Best of 2017: Fuel-efficient aircraft designs for the future

Even small improvements in aircraft fuel efficiency can have a large effect on economics and on the environment. Today’s aircraft use roughly 80% less fuel per passenger-mile than the first jets of the 1950s – a testimony to the tremendous impact of aerospace engineering on flight. This increased efficiency has extended global commerce to the point where it is now economically viable to ship everything from flowers to Florida manatees across the globe.

Read more about new aircraft designs and the computers that facilitate them.