[dr_orpheus]

One, I'll admit I'm not an expert in this, I have an aerospace degree and took some aircraft classes but it was 90% on the space side of things. But I'm trying to be devils advocate here since its not just pop-sci articles.

> Skin friction drag is a drop in the bucket compared to parasitic and lift induced

I'm trying to rectify it with papers that say "In civil aviation, skin-friction drag accounts for around 50% of the total drag in cruise conditions" [0]

> I’m right and high aspect ratio wings are a harder materials science and design challenge than blended wings

I understand that higher aspect ratio reduces drag too and that the planes should all look like scaled up gliders with their long skinny wings. But as you said, it is harder. So is it a clear cut answer that exploring blended wing designs is a waste of time?

> Let me ask you this, why is the tail of passenger aircraft upward sloping?

To prevent tail strike during take-off and landing when you are at a high angle of attack.

[0] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037604212...