Variable wing camber for transport aircraft

Abstract The long-term increasing fuel prices and their relatively large share in the Direct Operating Costs on the one hand and the continuously changing market requirements with respect to payload, range etc. on the other hand are a challenge for aeronautical research and aircraft design respectively. At present the aircraft manufacturers solution is the development of an increasing number of variants and derivatives, although this is not always the most economical way to solve the problem. Thus it is desirable to find technologies which not only provide potentials for performance improvements but also increase the operational flexibility for new aircraft designs. The variable wing camber concept described in this paper represents a promising contribution to this target. In detail the discussion concentrates on basic phenomena, various wind tunnel results with wings of different camber, wing design philosophy, systems requirements and finally the benefits of new wing concept.