Design Aspects of Passenger Box Wing Aircraft

Abstract

Future passenger aircraft strive for less fuel consumption, but their design is driven by the requirement at airports of a maximum of e.g. 36m wing span for short/medium range aircraft. A box wing aircraft staying within the 36m limit could achieve a drastic reduction in induced drag and hence fuel consumption. Indeed, box wing aircraft have been considered since decades, but so far very little has been done proposing a type that can be certified and is suitable to be used by airlines. This investigation selects the best configuration from a modified morphological analysis, looks at performance, aerodynamic and longitudinal static stability, cabin/fuselage layout, family concepts and ground handling. A model of such proposed aircraft was built with rapid prototyping. With all this, the presented material and facts should serve as a baseline for a realistic discussion about the chances of a box wing configuration to be the next generation short/medium range aircraft.