Boeing Copies Flying Geese to Save Fuel
- ‘Wake surfing’ by airplanes in formation would conserve energy
- Company also looks to experiment with automation, supersonics
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Boeing Co. and NASA have found an inexpensive way to cut airline fuel bills by borrowing a trick from the world’s greatest long-distance aviators: migratory birds.
By lining up cruising aircraft in a V-shaped formation favored by Canada geese, carriers would be able to produce a leap in efficiency without investing in structural makeovers or futuristic technology. The idea is to link the flying convoys safely using navigation and collision-avoidance tools that already are widely installed in cockpits.