4. The wing, an environmental forerunner

4.1 Nominal and extended missions

In its design mission, the wing would carry 800 passengers over 18,000 km at M = 0.5 and z = 20,000 ft. This represents a full load in terms of both fuel and payload. Of course, it is possible to adapt the mission to requirements by flying a little slower, less far, etc. This can be beneficial in terms of fuel consumption and payload. This can be beneficial in terms of structural fatigue and economic and environmental performance.

But we can do better. The CPG allows you to fly at very low altitude, and thus benefit from the ground effect. Of course, this can only be done over flat terrain, i.e. across the ocean. This perspective opens up the prospect of extremely economical and environmentally-friendly flights.

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