Page 97 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

For high-speed flight,
the most advantageous
wing shape is one swept
back. On the other hand,
straight wings allow
greater lift, important
for takeoff and landing.
The only way of benefit-
ing from both these fea-
tures is to construct vari-
able-sweep wings, capa-
ble of moving backward
and forward. (Clive
Gifford, Her Yonuyle
Ucaklar, (Cutaway
Planes) TUBITAK, 4 th
ed., January 1999, 24.)
Fighters such as the
Tornado and F-111 have
just such wings, the
sweep of which can be
changed in flight. This
design, the result of long
study, has been present
in birds since the mo-
ment of their creation.

Inspired by bird bones—which are hollow, making them very
light—the wings of modern planes are designed to be hollow
also.