One of the most influential cockpit levers on a jet’s take-off is the flap handle. Hinged panels at the wing’s trailing and leading edges transform a sleek airfoil into a low-speed lift sail.

A: Flaps (and slats) increase the lift that the wing can produce at a lower speed. To keep the takeoff and landing speeds as low as possible, the design engineers include highly efficient flaps (and ...

Mud flaps are something fleets probably don’t pay a lot of attention to, especially when it comes to fuel economy, and tend to focus on bigger things like tractor and trailer aerodynamic devices and ...

On a warm summer morning at Princeton University, aerospace engineer Aimy Wissa was at the university helipad, preparing to fly a remote-controlled plane. But this wasn’t just any model aircraft.

Daytona is known for history, prestige, and close pack racing. It’s also known for heart-stopping accidents that often cause race cars to leave the ground. And that’s just Daytona. Rollover crashes ...

Gen-6 cars took damage at Preseason Thunder crash, but no tires left the ground CONCORD, N.C. — Aric Almirola didn’t immediately feel his car decelerate. He didn’t hear the flaps deploy on the roof of ...

Airplane plumage might be the next big thing in aviation. Bird wings are contoured with overlapping rows of feathery tufts, spreading out from near the shoulder. These “covert feathers” help birds ...

The sight of birds soaring through the sky has inspired humans for generations before the invention of powered flight in the early 20th century. Still looking to learn from winged animals, a team of ...

Daytona is known for history, prestige, and close pack racing. It’s also known for heart-stopping accidents that often cause race cars to leave the ground. Ryan Newman’s horrific 2020 crash stands out ...