Boeing 797
This is an interesting plane if Boeing actually decides to build it…
A 1,000 passenger plane that is faster than existing commercial jets (mach .88), and also more efficient because of the wing design.
.There are several big advantages to the blended wing design, the most important being the lift to drag ratio which is expected to increase by an amazing 50%, with overall weight reduced by 25%, making it an estimated 33% more efficient than the A380, and making Airbus’s $13 billion dollar investment look pretty shaky. High body rigidity is another key factor in blended wing aircraft, it reduces turbulence and creates less stress on the air frame which adds to efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 8800 nautical mile range with its 1000 passengers flying comfortably at mach .88 or 654 mph cruising speed (another advantage over the Airbus tube-and-wing designed A380’s 570 mph).
It’s looks a bit like a stealth bomber. Maybe they could further save costs by dropping smart bombs while making commercial passenger flights.
Damn awesome looking plane
Did you hear it was a fake story though – put on Digg, shot to the first page – a few hundred sites mentioned the story, the site itself got tons of traffic.
I agree with dropping smart bombs – maybe over Iran?