Question: What are the adjustments you make to the aircraft’s wings?is it like making it thinner or the shape or something completely different?

Robert Mills answered on 13 Mar 2021:

Me and my team work on the external surface of the wings (which is what the airflow sees), so we design all the different aspects of the shape. The thickness of the wing is a part of this, but there are also lots of other details that we are trying to optimise.

We also have a lot of constraints that we need to try and manage. For example the people who work on the internal structure of the wing prefer a thicker wing because this makes it more structurally efficient, but we would prefer a thinner wing which is more aerodynamically efficient so we need to find a compromise. We also need to fit enough space for all of the fuel in the wing, and also lots of system for moving things like the flaps and ailerons around. It always needs to be a multi-disciplinary optimisation.

I’m happy to get into some more of the specifics if you have any further questions!