Airbus X-Plane Will Test Inflight Folding Wingtips

今日の英語の習慣化の題材です。

Airbus社の次期 X-Plane(名称未定って事ですね)は翼の先端をFoldingできる、燃料節約型の航空機になるかもってな、記事です。

記事中に出てくる単語等は習慣化を続けていらっしゃる読者諸氏にはお馴染みの単語...
週末を過ごして英語勉強してみて下さい！

As manufacturers strive to reduce the fuel burn and emissions of their next generation of commercial airliners, longer wings are near the top of the list.

Extending the span would reduce cruise drag but could prevent aircraft using existing airport gates.

Enter the folding wingtip, already a feature of the in-development Boeing 777X. Airbus also is looking at folding wingtips, but a group within the manufacturer is planning to go a step further. If a folding wingtip is to be installed for ground use, why not use it in flight?

Increasing wing aspect ratio reduces lift-induced drag, which accounts for more than 30% of aircraft drag. Extending the span also increases wing weight but using the folding wingtip for load alleviation in gusts and maneuvers promises to minimize the weight penalty for higher aspect ratio.