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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- Some planks from ancient Rome started life in eastern France
- Malaria infections have stopped falling
- The first computer chip with a trillion transistors
- Even aggressive centipedes will co-operate if they have to
- If aircraft can copy the way geese fly, they will save fuel
From the December 7th 2019 edition
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