NASA’s weird wing design could lead to futuristic, fuel-efficient airplanes
A recent version of the transonic truss-braced wing concept in a wind tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center. They carried out testing between September and November, 2019. (Harlen Capen / NASA /)Back in January, Boeing flew its fancy new widebody aircraft for the first time. Called the 777x, the plane’s flashiest feature is wings that literally fold up at their tips. The wings are longer than the ones on previous versions of that airplane—a design change that helps increase the craft’s overall fuel efficiency. The tips, meanwhile, fold up when it’s on the ground so it can squeeze into the airport’s gate. And at the end of April, Boeing flew a second 777x test plane for nearly three hours. Besides the fact that the wings stretch out for a long distance and then hinge up at the tips when it’s on the ground, the new 777x aircraft—designed to carry as...