Just curious 🙂
In: Physics
Shock waves coming off the leading edges of control surfaces and wings start to make the way they work completely different as an airplane gets close to the speed of sound. WWII fighter jets had a problems with flight controls as they neared the speed of sound in a dive, and many crashed due to it. Suddenly, the ailerons wouldn’t work because pressures against the surfaces were stronger than the pilot, or the wing would flex opposite them, rendering them ineffective. This was a “barrier” that conventional aircraft design couldn’t pass. A complete redesign of aircraft finally allowed them to push past this barrier. Pointy noses, thin wings with sharp edges, and rear control surfaces that moved as a whole were among the necessary changes.
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