Schränker Sc-220 A-1 'Faiga'

Since the first powered flights, aircraft have typically taken the same fundamental form: two wings carrying a long, cylindrical tube. Yet engineers as early as the 1940s have modified this with ‘area ruling’ – tapering an aircraft’s body to maintain constant cross-sectional area over its length, significantly lowering surface drag.

However, in most modern airliners, the cylinder has prevailed.

Design expense, construction complexity, and reduced internal area are sacrifices too great for greater speed.

But what if a jet airliner design had required area ruling from the beginning? How might other decisions have adapted to combine passenger experience with raw speed?

The Schränker Sc-220 ‘Faiga’ is my response. ▨