By Bjorn Fehrm

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Introduction

April 6, 2017, © Leeham Co.: After sizing the cabin of the NMA, the time has now come to size the fuselage. Can a fuselage be designed that gives an NMA “dual aisle comfort with single aisle economics”?

Figure 1. The NMA takes more and more the shape of a 767 replacement (A United 767-200). Source: United

We will investigate the dimensions, the drag and the weight of an NMA fuselage. It will be based on the cabin and design techniques we described in Part 2. We then compare the efficiency of the result with the fuselages of the Airbus A321LR and Boeing 767. This will show if the necessary efficiency can be achieved.

Summary:

• It’s possible to design a dual aisle fuselage with the same perimeter per seat abreast as a single aisle fuselage.
• This will make the central, cylindrical, section have competitive weight and drag characteristics.
• The larger diameter of the dual aisle fuselage will increase the size of the tapered front and rear sections however.
• It’s still possible for an NMA fuselage to be as weight-efficient as a single aisle fuselage, measured per transported passenger.