The Slotted Wing Technology Development Team

How do you gain lift from an airplane wing to improve fuel economy without sacrificing speed? That's an aerodynamic challenge that has faced engineers from the dawn of the jet age. In the 1960s, experts found that by making slots in a wing section they could experimentally increase lift and improve speed during transonic flight. But without advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics, which allow us to mathematically predict air flow and its effects using a computer, they could not cost-effectively implement their ideas. Now, in partnership with NASA Langley, our team is developing tools and processes that will allow us to place this technology into future commercial and military aircraft. We have already completed designs of a slotted wing configuration on the 777 that show an improved speed capability. We're proud to be working on a project that promises to help build a strong future for Boeing by lowering the cost of our airplanes. We are showing that Boeing and its partners will always find a way to make good ideas work.

	Left column, from top			Right column, from top
	Doug McLean Boeing Technical Fellow, Aerodynamics			Dave Witkowski High-Speed Aero Engineer
	Dave Pitera Associate Technical Fellow, Aerodynamics			Dave Bogue Aero Stability and Control Engineer
	Steve Wells Low-Speed Lead Engineer			Wendy Lacy High Speed Lead Engineer and Team Leader