What is a clip-air modular plane in transportation?

Clip-Air is a groundbreaking idea because it is a creative technology that will change the way people think about transportation. The decoupled modular aircraft separates the transportation machinery – the aerial wing from its load – capsules that can take passengers, cargo, or fuel.

Clip-Air is putting the foundation for the future aviation technology that needs to be more flexible, closer to our needs, more efficient, and more energy-saving. Clip-Air is a workable technical challenge with consequences that go far beyond the airline industry.

Clip-Air has 2 components First, there is the flying component: a flying aircraft. And then there are capsules that load on a ship in a similar way to containers and attach to the flying module simultaneously. They can then act as a cabin or a cargo container, based on the design chosen. The advantage of Clip-Air is that it can also, be used as a railcar.

The Leonardi researcher of the EPFL states that "this would allow us to bring aircraft right into city areas. Passengers will be able to board their "flight" at the metro station. The train would then take the passenger modules to the airport, where they would be attached to the component of the flying wing. 

Passengers would not have to move to the aircraft or board separately; they just need to sit and relax at once. This will reduce travel stress and airports and airlines would get the advantage of time-saving. The modular design of the aircraft gives it the opportunity to respond flexibly to changes, according to Leonardi. e.g. You could board just the second class or the first class of this flight. This would avoid flying with a typically empty first-class cabin, which would be wasting of space and fuel.

It will also represent an advancement in rail transport, allowing passenger and cargo units to be carried simultaneously. The EPFL researchers have determined that a 60-meter wingspan aircraft could travel a distance of approximately 4,000 km. Under the primary wing structure, three modules comprising approximately 30 meters long and 4 meters in diameter could be transported, each of which conforms approximately to an Airbus A320 in size.

This provides space for 3 sets of 150 travelers or a wide amount of freight to move. According to Leonardi, substituting one of the three cargo units with an additional mobile fuel tank will also expand the Clip-Air capacity, which is an additional advantage. There is still a lot of the debate about the potential of the idea. Leonardi hopes that Clip-Air will soon become a commercial reality, but he understands that it is a long term goal.