Really big wings.

[3WE]

Why don't they make airplane wings really huge- especially long wings.

If they were big enough, planes could fly at 20 miles per hour and then if they crashed, the crashes would be much more survivable.

Not only that, but really long wings are very efficient. There could probably be a big fuel savings.

[KGEG]

Then every airport would have to redo its parking and all that jazz to prevent collisions.

[guamainiac]

Imagine the hangar. Basically what you have just proposed is a scaled up Grob or any sailplane.

Yep and you have just doubled the size of all the passenger gates and any service areas so any airport would be two or three times the size.

[ced ampo]

Why don't they make airplane wings really huge- especially long wings.

If they were big enough, planes could fly at 20 miles per hour and then if they crashed, the crashes would be much more survivable.

Not only that, but really long wings are very efficient. There could probably be a big fuel savings.

Think ground space...

[SYDCBRWOD]

3 bites... That's pretty good fishing....

[guamainiac]

I almost did the "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz line spools" and then thought .. be polite.

[3WE]

3 bites... That's pretty good fishing....

The ironing is that I was fishing for discussions that "everything is a trade off"....Ok, I guess that IS what I got, just a slightly different angle.....Yeah trading lives for parking spaces on the ground.....damn, those penny-pinching airlines!

[AirRabbit]

No ... actually 20 miles an hour makes good sense ... that way everyone could get to their destinations about 3 times as slow as they could by driving ... and almost 4 times as fast as walking, and it would cost only 50 times what it would to drive, and ... well, I don't know how much it might cost to walk - lets see ... shoes wear out at, what ... a couple of hundred miles? ... one could always eat at fast food restaurants to save both time AND money ... so ... that would be ... um ... 3 meals a day at an average of 6 quid a day ... uh ... oh ... this may take a while ....

[UncleFire]

What the heck? This isn't a serious question is it?

But I'll go with the flow...

Think about the cost...
Think about the weight of the wing...
Think about how useless it would be to have a passenger plane that goes 20kts on the low end (could it even cruise at a decent speed)

oy vey.

[Luka]

What the heck? This isn't a serious question is it?

But I'll go with the flow...

Think about the cost...
Think about the weight of the wing...
Think about how useless it would be to have a passenger plane that goes 20kts on the low end (could it even cruise at a decent speed)

oy vey.

- Okay, this COULD be a serious question...
The big wing prob could be largely fixed with folding wings, many ways one can fold a wing. The drag from a big wing would increase and of course one could only go slow or one would rise and rise!
It does raise the question instead of Big Slats...a slat that could effectively double (or more if the slats had slats) the wing area would indeed mean a slower landing speed (Someone correct me if i'm wrong). And a lower landing speed means a lower momentum co-efficient thus, less damage and destruction in a crash. The Big Slat would mean a thicker, heavier wing, that has to be taken into consideration too...

[3WE]

Think about how useless it would be to have a passenger plane that goes 20kts...

Think about how deadly it is to crash at 500 mph.

[guamainiac]

Actually, a really long 20 mile an hour wing and the thing would have no sex appeal. How many romantic ballads, poems or exciting stories have ever been written about the Schweizer 2-33?

The Karl Malden nose of aircraft and ... well it ain't too far from a 747 if you drop to one knee and squint sideways?

[Luka]

Actually, a really long 20 mile an hour wing and the thing would have no sex appeal. How many romantic ballads, poems or exciting stories have ever been written about the Schweizer 2-33?

The Karl Malden nose of aircraft and ... well it ain't too far from a 747 if you drop to one knee and squint sideways?

- Hey! Whats wrong with Karl Malden?...Okay if he painted his nose and wacked an orange afro wig on he'd have a new career, but still...

"oh i'd love to fly, you and me...
in a bright red Schweizer, 2...3...3."

Haven't heard that one?

[guamainiac]

Or .

Come flug mit me Luka

In my Junkers 87 Stuka

We can bomb across the countryside and

[Luka]

Or .

Come flug mit me Luka

In my Junkers 87 Stuka

We can bomb across the countryside and

- Totally works for me man! Got some targets already marked...