....amid growing 'flight shame' over their environmental impact
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...emissions.html
Airbus is planning to test the flight technology with two A350s within six
months
The formation is inspired by migrating birds and could change air travel
Planes will be flying closer to each other and riding on each other's air upwash
Planes could soon by flying in V-shape formations like migrating birds in a bid
to save fuel and emissions.
Airbus says flight technology is now mature enough to use the formation which
would allow aircraft to effectively ride on the coattails of each other.
The tactic is often seen in cycling where racers 'draft' behind leaders of the
racing peloton, following in their slipstream.
Within six months, two A350 planes will make a long-haul formation flight to
prove the so-called 'wake energy retrieval' can be accomplished, according to
The Times.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/n...ions-kjclrmd5r
Then early in 2021, an airline will pair two jets, with the second flying nearly
two miles from the first, on a transatlantic passenger route.
Within five years, airlines will be encouraged to use the formation in a bid to
save up to 10 per cent of fuel, lowering costs, as well as lowering carbon
emissions.
For every tonne of fuel saved, three tonnes less carbon dioxide will be left in
the plane's trail.
It comes amid a growing trend of moral objection to flying by plane among
environmentalists, with climate activist Greta Thunberg famously sailing to and
from the US.
She popularised the Swedish term flygskam, meaning flight shame, to discourage
others from flying due to its environmental impact.
For the new formation to fly, passengers will need to be convinced of the safety
of flying far closer to other jets than is currently allowed.
Dr Sandra Bour Schaeffer, chief executive of Airbus UpNext said: 'We've known
about the efficiency of migratory birds for a long time.
'The air is smooth and easy to ride and does not impact the comfort of
passengers. There is huge potential in it.'
The Airbus plan, called Fello'fly, is the latest in an attempt for flight
engineers to recreate the flight of birds.
Formation flying will depend on precise co-ordination of flight paths and use
satellite positioning to ensure planes are separated enough.
There is no theoretical limit to the number of planes taking part but traffic
will have to be managed by controllers.
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