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A comment on Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft. Parent comment

Re:Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude so... by actinium226 on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:13PM (#37902995)
To be fair, the Wright Flyer used twisting wings. Ailerons took over, but it's not like twisting wings are some low TRL thing.
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Re:Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude so... by BWStearns on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:39PM (#37903389)
Also the Wright bros’ litigiousness over their IP was a main driver of the effective extinction of wing warping and the rise of ailerons rather than strictly engineering concerns. I imagine with newer materials wing warping could be pretty effective.
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Re:Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude so... by creyes12345 on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:36PM (#37903348)
The Wright brothers were incredible engineers, and a twisting wing made sense for their design. For high efficiency, a stiff wing is a must. Nowadays active stability systems make more designs practical. But the mission goals here favor low weight and reliability.
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