The quiet community of Ngodini, just outside Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, South Africa, woke up to heartbreaking news that left neighbours and relatives in disbelief. Twelve-year-old Ayanda had always been the responsible one. As the eldest of three children, she helped her mother care for her younger siblings, eight-year-old Sipho and four-year-old Amahle. Their mother, Nomsa, worked hard to provide for them, often reminding her children that no matter how difficult life became, they should always love and protect one another. One cold winter morning, the children woke up as usual. Ayanda prepared breakfast while waiting for their mother to get up for work. Minutes turned into an hour, but Nomsa never came out of her bedroom. Ayanda gently knocked on the door. "Mama?" she called softly. There was no answer. She knocked again, louder this time. "Mama, it's morning. You have to wake up." Still, there was only silence. Growing worried, Ayanda tried opening the door. H...
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Lufthansa To Equip Entire Boeing 777F Fleet With Sharkskin Technology
Lufthansa and its cargo division are both seeking to make flying as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. The German flag carrier is now looking to nature to help achieve this goal, with the rollout of sharkskin technology targetted for the airline’s Boeing 777F fleet beginning next year.
Lufthansa Cargo is to apply sharkskin technology to its Boeing 777F fleet. Photo: Lufthansa Cargo
Nature has inspired the aviation industry in many ways. Typically the inspiration comes from flying creatures due to the common denominator between the two. It’s not just birds that have solutions for the industry, though. Some sea creatures are also being copied for their streamlined evolution. Now sharks are helping to make aviation even more efficient.
Sharks improving efficiency?
From next year, Lufthansa Cargo will be working with Lufthansa Technik to equip its entire fleet of Boeing 777F aircraft with sharkskin technology. But how can sharks help to make aircraft more efficient?
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AeroSHARK is a film applied to the surface of an aircraft. It resembles the fine structure of a shark’s skin. Lasers create a pattern of grooves in the top layer of the aircraft’s paint. These grooves are around 50 micrometers big and reduce the friction between the aircraft and the air while flying. In simple terms, due to the lower friction, the aircraft doesn’t need to work as hard to fly, leading to fuel savings.
The technology should cut CO2 emissions by 11,700 tons a year. Photo: Lufthansa Cargo
Interestingly, it seems as though these fuel savings won’t be insignificant. According to Lufthansa, the technology will reduce an aircraft’s drag by 1%. Across the fleet of ten Boeing 777F aircraft, the airline believes that it will save around 3,700 tons of jet fuel each year. This, in turn, will lead to a reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 11,700 tonnes. This would be comparable to canceling 48 freight flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai.
Commenting on the plan, Christina Foerster, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG with responsibility for sustainability,
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“We have always played a leading role in introducing environmentally friendly technologies. The new sharkskin technology for aircraft shows what strong and highly innovative partners can achieve collectively for the environment. This will help us to achieve our goal of climate neutrality by 2050.”
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Lufthansa is also using Sustainable Aviation Fuel for weekly flights to Shanghai. Photo: Lufthansa Cargo
Throughout the summer schedule, the airline estimates a reduction in CO2 emissions of 20,250 tons thanks to the initiative. This will save around 174 tons of regular jet fuel each week. While SAFs don’t get rid of emissions, they rely on carbon already in the ecosystem rather than adding new carbon previously locked away under the ground.
What do you make of this new sharkskin technology? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!
Content Manager – Degree educated in Aerospace Technology, this certified pilot is a passionate specialist in European aviation. Working closely with British Airways, Lufthansa and others, Tom provides commentary on topical issues for outlets including the BBC. Based in Frankfurt, Germany.
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