Airfoil Drag Turbulence 
Pilot Institute
MARCH 28, 2025
By far the strongest component of wake turbulence is the swirling air generated at the tips of the aircrafts wings. Key Takeaways Wingtip vortices, not engine exhaust, create the strongest wake turbulence. Wake turbulence can cause severe roll and structural damage to smaller aircraft. How Are Wingtip Vortices Formed?
Flight Training Central
JUNE 30, 2025
When he created his principle of differential pressure, he had no thoughts about its future application to the development of airfoils and lift production. With some imagination this looks a bit like the top of an airfoil. In the case of our airfoil, we’ll assume that the fluid is air and that the air is relatively still.
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Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 1, 2025
Particularly in battle aerodynamics, drag reduction, and structural durability, early aircraft teach engineers today important insights. Setting the benchmark for modern airliners, the Douglas DC-3 (1935) a classic in commercial aviation brought all-metal construction, retractable landing gear, and more efficient airfoil designs.
Pilot Institute
JULY 11, 2025
Lift, drag, and handling correlate well with IAS in the lower atmosphere. Making the wing relatively flat on top with a blunter leading edge and more curvature on the bottom gives you a supercritical airfoil. This type of wing redirects the shockwaves further aft on the wing, reducing drag. roughly) up to about Mach 5.0.
Pilot Institute
JUNE 12, 2025
As you reach high speeds, especially near or above the speed of sound, you can then sweep the wings back to reduce drag. They delay the formation of shock waves that cause wave drag. But when you’re doing high-speed dashes, sweeping the wings back will reduce drag. High-Speed Efficiency But the advantages don’t just stop there.
Flying Magazine
MAY 6, 2025
It retained the classic, high-lift Clark Y airfoil, but the span of its four-position semi-Fowler flap span was extended. The Garmin glass lived up to its reputation for being easy to program, and the autopilot did as it was programmed, even in turbulence, with appropriate rudder input. In 2005, a new wing became standard.
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