A plane that can flap with the wing tips

With new technology, Airbus aims to reduce the effect of gusts and turbulence. The technicians were inspired by nature.

You are tall and have long, narrow wings. Up to 3.7 meters is the wingspan of albatrosses – which is more than any Other species of bird. And that's exactly why the engineers at Airbus are interested in the lovers, the sky over the oceans.

The experts have built a model airplane of around two meters in length. It is based on an Airbus A321 and wing-tips, the free to flutter in flight. As a result, the wings are lighter, longer, and the air resistance is lower. Albatros One Airbus calls the test plane.

Known in military aviation

This is not by chance. The Albatross can flap with the Ends of their huge flights. You do, if you fly in more turbulent zones or changes of direction are necessary. In flight the wings are fixed against it. So you could reduce the effect of gusts and turbulence, writes the manufacturer.

The concept is not new, Airbus. In military aviation it is to be applied already. "The test pilot is but the first, the free tested a flapping wing-tips in flight," says engineer Tom Wilson, who works for the group in Filton in the UK.

Now larger models

The Test have shown that the wing established, and free-flap work, so-Wilson. Now, he and his Team will continue to improve the technology and this results in a continuously larger model to build. "The next step will be to carry out further testing in order to combine both conditions – to unlock so the tips of the wings in flight and to observe the Transition," said Wilson.

Experts have been earlier birds. The Professor Christoph Brücker focuses on how the Falcon can be so reach high speeds. Boeing has missed out on the 777X and wing-tips, which can be opened – to need, however, only on the ground, on Gates and roll up less space.

In the above image gallery to see images of the Albatross, One of Airbus.

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