• Airbus was inspired by the V-flights of wild geese, to carry out a flight of two A350s between Toulouse and Montreal this week.

  • This technique made it possible to save more than six tonnes of CO2 emissions and 5% of fuel, the following aircraft taking advantage of the wake of the leading aircraft.

  • A way to reduce CO2 emissions but also to reduce the kerosene bill.

If the wild geese fly in formation, often in a V, it is not for the good weather.

This is mainly because it saves their strength in this way when they have thousands of kilometers to cover in the heart of autumn, during the great migrations.

The leading bird slices through the air and creates a sort of suction in which its fellows slip, which have less effort to do.

An energy saving which gave Airbus the idea of ​​adapting it to its planes, increasingly looking for solutions to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

On Tuesday, for the first time, two A350s from the European aircraft manufacturer made a formation flight between Toulouse and Montreal, in Canada.

During this transatlantic, the two aircraft followed each other three kilometers apart, one being 300 meters lower than the other.

Did you happen to spot those two # A350 flying together on @ flightradar24?

Here's a slightly different view, for your eyes only 😉.

"Fello'w" us tomorrow for more!

pic.twitter.com/qMUlZCHL6O

- Airbus (@Airbus) November 8, 2021

“This was made possible thanks to the flight control systems developed by Airbus which position the follower aircraft safely in the upward wake of the lead aircraft, allowing it to reduce engine thrust and reduce fuel consumption. fuel, ”said Airbus in a press release.

Thus, more than six tonnes of CO2 emissions were saved during the trip, ie a saving of more than 5% of fuel.

Less emissions and financial gain

This is far from trivial in financial terms, knowing that an A350 can consume up to 60,000 liters between Paris and Pointe-à-Pitre. And even if it is already 25% less kerosene burnt than the planes of the previous generation. At a time when Airbus is trying to develop its “green” aircraft, this is one of the avenues that could emerge on long haul routes.

The actors who collaborate on this project “have proven that the technology of formation flight, with recovery of wake energy, experienced during a fello'fly flight can be achieved without compromising safety.

The demonstration also shows how this type of operation could considerably improve the environmental performance of commercial airplanes and contribute to the decarbonization objectives of the aeronautics industry, "suggests Airbus, which imagines deploying this system for passenger planes" to the middle of this decade ”.

It remains to persuade the air transport authorities of the merits of this new concept, and to obtain its certification.

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  • Fuel

  • emission

  • Global warming

  • energy

  • Toulouse

  • Airplane

  • Planet

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