Minor nit: this is not the world's first flapless plane. The Wright Flyer used a technique called "wing warping," where instead of movable control surfaces, th

Minor nit: this is not the world's first flapless plane. The Wright Flyer used a technique called "wing warping," where instead of movable control surfaces, they flexed the wing to change its shape and lift properties. NASA has a neat simulator to show how this works here: http://wright.nasa.gov/airplane/warp.html http://wright.nasa.gov/airplane/warp.html Also, the article seems to refer all control surfaces - aileron, elevator, rudder, etc. - as "flaps." I have several hundred hours logged in Citabria 7ECA and 7GCAA aircraft, neither of which have flaps. "Flaps" in aviation refers to movable panels that increase the wing surface area and angle of attack in order to produce additional lift at low speeds for takeoff and landing. Again, NASA has a pretty good explanation: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/flap.html http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/flap.html