‘Twisteron’ concept may reduce drag
A new control surface could reduce induced drag on commercial and business aircraft by up to 14 percent, resulting in fuel savings of more than $400 millio

A new control surface could reduce induced drag on commercial and business aircraft by up to 14 percent, resulting in fuel savings of more than $400 million per year across the entire U.S. air transport fleet. So claims Utah State University aeronautical engineering professor Warren Phillips, who recently introduced the devices, which he calls “twisterons.”

According to Phillips, who recently published a textbook titled Mechanics of Flight, the induced drag directly caused by a wing’s generation of lift generally accounts for 50 percent of total drag on an aircraft during normal flight conditions, and can be as high as 90 percent during landing.

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