Wing warping

Wing warping was an early system for controlling the roll of an aeroplane while flying. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, used a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions. In many respects, this approach is similar to that used to trim the performance of a paper aeroplane by curling the paper at the back of its wings.

In practice, wing warping is difficult to control and potentially dangerous. Around 1915, wing warping began to be superseded by ailerons in practical aircraft designs. The history of the invention of ailerons is controversial, however.

Wing warping was a common feature of early aeroplanes, including:

The Wright Flyer
The Bleriot XI following modifications introduced by Raymond Saulnier
The Number 21 by Gustave Whitehead
The Rumpler Taube, the first mass produced military plane in Germany

Many of the replica planes built for the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines also used wing warping.

Wing morphing is a modern extension of wing warping in which the aerodynamic shape of the wing is modified under computer control. The technique is hoped to give improved control at flying speeds near the speed of sound where traditional control surfaces are less effective. Wing warping and wing morphing are also currently used to get extra control over an aircraft during difficult times such as in a storm. Research into this field is mainly conducted by NASA. CERN in Europe is also trying some of their finds on miniaturised models of several aircraft to better their aerodynamics, response, and control in flight or near the speed of sound. Airbus is also rumoured to be trying some of this technology on their test planes.

External links

NASA - interactive diagram of wing warping used on the Wright Flyer
Centennial of flight - illustration of Wilbur Wright invention of wing warping using a cardboard box
Aerospaceweb - Origins of Control Surfaces
PBS - What's Wing Warping?

See also

External links