Linked Questions
20 questions linked to/from How does wing sweep increase aircraft stability?
18
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Why does rudder cause roll?
In the few rudder incidents with the B737, rudder-freeze caused the airplane to roll. From what I know, the rudder causes yaw while the aileron causes roll. Why in the case of these accidents/...
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4
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How does a flying wing keep from going into a flat spin when maneuvering?
How do flying wings, like the B-2 Stealth bomber, actually keep themselves from yawing out of control without a vertical stabilizer?
For the record, I assume this has to be a simple mechanics process....
- 24k
16
votes
2
answers
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What is the reason for the poor low-speed characteristics of sweptback wings?
I know there are advantages of swept-back wings delaying shock-wave allowing a aircraft to fly faster. However, what are the disadvantages.
I know one of them is that they have very poor low speed ...
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20
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3
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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 ...
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36
votes
2
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Why do aircraft need a vertical tailfin, but birds don't? (and lots of fish do?)
I don't know of any bird that has a vertical tailfin, but apparently aircraft need them for lateral stability. Why is this?
I did realize, however, that most fish have a vertical tailfin, or a ...
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10
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4
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Do all aircraft need to have horizontal and vertical stabilizers?
Are (or were) there any operational aircraft that don't have horizontal and vertical stabilizers or canards? If so, what's the effect on how they fly?
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9
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6
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How to recognize the horizontal winglet in the Horten design, or the experimental glider in this video?
Comments below the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center video Proving Prandtl- With A Twist! incclude:
This video is entirely a hidden jewel in youtube, it deserves much more attention than what it ...
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4
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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 ...
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9
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3
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7k
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What is the optimal wing sweep angle for a passenger airliner?
There are many different types passenger planes, but is there a optimal wing angle for these planes, that improves the plane's take off speed for example, or the fuel efficiency
The Boeing 747 has a ...
user8732
7
votes
3
answers
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How do flying wings respond to crosswinds?
Is the vertical tail the primary reason for causing landings to be skewed in a crosswind? Please explain the effect of the fuselage, the tail, or other components.
If the vertical stabilizer is the ...
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7
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3
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What is the way to calculate the required twist of a flying wing?
I am interested in flying wings and a couple of weeks ago I started researching them. I found mh-aerotools.de website and think it's a great source.
The website stated that flying wings need twist ...
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5
votes
7
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732
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Was the adoption of conventional tailplanes as 'everyday aircraft' inevitable, or are there other designs that can be just as good?
I originally asked a variant of this on Worldbuilding.SE, but they didn't seem to like it. So I apologize if it's out of place even here.
I ask, because I've been forming in my head an alternate ...
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4
votes
1
answer
2k
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Why do the B-2 Spirit's split elevons seem almost always deployed?
Looking at images and videos displaying B-2 spirit, it seems like split elevons are most of the time deployed, even at high speed. Why is it so?
Having some aerodynamic surface deployed generates drag ...
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6
votes
2
answers
2k
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Is there a formula to calculate how big a ventral fin should be?
I've been doing some research into vertical stabilizer designs for a university assignment and have come across ventral fins. I've found a fair bit of information on why they're fitted but can't find ...
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5
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3
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What is the correct procedure in case of vertical stabilizer failure?
What is the correct procedure in case of vertical stabilizer failure in cruise?
Am I correct in guessing that one should descend to a lower altitude and decrease speed?
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