One challenge the University of Michigan team had to overcome in building the Flying Fish was to construct tailfins and tailplanes -- known to aeronautical engineers as vertical stabilizers and horizontal stabilizers -- that were sturdy enough to withstand moderate seas. The craft performed admirably in waves up to 6 feet high, but after flight-testing the Flying Fish the researchers took it back into the engineering shop for some modifications to help make it even more seaworthy. Credit: University of Michigan