Elizabeth Murphy

English 3302
Tom Akbari
Unit 1 Final Draft
11 July 2016
The Man Who Could See Air
After endless searching and great consideration, I have chosen to study the article How a
NASA Engineer Created the Modern Airplane Wing. I went into this task knowing that my
scope would be limited to the aerospace industry, assuming that would be enough specification.
This was proven false as I became lost in the sea of technological advances and many discoveries
of natural space phenomena. The best solution seemed to be to return to a fundamental concept
of aeronautics. This article explores the lasting technological advances made by NASA engineer
Richard Whitcomb. It was published as a part of NASAs Spinoff series, which focuses on
NASA technologies that serve to benefit mankind through the creation of commercial products.
Although the original article was written in 2015, it was recently updated by William Bryan on
July 7, 2016.
This text serves to inform its readers of the significance of Richard Whitcombs
contributions to aeronautics. A truly brilliant mind, at just 34 he received the National Aeronautic
Associations Collier Trophy, the most prestigious honor to be received in aviation, for his work
in overcoming the sound barrier in flight. After overcoming this obstacle, Whitcomb sought to
tackle the inefficiencies that he saw in flight at the time. His work gave way to the creation of the
Supercritical wing. It is described by Bryan to look almost upside-down compared with
standard wings of the day, because it was nearly flat on top and rounded on the bottom. His
brilliance is apparent in his unconventional design approaches- forgoing calculations to proceed
straight to prototyping and using only intuition to incorporate auto body putty for controllable,

varied weight distributions. Whitcombs design lessened both the weight of the wing and the
impact of drag on the plane. This critically increased the efficiency of the wings as well as the
overall plane. The result of all of this is billions of dollars saved yearly on fuel as well as
exorbitant amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Lengthy explanations of complex technology have a tendency to beg the question of the
reader, Why does this matter? This article is no exception but its organization allows for
greater understanding of the material at hand. There is an effective balance between explaining
the technology to the reader while humanizing Whitcomb with achievements and personality
traits. I truly felt a desire to continue understanding the breadth of his contributions from their
development to their impact. The strengths of the article can be found in its conciseness and
overall structure. The article can almost be seen as a flowchart of sorts as it clearly delves from
one topic to the next- reputation and prior achievements, problem statement, approach, and
impact.
The language used in the article truly caters to the masses to expand its target audience.
While the physics of the issue is introduced several times, it is brief and comprehensible for
those without great scientific background. For this reason, it would fall under a semi-technical
classification. The tone of the article is one of certain admiration and appreciation for the subject,
Richard Whitcomb. Bryan really draws the reader in with his opening line, Once dubbed the
man who could see air, NASA engineer Richard T. Whitcomb used a combination of
visualization and intuition to revolutionize modern aviation by turning the shape of the
airplane wing on its head. He gives the article great form in just one sentence by introducing
and humanizing Whitcomb and describing both his approach and achievements. I find his writing
style to be quite impressive for his ability to say so much with so few words.

This article encapsulates not only my expectations but my hopes for my field. The impact
that a single engineer can have on the world is incredibly inspiring. At my co-ops, the majority of
the work I witnessed was more so geared towards collaboration. I do believe this is the norm but
it is exciting to think about the impact that many engineers can have working together if an
individual can entirely revolutionize flight. This article was more journalistic so I do not believe
I would be doing much work of the kind but it certainly depicts a career that I would like to
emulate. The writing caliber displayed in this article wildly surpasses my own but I hope to find
this capability at some point in my life. In a perfect world, this would be utilized by writing
about the impact of a colleagues work on the world. Bryan displays great admiration for the
subject in this article, which seems to be a clear asset to his writing. I believe that my fitness to
write in this discourse could stem from that same sense of respect. Perhaps my fitness to write
such a piece would will arise with its subject matter.
As far as audience goes, this article has the potential to reach a broad spectrum of people,
from engineers and those interested specifically in aerospace to history buffs and those simply
interested in the great feats of mankind. There is something about flight and the vastness of both
our world and what lies beyond that draws people in. I am not sure if it is the concept of being a
small part of something so much larger than oneself or simply the tantalizing beauty of the
unknown. Perhaps it varies amongst people, perhaps it is a combination of the two; regardless,
there is an undeniable magnificence in looking up to the sky with knowledge of the infinite
nooks and crannies to be explored on our Earth. It is with great thanks to Richard Whitcomb that
it is more feasible, from both an economical and technological perspective, to experience the
world.

Reference
Bryan, William. "How a NASA Engineer Created the Modern Airplane Wing." NASA.
NASA, 7 July 2016. Web. 12 July 2016.