Many times when boarding large aircraft I have fantasised about having a cabin module instead of the waiting lounge, where passengers could take their places at leisure. When filled, the module would slide into the aircraft and lock into place just like the modular containers containing baggage. Now Swiss researchers are realising my fantasies with a futuristic concept for a modular aircraft consisting of
- A flying wing that includes the cockpit, the motors, and the fuel and
- Up to three flexible modules (capsules) that can carry either passengers, freight, or fuel.
Clip Air concept from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
They see their “Clip-Air” craft having modules where the maximum dimensions of each capsule would becomparable to the fuselage of an A320 with a maximum weight of 30 tons and a length of 30 meters (the length of a train wagon) and where:
- Dimensions of the flying wing: wing-span of 60 meters
- Motors: 3, identical to those of the A320 (Swiss version)
- Passengers: Together, the three modules can carry a total of 450 passengers.
The aircraft would allow passengers to board a module at a railway station and disembark at their destination without ever setting foot in an airport.
Rail transport’s flexibility in air transport?
How could this conundrum be unraveled? Clip-Air proposes a revolutionary air transport concept based on a flying wing that can carry mobile and interchangeable capsules. On the one hand, the Clip-Air plane is made up of a support structure including wings, engines, fuel and a cockpit. On the other hand, there is the load to be transported: passengers and freight.
The capsule is the equivalent to a conventional airplane’s fuselage, but without motors, without a cockpit, without fuel, without landing gear, or any of the other parts that usually make up a plane. The premise behind Clip-Air is to bring rail transport’s flexibility to air transport and to make airports reach all the way into railway stations.
Potential
Theoretical studies have shown Clip-Air’s potential in terms of transport capacity. In the scenarios that were analyzed, Clip-Air was able to transport more passengers than a standard fleet thanks to a more efficient allocation of the available capacity.
Based on various hypotheses, the estimated costs of Clip-Air are also competitive. In 89% of the analyzed cases, Clip-Air generates a profit. According to the model that is currently being considered, carrying passengers without combined cargo transport, Clip-Air is actually less expensive than a standard fleet, as long as it operates carrying three capsules. The architecture of modular aircraft is remarkably vast, and a flying wing carrying three capsules is but one possible choice. However, whether the aircraft is designed to carry one, two, or three capsules, its modularity is what makes this project strong.Architecture and design
How should a flying wing be designed? How can the capsules be made as functional as possible? The extraordinary challenge lies in finding the most adapted architecture that incorporates all of the compromises involved in achieving such a project. A team of engineers is working on finding the most optimal design, rethinking everything from the materials used to the details of the attachment system, so that the latest technologies can be leveraged whenever possible.
Energy
Clip-Air is revolutionary in its design, but it must also be so in its choice of fuel. In the current stage of the project, Clip-Air has clearly proven its potential to adapt to tomorrow’s renewable energy challenges. Numerous alternative paths have been explored internally and have demonstrated the utility of a modular architecture (with liquid hydrogen, biofuels, classical fuel).Security
The complete separation of the cockpit (located under the wing) and the passengers (in the capsules) opens new doors in terms of security with, most notably, a reduced risk due to the decoupling between the fuel reservoirs and the passengers.
Aeronautics
Aeronautical engineers assure that Clip-Air can fly, but many questions remain to be addressed. Future developments of the project will involve aerodynamic simulations and a six meters long flying prototype equipped with propulsion engines to explore the aircraft’s flight performance and the overall feasibility of the project.
Clip Air in “flight”: EPFL
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