The Effect of Wingtip feathers of Birds on Plane Design

While planes themselves were modeled similarly to bird wings in order to fly, there are other aspects of planes that can also be credited to birds and their wingtip feathers. When birds fly, their wingtips point vertically up, and this allows them to lift themselves up higher without using as much of their wingspan to do so. When this concept was applied to airplanes, it was found that having upturned wings caused less “drag” in planes, since the wings point upwards, aligning with the airflow and creating a sort of “vortex” that allows for more ease in actual flight. Additionally, planes with upturned wings can fly further, carry more weight, and save more fuel than before. The smaller size of the wings also helps with making it easier to parking the planes, as they take up less space than planes with longer wings.