Linked Questions

3 votes
0 answers
106 views

What is the aerodynamic impact of the curved/crescenteric wing of the Boeing 787? [duplicate]

From certain angles (see pictures below), the wing of the Boeing 787 seems almost curved/crescenteric in shape, particularly closer to the wing-tip. While the Boeing 787 makes use of "raked ...
interested22's user avatar
58 votes
6 answers
17k views

Is a winglet better than an equal span extension?

Is there indisputable evidence that a winglet improves performance over an equal span extension? Please note: I am only interested in L/D improvements. Winglets do improve roll performance, that is ...
Peter Kämpf's user avatar
36 votes
4 answers
36k views

What do winglets do to increase aircraft performance?

It seems like a lot of the newer airliners have winglets or wing fences. How do they improve aircraft performance?
flyingfisch's user avatar
  • 14.6k
36 votes
3 answers
13k views

How does an aircraft form wake turbulence?

This question discusses how wake turbulence can affect planes flying in formation. It got me wondering, how do aircraft (the wings in particular) form wake turbulence to begin with? It can't be as ...
Jae Carr's user avatar
  • 24.3k
20 votes
3 answers
21k views

What dictates the aspect ratio of an aircraft's wing?

When designing an aircraft, there has to be a decision as to the aspect ratio of a wing. It's been said that having a higher aspect wing will reduce drag for the same wing area, however most of the ...
Qantas 94 Heavy's user avatar
27 votes
3 answers
4k views

Is wingtip design mature?

There are many wingtip design, all made to reduce vortex related drag, and neither boeing nor airbus seems to prefer one over another. They move from one design to another at each new aircraft, always ...
Manu H's user avatar
  • 16.5k
7 votes
4 answers
3k views

Is there any benefit of using a swept wings at low-subsonic speeds?

Is there any benefit to using swept wings for speeds up to 250km/h ? (By the way..Why do some fast birds like falcons, swifts and most migratory birds use swept wings or raked wingtips since they fly ...
member2017's user avatar
9 votes
6 answers
1k views

How to recognize the horizontal winglet in the Horten design, or the experimental glider in this video?

Comments below the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center video Proving Prandtl- With A Twist! incclude: This video is entirely a hidden jewel in youtube, it deserves much more attention than what it ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 6,168
-6 votes
2 answers
34k views

Is there any difference between the Boeing 787 and the 737 MAX? [closed]

I've just done some research on the Boeing 787 and the 737. But the 787 and 737 MAX seem almost completely alike. Are there any differences between the 787 and the 737 MAX?
Josef's user avatar
  • 358
10 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why are there different types of winglets? [duplicate]

If all winglets serve the same purpose (to reduce vortex drag), why do different aircraft have different winglets? This question is not trying to get a comparison of the development of winglets/...
Madhav Sudarshan's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

What kind of dihedral would be most stable?

What kind of dihedral would be most stable? An airplane with wing span x ft and whose dihedral begins from the root(attachment point to the fuselage) of the wings and whose wing tips are y ft above ...
Martins's user avatar
  • 325
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the purpose of thinner airfoils used near wing tips?

I know that a thicker airfoil at root will strengthen the root spar but what is the reason behind using thinner airfoils at the tip? Is it because thinner airfoils have higher stalling angles of ...
Zaber's user avatar
  • 359
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why is a wing tip's front edge tapered?

I am beginner and I want to understand the advantage of a tapered wing tip front edge beyond reducing the mass. How does this minimize or effect vortex drag, etc. Can someone help me to visualize this ...
Shuji's user avatar
  • 161
3 votes
4 answers
293 views

Can wingtip vortices formed around an unswept wing produce vortex lift?

Vortex lift is a kind of aerodynamic lift force due to vortices formed along the leading edge of highly-swept (usually 60 degrees of swept angle or higher) wings at high angles of attack. The "...
Frank's user avatar
  • 415
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why does the effective alpha/CL increase at wingtip of swept wing?

If anybody could explain this in an intuitive way I'd really appreciate it. I haven't been able to find a clear answer on this. I understand that the increase in effective AoA/CL and the spanwise flow ...
Speedalive's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
816 views

Does the 737 have a higher aspect ratio than most later 7X7's?

In this video: The Insane Engineering of the 787 there's a chart (at around 10:40 in) which shows that the 737 (which series?) has an aspect ratio of over 9, while the 747, 757, 767 and 777 rise from ...
einpoklum's user avatar
  • 546
2 votes
1 answer
332 views

What is the drag optimized wing form for given lift and bending moment?

I am trying to build a passive hydrofoil board. Something like this: I want to use wood and i am coming to the conclusion that i want to optimize drag for a given ...
x3oo's user avatar
  • 41
1 vote
0 answers
123 views

What are the benefits of raked wingtips over tapered wingtips? [duplicate]

This post shows the differences between winglets and raked wingtips. I'm curious why raked wingtips have been developed when there are tapered wingtips. What are the benefits of raked wingtips over ...
lemonincider's user avatar
  • 7,585