We had the privilege of meeting with @EC  from Flying Whales at the prestigious Paris Air Show. Flying Whales is at the forefront of redefining air freight transportation, and we're excited to share insights from our conversation.

About Emmanuel and Flying Whales

Emmanuel plays a pivotal role in the structural department of Flying Whales, a trailblazing company that's developing an airship designed to revolutionize freight transportation. Their project focuses on enhancing payload capacity and reducing environmental impact, with ambitions to transport up to 60 tons using energy-efficient methods.

Challenges and Solutions

The primary challenge for Emmanuel's team is to offer innovative solutions that significantly improve point-to-point transportation capabilities. Their approach involves leveraging the buoyancy of helium, allowing their airships to float with minimal energy consumption, thus promising a sustainable alternative in the freight sector.

CATIA: The Backbone of Design

Flying Whales utilizes a variety of CATIA's design applications, enabling the integration of structural components and systems within a complete digital mock-up. This integration is crucial for managing the airship's comprehensive design, which includes importing CAD files from different software and partners.

Emmanuel highlighted the benefits of connecting CATIA with other modules of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, such as requirements and configuration management. The team is also exploring DELMIA solutions to streamline engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance processes.

The Road Ahead with CATIA

Looking forward, Flying Whales aims to enhance their CATIA implementation by integrating industrial modules and ERP for production planning. They're exploring automation and detailed design efficiency, including integrated tools for finite element analysis directly connected to CAD.

Mark Your Calendars: The First Flight

The much-anticipated first flight of their airship is scheduled for the end of 2025, marking a significant milestone in their journey.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Emmanuel for sharing his valuable insights with us.