Vienna. The new “PrandtlPlane” aircraft takes shape one year from the start of the PARSIFAL project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. A 1:50 scale model of the configuration defined through the initial studies carried out at the University of Pisa and other partner sites of the project was created with the coordination of Professor Aldo Frediani, in charge of the research. The new configuration of the “PrandtlPlane”, with wings that “support” the fuselage both in the front and in the section closest to the tail, in addition to the known advantages in terms of aerodynamic drag reduction, will in fact transport up to about 50% more passengers for each individual flight, thus allowing an increase in travel traffic necessary to meet the demands of the market. It will maintain the same number of flights and full compatibility with airports that accommodate airplanes with the same wingspan. The model was presented in two of the main events taking place in Europe: the “Transport Research Arena (TRA-2018)” which took place in Vienna, April 16-19, and the “ILA Berlin Air Show (ILA) -2018) “, in Berlin, April 25 – 29, where a team of professors and Ph.D. students from the University of Pisa participated upon the explicit invitation of the European Commission, which hosted the model in its allocated exhibition stands (9colonne).
