THE diaphanous wing of the dragonfly is not only a thing of beauty, its pleated profile also makes it a superior aerofoil.
The dragonfly Aeschna cyanea can glide for up to 30 seconds without so much as a wingbeat. Yet its wings look nothing like the supposedly ideal streamlined, cambered wing perfected in 1901 by flight pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright and used ever since by the aviation industry. Instead, the wing surfaces are highly corrugated, with pleats that stiffen them against bending across their span. But until now, no one could say for sure whether those pleats have…
