Abstract:
This paper presents an investigation of the fuel cost reduction effects of formation flight when applied to two different type aircraft. The first case is a general aviation case with a Cessna 152 and a Cessna 182 in staggered formation. The second case is a commercial transport with two Bombardier Dash-8 in staggered formation. The method used to analyze the induced drag is a vortex lattice method which keeps both aircraft in trim throughout the simulation. The total drag reduction for the trailing aircraft was found to be 4.4 % and 8 % for the two cases respectively this would reflect in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. In order to assess the effects of the cost of setting up the formation, a trade study in operational logistics was made for a sample route where flights between Stockholm/London and Linkoping/Amsterdam joined up mid-flight for a fractional formation flight. Formation flying with its integrated logistics can be optimized and sustained for this route, assuming fuel represent about 50 % of the direct operating costs of air cargo freight transportation.
