tail fin
Rear aquatic appendage
A tail fin is the vertical stabilizing surface at the rear of an aircraft or the back end of a fish, providing directional control and stability.
In automotive design, tail fins were the exaggerated rear fender extensions on American cars of the 1950s and early 1960s, inspired by jet aircraft: Those old Cadillacs had enormous tail fins.
Decade after WWII
- CadillacGM's upscale marque
- chromeReflective metal coating
- ChryslerAmerican automobile manufacturer
- retroEvoking recent past
styling · space age · rear fender · taillight · Detroit · streamlined · jet age · postwar
Plates or weighing devices
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- ichthyologyScientific study of piscine life
- aquaticWater-inhabiting
marine · freshwater · schooling · reef · shark · tuna · salmon · trout
Forceful forward motion
- undulationRhythmic rise and fall
- locomotionAbility to travel independently
- hydrodynamicsScience of liquid motion
- flappingRapid wing motion
swimming · power · drive · surge · paddle · motion · glide · push
Aircraft's directional control surface
- rudderPivoting stern blade
- elevatorVertical conveyance between floors
- trim tabSecondary aerodynamic control surface
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
winglet · airframe · jet · turboprop · glider · biplane · monoplane · cockpit
Mechanism for vertical transport
- dragResistance through fluid
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- streamlineRemove unnecessary elements
- vortexRotating fluid column
turbulence · laminar flow · boundary layer · pressure differential · slipstream · downforce · wind tunnel · velocity
1950s
Decade after WWII
retro · styling · space age · rear fender · taillight · Detroit · streamlined · jet age · postwar · Chevrolet
scales
Plates or weighing devices
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- ichthyologyScientific study of piscine life
aquatic · marine · freshwater · schooling · reef · shark · tuna · salmon · trout · forked
thrust
Forceful forward motion
- undulationRhythmic rise and fall
- locomotionAbility to travel independently
- hydrodynamicsScience of liquid motion
flapping · swimming · power · drive · surge · paddle · motion · glide · push · propel
vertical stabilizer
Aircraft's directional control surface
- rudderPivoting stern blade
- elevatorVertical conveyance between floors
- trim tabSecondary aerodynamic control surface
fuselage · winglet · airframe · jet · turboprop · glider · biplane · monoplane · cockpit · avionics
lift
Mechanism for vertical transport
- dragResistance through fluid
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- streamlineRemove unnecessary elements
vortex · turbulence · laminar flow · boundary layer · pressure differential · slipstream · downforce · wind tunnel · velocity · maneuverability
- animal traitsfur, claws, teeth, wings, feathers
- aquatic adaptationsgills, swim bladder, flippers, webbed feet, streamlined body
- finswebbing, flipper, leading edge, trailing edge
- aerospaceairplane, helicopter, rocket, rockets, spacecraft
- airline equipmentairplane, jet, aircraft, seat, tray table
- appendagesflipper, flippers, tails, legs, leg
tail finhead
Uppermost body part
pectoral fin · nose · snout · dorsal fin · rostrum
tail finflipper
Marine animal's swimming limb
fluke · paddle · limb · webbed foot · leg