because climate matters
Aircraft wings and the battle for efficiency
1. Wing defines aircraft
Sturdy, short and swept for speed or delicate, long and straight for efficiency? During the past 70 years, the airliner’s wing geometry hasn’t changed much. Advanced materials allow nowadays light-weighted and delicate designs and all current airliners are optimised for high subsonic speeds, e.g. 900 km/h / M 0.85. Why is this so? Continue reading “The Wing”
Jet airliner’s engines slow evolution towards fuel efficiency
1. Early jet engines
Above formula shows thrust depending on the mass of air passing through the engine and on the (excess) speed at which this air leaves the engine’s nozzle. Early jet airliners used engines which ejected all air with a very high velocity thought their nozzles. These engines were most effective at speeds close to the speed of sound, e.g. Mach (M) 0,85. Continue reading “The Jet-Engine”
Low prices for fuel and CO2 emissions make airlines focus on fuel-thirsty speeds
1. Airlines always get what they want
Aircrafts are designed around an airline’s business plan. Designers optimise an aircraft’s fuselage, it’s wings and engines to fly with a specific speed to gain an airline the highest profits. The higher it’s speed, the more fuel an aircraft consumes, but the lower are it’s other costs. Continue reading “The price for kerosene defines the airliners that are built”
Cheap kerosene makes airlines fly kerosene-spoiling fast to safe costs for maintenance
Aircraft maintenance costs go by the hour. The faster the flights, the lower the maintenance costs. Airlines prefer to consume more fuel and fly at higher speeds instead of saving fuel when prices are low.