Commercial flying- wing design? save fuel?Practical?

Question

would a Blended wing into body aircraft design, with modern avionics, be an attractive alternative to traditional A/C design. As we have the B-2 working, and has used (fly by wire) technology to fly long distances,safely, would it work with a commerical design (of course scaled up, seating through the wing, as in the Northrop civilian mock ups on the B-49).

I would think with the efficencies of the flying wing, this would be an tremdous savings in fuel costs etc...

Answer 1

The "flying wing" concept has many small advantages, and the Northrop flying wing airliners designed in the late 1940s looked pretty appealing.  They provide some potential operating economies, and the issues of control and stability are completely resolved under today's fly-by-wire technology.

I can think of two problems:

One, as previously mentioned, is that the typical jetway in use today could not accommodate the flying wing shape.  This could probably be resolved by using retractable stairs under the passenger compartments, and transporting passengers to the gate by bus.

The other is that today's large airliners make extensive use of spoilers, speed brakes, and other "barn doors" that are useful in short field operations.  Without these, the flying wing is limited to very long runways, as the B-49 and the B-2 are.

Unfortunately, the airplane needs some moment arm (distance back to the elevators) to allow the control forces to be adjusted for.  The flying wing does not provide enough moment arm.  It's possible this can be compensated for, but it is not clear from here how it would be done.

The overall idea is worth exploring, though, and from time to time it is brought up again.

Answer 2

Airport gates, loading bridges, and jetways are designed for cigar-shaped aircraft.

Answer 3

The biggest issue with blended wing isn't aerodynamic adjustments for spoilers/flaps, or the logistics of airports and parking ramps/gates. With each new technology, airlines and airports have adapted or created ways to cope (look at how many airlines now use jetbridges that connect to regional jets as one example, or how the A380 is being accomodated at airports around the globe as another).

The biggest issue that I see, is the consumer aspect of such an aircraft. Unless a blended wing aircraft is divided into private compartments similar to a sleeper car on a train, who's going to want to fly in the belly of a blended wing? It's bad enough right now to be stuck in the middle seat on a 737 (with only one person on each side of you). It's even worse on a widebody jet where you have 3-4 seats between you and a window.

Can you imagine sitting in a seat where every direction you looked, there were only people? That alone would probably make people very susceptible to airsickness and anxiety attacks.

While there are benefits to the concept, there are reasons why the blended wing never really took off (no pun intended). Simply put, more "traditional" airliners can meet the needs and expections of all of the various parties and end users.

Answer 4

Maybe there are fuel efficencies but would you really want to ride that type of aircraft? Isn't it bad enough to sit in the middle of a cigar type aircraft? Who would be the person really to sit in the middle of an aircraft like that. You would be very far away from the windows and how you would land the palne is also a problem.

Answer 5

There have already been design studies along this line,but the biggest resistance has come from passengers who want their windows. Once they figure their way around this problem you might see a flying wing design in production due to the benefits it will bring in fuel savings and design and manufacture cost savings.