Linked Questions
26 questions linked to/from What is the reason for the poor low-speed characteristics of sweptback wings?
2
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0answers
263 views
What is the cause of Wingtip Stalling? Why do sweptback wings have a tendency of stalling at the tip? [duplicate]
I am a beginner in Aircraft aerodynamics. I have read about the disadvantages of wingtip stalling and the fact that sweptback wings have a greater tendency of stalling at the tips and forward swept ...
0
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0answers
25 views
Why do sweptback wings stall at the wingtip first? [duplicate]
Why do sweptback wings stall at the wingtip first?
Is it because of ram's horn vortex generation?
35
votes
9answers
32k views
Why does An-225 have anhedral wings though it is a cargo aircraft?
What are the rationale behind this anhedral high mounted wing configuration? Is that usual for very large carge aircraft?
45
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8answers
11k views
How complete is our understanding of lift?
I'm currently studying for my PPL and one of the accepted textbooks contains the following disclaimer at the end of the Principles of Flight section on lift:
It is important to note that the ...
44
votes
3answers
17k views
Why does supersonic flight detach airflow from a wing?
I've read in several answers to questions that when a wing passes the speed of sound the airflow will become detached from the craft towards the rear quarter of the wing (thus making things like ...
32
votes
5answers
51k views
What are the advantages of a forward-swept wing over a rearward-swept wing?
What are the advantages of a forward-swept wing vs. a rearward swept one?
Image credit: NASA
Image credit: Paul Maritz / Wikimedia
17
votes
4answers
2k views
Why does the U-2 Dragon Lady not have swept wings?
Swept wings increase the critical mach number for aircraft with otherwise identical wings (Source 1). The U-2 Dragon Lady is limited in altitude by its critical mach number, as it needs more speed in ...
18
votes
3answers
8k views
Why do some military aircraft use variable-sweep wings?
There are a couple of American military aircraft (the retired F-14 and the B-1 come to mind immediately), that have variable swept wings. I know that they keep the wings full out (roughly ...
13
votes
3answers
43k views
How does wing sweep increase aircraft stability?
I was told at one point that the sweep of a wing can help with the straight line stability of the craft, in fact I think it's one of the main systems that keeps flying wings flying straight (like the ...
14
votes
3answers
4k views
How do manufacturers engineer their aircraft to deal with tail strikes?
I have been told that tail strikes on take off and landing are rare but do occur. I think, in my mind, the tail touching the ground at all would just make the tail fall off, but it appears I was ...
15
votes
2answers
2k views
Why do some airplanes have simultaneously a straight wing and a swept horizontal stabilizer?
I'm sure there are many other examples like this one: Embraer EMB 120 with an almost straight wing and an obviously swept horizontal stabilizer.
Why is there a difference in sweep angle between the ...
14
votes
2answers
6k views
Is airflow ever laminar in the boundary layer, near the wing leading edge?
I often see images of the boundary layer over a wing indicating the airflow is laminar over the first portion of the wing:
Transition from laminar to turbulent flow over the wing. Left: source, right:...
14
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2answers
4k views
Why is the coefficient of drag for straight wings at supersonic speeds lower than for swept wings?
Why is the coefficient of drag of a straight wing lower than the coefficient of drag of a swept back wing at higher supersonic speeds (above, say, Mach 2)?
7
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2answers
12k views
Where is the spanwise flow? How does the span wise flow point the air towards the wingtip?
If you search Google for span wise flow, the first result under the pictures tab is a image of a wing with the span wise flow at the trailing edge:
(Source)
If you look at some other photos you ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Why is the tail group of virtually every airplane swept instead of straight?
Even low performance airplanes like ultralights have their tail group (vertical and horizontal stabilizer with rudder and elevator) swept backwards knowing fully well that a straight tail group will ...