If aircraft can copy the way geese fly, they will save fuel
One plane rides on another’s wake
IN THE CUT-THROAT business of civil aviation, every little helps. So researchers at Airbus, Europe’s biggest aircraft manufacturer, have been experimenting with a wheeze which they hope might shave up to 10% off an airliner’s fuel consumption. This is to hitch a ride on the wake of the plane in front.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Trail blazers”
Science & technology December 7th 2019
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