In this day and age, its super common for airplane manufacturers to use very complex Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software and Computer Aided Design to test and build airplane wings. The new wings on airplanes like the 787 and Airbus A-350 are both relatively simple in structure and super efficient. But these fancy tools didn’t really exist back in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Back then the only tools they had were slide rules, blueprints and wind tunnels. That fact makes the triple-slotted Krueger flaps on the Boeing 727 even more amazing. These flaps allows short-field takeoffs and jet operations out of hot and high airfields like Mexico city and Chicago Midway. In the video below, check out the amazing transformation of the wing on the aged but beautiful 727-200. It’s an #avgeekery work of art.
This video and more beautiful #avgeek videos are available at airsidetv.com