Classic flying boats lost popularity in the 1950s because they were inefficient compared with more aerodynamic airliners able to fly large numbers of passengers directly to land-based airports. However, as rules on pollution and noise get ever tougher, limiting expansion at many major airports, the flying boat could be on its way back. Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a design concept for a transatlantic flying boat that would move the low-level flight paths of large aircraft offshore, away from heavily populated areas. The design uses a blended wing body and looks far removed from classic flying boats with V-shaped hulls such as the Short Sunderland, the Saunders-Roe Princess or the Hughes H-4 Hercules 'Spruce Goose', but it does meet all airworthiness requirements.
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