Early studies of
delta wings led aircraft designers to ask if an entire airplane could consist only of a wing, with basically no fuselage whatsoever. Such all-wing aircraft would have excellent payload and range capabilities because they would produce less
drag than a conventional aircraft. This was true because the tail and fuselage normally cause a significant amount of drag. Eliminate the tail and fuselage and you have eliminated a great deal of drag, enhanced performance, reduced the amount of fuel required, and generally improved the handling capabilities of the airplane. These so-called flying wing designs were long a dream of a number of designers but did not become practical until recently. The biggest problem found when building a flying wing aircraft is that such designs are
inherently unstable and they do not easily stay level in flight.
