NASA's Bug Repellent Aims to Save Airlines Millions in Fuel Cost

The next frontier of aircraft design is taming bug splats.

NASA scientists are patenting substances that act like non-stick cookware, blocking dead insects from adhering to surfaces so air flows more smoothly over the wings and fuselage.

The new coatings could solve one of aviation’s oldest problems: how to take advantage of a super-smooth flow of air called “laminar flow” that dramatically reduces drag and improves fuel efficiency. Up to now, this has been almost impossible to achieve in the real world because even the smallest debris -- including insect carcasses -- triggers swirling air turbulence that roils the airstream.

“I think we’re definitely on the right track,” Fay Collier, project manager of NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project, said in an interview. “This has been a tremendous step forward.”

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