There is a part with a house, but how to transport it? Just make the biggest plane in the world (already done!)

Radia Presenta concept of the world’s largest Windrunner aircraft, which will be built in a few years.

This is a cargo aircraft that was created for the purpose of delivering blades for wind farms.

Despite the narrow specialization, Radia has no doubt that the project will be successful. There are several reasons for this, but first things first.

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• Which cargoes are delivered cheaper by plane?
  How long does it take to create the world’s largest aircraft?
  When will the most finished large aircraft in history be available?

Transporting blades by plane will cost less than by car

With the exception of the Large Hadron Collider, there has never been a facility in history that has created structures that are larger than today’s giant wind turbines. For example, some offshore wind turbines have a flight speed of 140 meters.

One of the reasons why such giant objects are in the water and not on land is because it is impossible to make blades of this size on the road.

The turns are too narrow and the bridges and junctions are too low. Even transporting shovels half the size is a logistical nightmare.

In addition to the fact that it is necessary to find a prepared car, trailer, driver, block roads and coordinate transportation with all services, there will still be many factors during the transportation process that will complicate transportation.

You’ve probably seen a video of blades being transported and understood what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t noticed, take a look at the videos below to see the whole couple of problems.

A logical question arises: if large blades are so difficult to transport, isn’t it easier to make them smaller and compensate for their increase with increased generator power? In short, no.

In wind power, size really matters. The main characteristic of a wind farm is how much energy it can reduce, and the longer its blades, the more energy will be output.

The fact is that the part of the blades that is further from the base provides more energy. Thus, If you want more performance you will have to add blades.

If wind generators located on Earth were the size of me that operated in water, the station could harvest more energy at an increased cost.

Currently, only shovels up to 70 meters long can be transported on roads, but their length increases every year. Since shipping large blades is now a very difficult task, the idea of ​​the Radia Windrunner was born – an aircraft that can transport the largest blades in the world.

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Radia has been developing Windrunner since 2016

The Windrunner is a unique aircraft in many ways. Its length is 108 meters, which already makes it the largest aircraft in the world.. He learned to transport loads up to 105 meters long and 7.3 meters in diameter. This Windrunner has a huge cargo hold.

In terms of length, the Windrunner has no competitors among modern aircraft. Currently, the largest aircraft is the Airbus A340-600, which is 75.36 meters long. The previous record holder An-225 Mriya had a length of 84 meters, but it, unfortunately, was destroyed in 2022.

The plane is set up in such a way that the nose is raised up to make it easier to load it. The maximum payload is a whopping 72,575 kg and the cargo compartment volume is approximately 8,200 m3. This is times more in the family than in Mriya.

But the largest blades are so large that Windrunner can only carry one at a time. The plane can also make small blades, which are also difficult to transport on roads. So, Windrunner learned to place four blades at a height of 21 meters.

Flight range – 2000 km. But this disadvantage is compensated by the advantage. A windrunner can take off and land on a relatively short runway. length 1.8 km. For this comparison, conventional passenger aircraft use runways that are 30% to 110% longer, despite being much smaller than the Windrunner.

This connection allows one runway to be as close as possible to the factory where the blades are made, and the other to be located at the location of the wind farm.

What’s more, Windrunner doesn’t even need a hard-surfaced runway. A dirt road will also work, the main thing is that it is level and cleared of stones, bushes, branches and other protrusions.

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The giant plane could be ready before 2030

Radia is confident that there will be demand for her aircraft. On average, the delivery of blades from the factory to the station takes 1000 km; there is no shortage of energy in logistics services.

The number of blades that need to be brought online in the next 25 years to match the Paris facilities is likely around 6-7 million.

Mark Lundstrom, founder of Radia

Windrunner will make it possible to make blades that currently cannot be transported on land.. Jesse Jenkins, a Princeton University professor who is advising the company, estimates that switching to the largest wind turbines could help reduce electricity prices by 16%.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Windrunner is more than just a concept and a few renderings. Radia has already raised $104 million. The company is now selecting components and establishing relationships with suppliers to plan production.

At the company’s request, all necessary permits will be obtained by the end of 2027 and commercial production will begin.

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