This 'Flying train', with detachable wings, will change air travel forever!
The concept video also shows how the passenger/freight pod could be boarded independently from the wings, before being rolled out onto the tarmac to click the whole system together. And the pod would attach beneath the wings, which sit waiting with the engines on top. The future vehicle will use automatic alignment so everything fits together smoothly.
Who does not like to fly, or take the train, for that matter? Surely, we all do. So, how would you react to an offer to do both the things simultaneously? With joy and elation, surely. Well, the spectacular experience may well be on the way if things work out according to plan. Air travel is likely to witness the rolling out of a radical concept like ‘flying train’ and this would probably revolutionize the way we approach air and rail travel. Akka Technologies has disclosed its ‘Link & Fly’ aircraft design, envisioning a modular craft that relies on a passenger pod and detachable wings to speed up the boarding process, and make it easier than ever to get to and from the airport.
According to the stunning concept video, the company has demonstrated how such a system could work, with the option to carry either travelers or freight, and transform into a train car that makes drop-offs at local stations.
Akka Technologies was reportedly awarded best-film in the Product Marketing category at the Aerospace Festival Etoiles last fall for its remarkable Link & Fly simulation. The firm is hoping that the concept will catch the eye of aerospace companies who could integrate some of the technologies in future models, according to Bloomberg.
The concept video also shows how the passenger/freight pod could be boarded independently from the wings, before being rolled out onto the tarmac to click the whole system together. And the pod would attach beneath the wings, which sit waiting with the engines on top. The future vehicle will use automatic alignment so everything fits together smoothly.
The Bloomberg report said that Link & Fly might not come to fruition as a whole, but different components of the design could be used to improve air travel.
"Planes need to become more efficient, less polluting, and less noisy," CEO Maurice Ricci told Bloomberg Quint, adding "Our role is to point our customers to technologies of the future."
The video details a craft that can hit a maximum altitude of 39,800 feet, with a cruise speed of Mach 0.78 (or around 600 miles per hour).
Akka's Link & Fly concept craft reportedly measures 33.8 meters long and 8.2 meters high, with a 48.8 meter wingspan.
The concept by Akka is just the latest in a growing field of modular craft that can essentially go from the skies to the streets, said the report, adding that NASA and Uber earlier this year revealed that they would be joining forces on a flying taxi system that would operate in urban areas.
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Earlier this week, flying taxi startups Joby Aviation and Kitty Hawk have reportedly received $2 million in funding from the US military over the last year to get their ideas off the ground.
