The PARSIFAL Project is also composed of a part of Italy.
A group of engineers from the University of Pisa is in fact testing the model of an aircraft of the future.
The main objective of PARSIFAL is to establish the scientific and engineering basis for improving the civil air transport of the next future by introducing an innovative aircraft, known as “PrandtlPlane”, into service. The project is focused on the medium size commercial aircraft category, in which the adoption of the PrP configuration can confer to aircraft with the same overall dimensions and fuel consumption of a A320/B737 the payload capacity of a A330/B767.
In addition, a further objective of PARSIFAL is to develop the design tools that would allow to investigate the application of the PrP configuration to other aircraft categories, such as the ultra-large airliners, for which the PrP can provide a huge increase of payload (passengers and freight), keeping the dimensions fully compatible with existing airports.
“In fact we are developing it to enter service in 2035 so it means that we are designing it taking into account the technologies that are currently operating and those that are in an advanced state of development.” It is a futuristic aircraft, but not so futuristic as to remain in the covers of a book “, concludes Dr. La Rocca, researcher in advanced design methods at the Technical University of Delft.
In particular, the University of Pisa took over the WP2 phase of the Parsifal project:
- To analyze the challenge of adopting a new aircraft configuration under several points of view, such as regulations, end user needs, airlines and airports perspectives, industrial opportunities;
- To define a set of requirements for the introduction of PrPs in the present Air Transport System, i.e. the economic environment in which both aircraft manufacturers, airlines and airport management companies act together in order to provide specific air transport services;
- To implement the contributions provided by the Advisory Board.
In this video the story of the project ( here for the official website)
