Crackle, pop. Squished bugs give airlines gas pains

For most of us, bugs are annoying, itchy, yucky summer pests. For airlines, they are quite literally a drag — a fuel- wasting, money- eating drag.

Scientists from NASA and leading plane manufacturer Boeing are pooling their collective genius to tackle the dilemma of keeping bug guts from sticking to airplane wings. Experimental flights above the insect- rich swamps of Louisiana are testing the value of non- stick coatings and new wing extensions.

The incentive for pest control is nothing to swat at. The U. S. Department of Transportation says the airline industry spent $ 48 billion on fuel last year for passenger and cargo planes. Wing improvements that carry planes more smoothly through the air could save the industry as much as $ 2.4 billion a year — with bugs counting as a slice of that pie.

Fayette Collier, director of NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation program, says giving bugs the brushoff could shave 0.5% off fuel costs, or $ 240 million in savings. “It is huge,” Col- lier said of overall wing improvements. “The carrot is so huge, you can’t ignore it.”

Tiny critters pose huge problems. No matter how clean a plane is on the ground, taking off through a cloud of bugs roughens the wing’s leading edge.

Bumpy wings from that momentary encounter increase drag and require the plane to burn slightly more fuel during hours of the entire flight.

The goal of wing research is to keep air flowing as smoothly as possible for as long as possible across the wing.

NASA and Boeing are each eager to find solutions to save fuel and reduce pollution.

“When you burn less fuel, the engines require less maintenance. We produce less emissions. There’s less carbon dioxide,” said Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s vice president for product development. “Across the board, burning less gas is a good thing.”

PAUL BAGBY, NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER Mia Siochi and Mike Alexander, both of NASA’s Langley Research Center, count bug residue on a wing in Shreveport, La.