Delta testing new technology inspired by shark skin to improve fuel efficiency
Before their next fleet of "birds" take to the friendly skies, Delta Air Lines is looking to the ocean for inspiration.
Their goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. That means Delta is looking anywhere it can to make it happen.
"I think engineers have looked to nature for a long time for inspiration," said Sangita Sharma, director of Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab.
The airline has teamed up with MicroTau, an Australian aerospace company, to study the use of this special skin that can be applied to a plane to increase its fuel efficiency.
"It mimics shark skin, and it leverages these micro grooves to reduce a type of surface drag. That surface drag could lead to a fuel benefit of up to 4%," Sharma said.
She said 4% doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up with the airline burning 4 billion gallons of fuel each year.
"We'll do ground testing, and then we'll work our way towards on-wing testing and eventually live aircraft testing. So this process is actually multi-year, very long, because safety and reliability are first," Sharma said.
With all the testing and approvals needed by Delta, the Federal Aviation Administration and the aircraft's manufacturer, it'll be a while before you see the changes the next time you board. In the meantime, Sharma said they are still dedicated to being as eco-friendly as possible
"Our motto is 'no one better connects the world,' and we want to be able to continue connecting the world for the next 100 years, and we're not going to be able to do that unless we find a way to hit our net zero targets."
Delta has also teamed up with Airbus to test a new flying technique called "fello'fly." They're taking inspiration from migrating geese to help improve fuel efficiency even more. The next flight test phase for that project is slated for later this year.
