Lost Shapes of Aviation: How Airliner Design May Be About to Change

The design of commercial airliners has become increasingly monotonous over the years, with most planes resembling a smooth metal tube with two big engines slung under swept-back wings and a tail at the back.

This homogenous shape has been the norm for nearly seven decades, but it wasn't always that way. In the early days of commercial air travel, airliners came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

One notable example is the Sud Aviation Caravelle, which hung its engines at the very back of the fuselage, leaving the wings clean and the cabin quiet. This design was later copied by several other aircraft, including the Boeing 727, DC-9, Vickers VC10, and Soviet Il-62.

Another significant variation in airliner design is the double-deck configuration, which can be seen in planes like the Airbus A380. However, this trend has largely given way to the more efficient, but less glamorous, tube-and-wing design.