by Millin on November 23rd, 2006

Millin

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Why do some planes have wings that move in flight? Not wing flaps, but wings like on the F-111?

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  • by tripwire on January 2nd, 2007

    tripwire

    It's to do with performance at different speeds. Generally speaking, fighter jets are deliberately designed to be aerodynamically unstable in regular flight, and this instability becomes more pronounced at low speeds. The more wing surface there is at lower speeds, the better the lift and stability, but as they go into high speed the wings work better in the swept back position, cutting drag and decreasing sensitivity. Too much response from the wings at high speed could cause serious control problems.

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