I don't get how this can be more efficient than just making the towing plane slightly larger. Adding a 2nd plane will surely just add additional drag, even if it glides 90% of the time.
Ideally, gliders can be as big as the towing plane (or bigger) and more than double your capacity. That'd require rather massive size increases if you want to squeeze it all into one plane.
And bigger planes mean limits on what airports can be serviced. More weight per airplane puts even more limits on runways. (Just look at the A380's logistical tail.)
On the lower end, this could service remote communities that can't "just" enlarge their airport. On the higher end, it might save airports billions to fortify and enlarge runways.
At least in theory. We'll see how it goes in practice.
How do they land these gliders? Do they detach before landing, so each can land independently? I guess that'd lessen the requirements on the airport. I don't know how you take-off though, you'd probably need a slightly longer runway at least.
I would think that the following plane is encountering less drag by surfing the pressure waves of the first, because it is by definition moving into lower pressure air on the back of that wave, which offers less resistance. It seems like it's using the wasted energy that the first plane expended moving the air in the first place, while increasing the size of the first plane would waste even more energy.
There's no such thing as free energy though. "Less resistance" is not "no resistance", there's still drag on that 2nd plane and it's going to cost the 1st plane more energy to pull it. I think the extra energy to pull a 2nd plane would be greater than putting a longer body on the 1st plane because the air wouldn't need to flow over another nose and set of wings.
If you can't maintain separation you can't be in class A. Gliders only ever get special clearance in particular areas to even enter class A. Where are they going to fly this thing?
> Their latest test aircraft is known as the “flying piano” because of its poor gliding characteristics.
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