NASA Non-stick Wing Coating Reduces Bug Residue by 40 Percent
Five of the most promising non-stick coatings out of some 200 developed by NASA Langley were tested byengineers on the Boeing ecoDemonstrator 757.
NASA materials scientist Mia Siochi and systems engineer Mike Alexander, from the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and Boeing technician Felix Boyett count insect residue on the right wing of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 aircraft following a flight test in Shreveport, La. (Photo: NASA/Paul Bagby)
NASA materials scientist Mia Siochi and systems engineer Mike Alexander, from the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and Boeing technician Felix Boyett count insect residue on the right wing of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 aircraft following a flight test in Shreveport, La. (Photo: NASA/Paul Bagby)

A non-stick wing coating designed to shed insect residue recently tested by NASA and Boeing engineers reduced bug counts and residue by about 40 percent, compared with an uncoated control surface, NASA announced yesterday. Five of the most promising non-stick coatings developed by NASA Langley were tested by the engineers on Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 for two weeks last month in Shreveport, La., a location selected for its “significant bug population.” Since most insects fly relatively close to the ground, the non-stick coatings were tested over 15 flights from the Shreveport Regional Airport that each included several takeoffs and landings.