FTA: The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight
So no, they are not foldable today - the headline submitted to HN is total clickbait.
lisper 1 hours ago [-]
AFAICT they don't exist at all today. They are just renderings. So double clickbait. A more accurate title would be, "Airbus announces plans to develop foldable wing extensions, with non-foldable versions as the first step" or something like that.
nolok 10 minutes ago [-]
I mean the article is not lying about it only the title here, the title there is "Airbus launches new flight test programme for Wing of Tomorrow" and it's a press release for the start of a new program in their innovation area.
rconti 10 minutes ago [-]
"Airbus tests extended-length wings to see if it's worth developing the technology to produce folding versions of the same"
lisper 7 minutes ago [-]
No, they are not testing these wings in the present, they are planning to test them in the future:
"Over the next three years, Airbus will design, build and flight test full scale wing extensions."
We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten exponential enshittification of my google experience. Is AI going to unlock the detonation engine and bring down the cost of my plane ticket?
https://www.technologyreview.com/2012/11/23/181486/exploding...
Yeah that's uh, that's nothing. The orange part is supposed to be foldable somehow?
daemonologist 55 minutes ago [-]
My read is that they're announcing a plan to build non-folding wings to test the geometry they would eventually want with folding wings. Which makes sense but isn't very exciting.
flybrand 2 hours ago [-]
It begs for a video too!
mrhottakes 20 minutes ago [-]
The headline is just clickbait, no such product exists to be videoed.
gnabgib 2 hours ago [-]
Title: Airbus launches new flight test programme for Wing of Tomorrow
... doesn't look like there's any folding being tested here, just the resulting wing shape to see what the benefits might. Full scale foldable wings would be years off.
r2sk5t 2 hours ago [-]
You're right, it's a proof of concept: "The extensions, each measuring several metres, will replicate a folding wing in the fully extended position during a flight. They will be fitted with comprehensive testing equipment to capture behaviour in flight and evaluate how the longer wingspan impacts aircraft handling."
bilsbie 2 hours ago [-]
What’s the purpose of doing this? (Site won’t load for me)
a4isms 1 hours ago [-]
My 2c:
The goal is longer, thinner wings than usual. Long and thin wings are far more efficient—think gliders and the U2. But beyond a certain width, those wings become incompatible with existing airports and other facilities for handling commercial aircraft. So the idea is to mount folding extensions that are extended for flight, but likely fold when being hangered or navigating taxiways.
roryirvine 1 hours ago [-]
And, importantly, this programme is targetting the next generation of single-aisle aircraft.
It was hard enough to convince a few dozen of the world's largest airports to make the alterations needed to accommodate the A380's wings. Demanding similar changes at the thousands of smaller airports where A320-class planes land would be a non-starter.
OptionOfT 26 minutes ago [-]
Ground infrastructure.
E.g. for the 777X it fits in Category E. Without folding tips it would be in Category F. Less gates can accommodate Category F.
> The Wing of Tomorrow programme is centred around creating longer, lighter, and more slender wings to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn. The wing extensions will be assembled at Airbus’ Wing Technology Development Centre in the UK and flight tested in Toulouse.
jabl 37 minutes ago [-]
Operation from aircraft carriers, obviously. /s
sleepyguy 1 hours ago [-]
>The Wing of Tomorrow programme is centred around creating longer, lighter, and more slender wings to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn. The wing extensions will be assembled at Airbus’ Wing Technology Development Centre in the UK and flight tested in Toulouse.
I can't say for certain, but I believe Boeing may have explored this concept at some point. The idea would be to equip aircraft with mechanically extendable wingtips that could expand outward by several meters during flight and retract while on the ground.
The primary challenge is that most airport gates cannot accommodate aircraft with a significantly larger wingspan. Retractable wingtips would allow the aircraft to benefit from the improved aerodynamic efficiency and fuel savings of a longer wing in flight, while still fitting within existing gate infrastructure during boarding, deplaning, and parking.
SoftTalker 47 minutes ago [-]
Military aircraft have done this for decades to deal with the confined space on aircraft carriers. It's not a new idea, nor any kind of new technology.
om42 46 minutes ago [-]
Yeah, Boeing has the 777X that features folding wingtips. It still going certification and is looking like it'll be out next year (originally 2020).
bglazer 48 minutes ago [-]
Yes this is on the 777x, which is in pre-production and flight testing, seeking approvals from the FAA
r2sk5t 3 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
redsocksfan45 2 hours ago [-]
[dead]
4fterd4rk 2 hours ago [-]
Cool, but Boeing is doing it first with the 777X.
dr_faustus 2 hours ago [-]
Let's hope, it doesn't fall off...
dan353hehe 1 hours ago [-]
don't worry, they are built with: "very rigorous ... [areospace] engineering standards."
But if it does, we'll make sure the plane crashes outside the environment.
esskay 2 hours ago [-]
Cool, but then you'd be forced to fly on a Boeing.
fransje26 2 hours ago [-]
Is that the plane that is already 7 years late due to certification issues?
deweywsu 54 minutes ago [-]
This is the new reality for all airliners now that there are much more rigorous mandatory safety analyses in place. The 777-9 just happened to be on the edge of certification when they came along.
So no, they are not foldable today - the headline submitted to HN is total clickbait.
"Over the next three years, Airbus will design, build and flight test full scale wing extensions."
That's a meaningful improvement but not that big. Perhaps the limits to this kind of technology are ~50% fuel gain? https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/01/24/180345/hybrid-wi...
We've got AI, but I'm still waiting on exponential technological gains. So far I've mostly gotten exponential enshittification of my google experience. Is AI going to unlock the detonation engine and bring down the cost of my plane ticket? https://www.technologyreview.com/2012/11/23/181486/exploding...
... doesn't look like there's any folding being tested here, just the resulting wing shape to see what the benefits might. Full scale foldable wings would be years off.
The goal is longer, thinner wings than usual. Long and thin wings are far more efficient—think gliders and the U2. But beyond a certain width, those wings become incompatible with existing airports and other facilities for handling commercial aircraft. So the idea is to mount folding extensions that are extended for flight, but likely fold when being hangered or navigating taxiways.
It was hard enough to convince a few dozen of the world's largest airports to make the alterations needed to accommodate the A380's wings. Demanding similar changes at the thousands of smaller airports where A320-class planes land would be a non-starter.
E.g. for the 777X it fits in Category E. Without folding tips it would be in Category F. Less gates can accommodate Category F.
https://skybrary.aero/articles/icao-aerodrome-reference-code
I can't say for certain, but I believe Boeing may have explored this concept at some point. The idea would be to equip aircraft with mechanically extendable wingtips that could expand outward by several meters during flight and retract while on the ground.
The primary challenge is that most airport gates cannot accommodate aircraft with a significantly larger wingspan. Retractable wingtips would allow the aircraft to benefit from the improved aerodynamic efficiency and fuel savings of a longer wing in flight, while still fitting within existing gate infrastructure during boarding, deplaning, and parking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM