Ever since the Wright Brothers first took to the sky 115 years ago, powered flight has depended on propellers and other components. But, a team of aerospace engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a silent, lightweight aircraft with no moving parts.
Instead of fans, propellers or turbine blades, the aircraft is powered by “ionic wind”—a silent flow of ions that’s produced aboard the plane. It generates enough thrust to propel a small aircraft over a sustained, steady flight.