PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Aircraft to fly in formation 1.8 nm apart to save fuel like geese do
Old 19th Nov 2019, 14:47
  #3 (permalink)  
jimjim1
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Here
Posts: 961
Received 3 Likes on 2 Posts
I have seen geese myself meany times and assumed that there was an efficiency gain.

Turns out that 12% fuel saving has been achieved in tests with A380s. I assume that is for the following aircraft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_flying
"After A380s tests showing 12% savings, it launched its 'fello'fly' project in November 2019 for test flights in 2020 with two A350s, before transatlantic flight trials with airlines in 2021."

"Certification for shorter separation is enabled by ADS-B in oceanic airspace, and the only modification required would be flight control systems software. ... Commercial operations could begin in 2025"

Decent looking article here - https://aviationweek.com/dubai-air-s...lying-together
jimjim1 is offline