One of the most influential cockpit levers on a jet’s take-off is the flap handle. Hinged panels at the wing’s trailing and leading edges transform a sleek airfoil into a low-speed lift sail.

Wing flaps are movable surfaces located on the trailing edge of the wings and are typically deployed during specific phases of takeoff and landing. The majority of planes have these, whether jets or ...

On a warm summer morning at Princeton University, aerospace engineer Aimy Wissa was at the university helipad, preparing to fly a remote-controlled plane. But this wasn’t just any model aircraft.