s, it seems that we will see a day where Boeing and Airbus will only sell twin engine aircraft.  Though there was once a time when the FAA would not let twin engines fly accross the oceans and with this regualtion we saw the rise of tri-jets like the MD-11 and the L-1011.  Once the FAA repaled their rulling and allowed twin engine jets to fly accorss the ocean tri-jets and quard-jets were fazed out for the newer and fuel effecient twin engines.  And with this design it seems that it will happen threten to kill off all the old gas guzleing planes.  With this airplane wing the airlines will be allowed to fly further and more effient making it cheaper and safer.  With the wing being made out of carbon fiber polomers it allows the wing to way less than thw traditional aluminum wing which ways significaly more.  As we see the avaibility of carbon fiber we may see an end to the time where the entire plane will be made out of plastic material.  As aviation designs move foward we will see better and cleaner jets become the new workhorse of the industry.

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