Living under a flightpath could be a lot quieter in the future thanks to research using lasers to visualise airflow over the wings of aircraft in flight, which could help optimise future wings to enable slower and quieter landings. Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre with Airbus are capturing the movement of water droplets streaming over the wing of a modified A320 aircraft in flight. An optically-diverged laser mounted behind a window reveals the smallest movements of the air. To make the droplets visible, flights are made at night, with the pilots wearing protective goggles.
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