Scientists find the exact point where spinning air can push aircraft off course

A FAMU-FSU team combined wind-tunnel tests and simulations to track how vortices around a cone-shaped nose become unstable at higher tilt angles.

They identified the point where balanced supersonic flow shifts to asymmetric patterns that generate stronger side forces and spin-inducing moments.

The findings help explain why high-speed aircraft and missiles can lose stability at steep angles.

The work, supported by the Army Research Office and published in the Journal of Aircraft, can inform more stable aerodynamic designs.