By Science News
Get it straight
Unfortunately, “Wings of Change” (SN: 12/6/03, p. 359: Wings of Change) got something wrong in describing the reshaping of aircraft surfaces. The article states, “The recently retired supersonic commercial transport, the Concorde, tilted its nose downward for subsonic flight.” This is not the (whole) truth because the reason for this reshaping was not to reduce air drag, but to achieve a far-better view of the runway during (subsonic) approach to the airfield. It is true that for supersonic flight, the long and tapered nose of the Concorde must not be tilted?because of the fantastic drag it would cause if tilted.