Why aren’t engines installed in the wings on modern aircraft?
Everyone who has flown on planes has most likely not thought about such a question. The most passengers could notice was the huge, roaring engines under the plane’s wings. The key point here is the aircraft engines hanging under the wings of the aircraft. And, indeed, at first glance, why not install the engines directly in the wings? But there are some points that at the moment, in principle, cannot be implemented on modern airliners. And more about this in this article.
DH. 106 “Comet”. Pay attention to the location of the aircraft engines. They are mounted directly into the wings of the aircraft. Taken from open sources
Of course, if you want, you can do this, because at the dawn of civil aviation with the use of jet aircraft engines, engines were built directly into the wings of the aircraft. There were certain reasons for this. For example, the most important reason is that when the engines are installed directly in the wings of the aircraft, the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft and its wing are significantly improved, which increases, for example, the lift of the aircraft. But this was true for the first jet engines, which are several times weaker than modern turbojet engines.
But today there is no problem with creating high lift, the engines cope with this task. But, for example, at the time when jet engines were just beginning to be used in civil aviation, an aircraft could even be equipped with four jet engines in the wings. As we understand, among other things, in order to create a greater lifting force, because, as we learned, engines were many times weaker than modern ones. This was used, for example, on the British De Havilland DH aircraft. 106 “Comet”. The aircraft made its first flight in July 1949. The same layout was used on the Soviet Tu-104 and Tu-124 aircraft. But, already in the 1960s, this layout was abandoned.
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Classic placement of aircraft engines on pylons under the wings of the aircraft. Taken from open sources
There are many reasons for this. But the most obvious is that if a fire had occurred, then at least the mechanization of the wing could have been damaged, and at most, the wing of the aircraft could have simply burned down along with the damaged engine, which would have led to the destruction of the wing and further destruction of the fuselage of the aircraft, or an uncontrolled dive of the aircraft, due to the loss of its aerodynamic qualities. But, for example, aircraft engines installed on pylons under the wing can simply burn out without damaging the wing and fuselage of the aircraft, which, of course, has a positive effect on the safety of passengers. Also, the noise level in the cabin is lower, as the engines are mounted further and lower.
In addition, thanks to the installation of aircraft engines on pylons under the wings, the amount of space in the wings for the installation of fuel tanks has increased, which has increased the range of civil aviation. Let’s also say that in cases when the plane is accidentally landed, as they say, on its “belly”, then the aircraft engines take on almost the entire initial blow, which saves the fuselage from destruction, where, for a minute, the crew with passengers are. So, this is also the positive side of installing engines under the wings. And, finally, let’s say that there is another banal reason that it is almost impossible to install modern engines in the wings.
A double-decker giant and handsome Airbus A380. These are the powerful jet aircraft engines of our time. They are able to lift, even such colossuses and this with their full load. Taken from open sources
Such a reason is that there is simply not enough space in the wings to install more massive modern aircraft engines compared to the original jet engines. The wings of airplanes are not thick enough to accommodate aircraft engines. Imagine such an attempt, it is technically difficult to implement, and what is there to hide, it makes no sense, in principle. It’s easier to leave it as it is, since modern aircraft engines mounted on pylons under the wings of an aircraft are already fuel-efficient, and their jet thrust creates enough lift to lift huge aircraft like the Airbus A380.