Airfoil Drag Stability 
Pilot Institute
JUNE 4, 2025
A tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing airplane without a horizontal stabilizing surface. With this type of aircraft, the functions of longitudinal stability and control are incorporated into the main wing. A tailless airplane is one where everything needed to fly, like lift, control, and stability, is built into the main wing.
Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 11, 2025
They flew a total of 313 missions, collecting invaluable data on pitch stability, lift, drag, and buffeting in transonic and supersonic flight. The jet- and rocket-powered aircraft exceeded expectations, performing better than predicted in high-speed wind tunnel testsparticularly in drag performance above Mach 0.85.
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Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 1, 2025
Studying historical aircraft helps students understand the development of flight and learn from early engineers about problems of lift, propulsion, stability, and material constraints. Particularly in battle aerodynamics, drag reduction, and structural durability, early aircraft teach engineers today important insights.
Vintage Aviation News
OCTOBER 7, 2024
The unique cylindrical design of the fuselage allowed for a streamlined profile and reduced drag, increasing the overall efficiency. During these years, he concluded that the inner surface of the venturi tube needed an airfoil shape to achieve the greatest efficiency. The Stipa-Caproni in flight.
Vintage Aviation News
MAY 2, 2025
Langley was particularly focused on structural loads, while Ames concentrated on dynamic stability. The drag chute was used on landings to help brake the airplane’s speed. The B-47A represented a significant departure from earlier, more rigid aircraft designs. The B-47A fuselage was 106 feet 11 inches in length.
Fear of Landing
MARCH 22, 2024
One of the most revolutionary was the “area rule,” a concept that helped aircraft designers avoid the disruption in airflow and resulting drag caused by the attachment of the wings to the fuselage. The resulting “supercritical airfoil” shape, when integrated with the aircraft wing, significantly improves the aircraft’s cruise efficiency.
Pilot Institute
NOVEMBER 1, 2024
And ice doesn’t just make things slippery, it messes with the airflow over the wings, cuts down on lift, and ramps up drag. Remember that wings, propeller blades, and tail surfaces are airfoil-shaped. Ice build-up on the airframe changes the airflow pattern around these airfoils.
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