3 ms·
To be fair, the Wright Flyer used twisting wings. Ailerons took over, but it's not like twisting wings are some low TRL thing.
by actinium226 3y ago
To be fair, the Wright Flyer used twisting wings. Ailerons took over, but it's not like twisting wings are some low TRL thing.
- creyes12345 3y agoThe Wright brothers were incredible engineers, and a twisting wing made sense for their design. For high efficiency, a stiff wing is a must. Nowadays active stability systems make more designs practical. But the mission goals here favor low weight and reliability.
- BWStearns 3y agoAlso the Wright bros’ litigiousness over their IP was a main driver of the effective extinction of wing warping and the rise of ailerons rather than strictly engineering concerns. I imagine with newer materials wing warping could be pretty effective.