Questions tagged [wing]

For questions on an airplane's main wing

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10 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why is this screw on the wing of DASH-8 Q400 sticking out, is it safe?

Was flying with the Dash-8 Q400 and saw the screw sticking out? It's on the wing near the wheel compartment as shown in the picture. Even if safe, it doesn't look pleasant to the passenger. Are loose ...
Eugen Sunic's user avatar
19 votes
5 answers
6k views

What control inputs to make if a wing falls off?

If a wing is severed due to structural damage or from a mid-air collision, what is the best control input to make? I would think opposite aileron and rudder, i.e. if right wing falls off, input full ...
Cloud's user avatar
  • 10.7k
0 votes
1 answer
75 views

How to calculate boundary layer thickness?

So I have a flat plate with a surface of 7sqm and an aspect ratio of 12 with air blowing straight at it (like a wing) at a speed of 50km/h. I would like to manually calculate the thickness of the ...
Vincent Cerowski's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

What are these pipelines for between the folding wing mechanism of F4 Phantom II FGR2 and Buccaneer?

The top picture is from Buccaneer and rest are from F4 FGR2. There's not any sealing mechanism between the joints, so these can’t be fuel or hydraulic related. They might have something to do with the ...
Daniel Yang's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
19 views

Determining optimum area of parafoil, and then drag

I am designing a parafoil recovery system for a small payload of 300x100x500mm (2.4kg). I have chosen an Aspect Ratio of 3, and from a NASA wind tunnel test report, the coefficient of lift and drag is ...
Angus Pollock's user avatar
13 votes
7 answers
3k views

Are there any known aircraft (experimental, otherwise) with non-fixed vertical/horizontal stabilizers?

Imagining contortions of the vertical/horizontal stabilizers and possible use cases for dodging or acrobatics, I was wondering if there were any known aircraft with such a design.
Josh Hibschman's user avatar
19 votes
4 answers
6k views

Why doesn’t lightning punch a hole in the fuselage?

Electric arcing creates a huge temperature in the air around it. When lightning strikes planes, why doesn’t this high temperature air melt/deform the aircraft skin? Also can these high temperatures ...
Sohail Khan's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
79 views

Oswalds efficiency factor for trapezoidal wing

For a part of my university project we have to approximate 2d to 3d data ideally using oswalds efficiency factor, the equations given to us are for either rectangular or swept wings however the wing I ...
DanjSmith98's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
78 views

How does a trailing edge flap move on an Airbus A320?

Airbus flaps move in flight direction [link] I don't exactly understand how that works, do they move just 180 degrees (opposite direction) of the flight path or is it something else? And doesn't ...
Aviation Enthusiast's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
103 views

Disadvantages of the Fowler trailing edge flap?

I get that the trailing edge plain flap has disadvantages (like tendency to separate flow as I read on a question on here) But what’s so bad with the fowler flap? Aren’t they like really efficient and ...
FlightWatcher's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
2k views

Which one of these flaps is used on take off and land?

I’m really confused about which one of these flaps is used on take off and land? I didn’t even know there were different types, I thought that the top configuration was the only used one today? Also, ...
FlightWatcher's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why are trailing edge flaps used for landing? [duplicate]

Why are flaps used when landing? Doesn’t a flap increase lift? Edited: why are there so many different flaps on the back of a wing? Isn’t one just used when taking off and landing? Are the others ...
FlightWatcher's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
129 views

How can angle of attack for a T-tail configuration be 21 degrees without stalling and also be flying at its trimmed condition?

I was reading a paper that looks at deep stall for T-tail configurations, and figure 2 suggests that the first trim condition for the aircraft in question occurs at approximately 21 degrees. Surely ...
caged's user avatar
  • 23
0 votes
1 answer
132 views

Can someone help me understand this aerofoil?

I came across this morphing aerofoil, but don’t understand how it works please? Can someone explain also what the components are, like that box in the left? I looked into that reference, but it’s a ...
Warrick's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
56 views

How to approximate the drag for rectangular vertical flat panel placed along the wind and inclined?

So on the top is the view from the top, below it is the side view. If the angle is zero it is similar to simple flat airfoil. So I calculated the Cl and Cd in xfoil and got the Cl = 0 and Cd = 0.02398 ...
Aleksey's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
271 views

Why does pressure difference between top and bottom surface of wings increase as speed increases?

We observe that lift force increases as speed increases on aircraft wings. Theoretically, there must be increase in pressure difference between top and bottom surface of wings. What I don't understand ...
Jawel7's user avatar
  • 247
4 votes
1 answer
163 views

Why do some Caravelles have a full outboard wing fence, and some only a partial outboard fence?

The Caravelle has two wing fences on each wing, so as to limit the spanwise airflow (and associated tip-stall problems) that would otherwise occur due to its rearward-swept wings. On most Caravelles, ...
Vikki's user avatar
  • 27.8k
0 votes
1 answer
69 views

Effect of turbulent flow on flight [closed]

What effect does turbulent flow (let’s say over a wing) have on flight? Could I say it reduces flight performance like lift, increase drag?
Jonathan's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
2k views

Other than looking cool, what is the reason behind the TSR-2's anhedral wingtips?

Pretty much what the title says. What is the purpose of the TSR-2's anhedral wingtips? I've heard someone say that they use it to counter yawing I think but is this the true reason or is it something ...
BryBuriya's user avatar
  • 231
1 vote
4 answers
167 views

Lift direction at non-zero angle of attack for a swept wing, or for a straight wing in sideslip

When the direction of forces is popularly explained, they say "the lifting force is directed perpendicularly, and the drag force is parallel to the oncoming flow". But what if it's a swept ...
BierRitter's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why are the trailing edges of wings not always made as 'sharp' as possible?

I noticed that wing trailing edges of new airliners like A220 (CSeries) are not completely sharp. Instead, they are blunt. I always thought that the sharper the better in subsonic flow. What is the ...
O'Terror's user avatar
  • 1,343
3 votes
1 answer
99 views

Impact to lift curve slope for a tapered wing with only trailing edge sweep?

I'd like to use a tapered wing with 0 deg leading edge sweep and 12 deg trailing edge sweep as shown below for my RC model. I understand that lift curve slope, a, is reduced for wings with leading-...
Seth's user avatar
  • 61
2 votes
0 answers
99 views

Lifting-Line Theory - Numerical solution for a wing with dihedral angle

I'm trying to calculate lift for a wing with a dihedral angle using the Lifting-Line Theory. While using the thesis "Non-Planar Lifting-Line Theory for Fixed and Deformable Geometries" as a ...
Luan Arita's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
230 views

Is it possible to use a plane's entire wing as an elevon?

Would it be feasible to build an RC plane using the entire wing as an elevon, with each wing independently moved up and down with servos? For roll control, they would be moved in opposite directions; ...
kj7rrv's user avatar
  • 39
1 vote
2 answers
160 views

What happens to aerofoil downwash with Flaps extended vs retracted and how does it affect the Tail down force?

In my logic: Flaps extended will cause a greater Angle of Attack, to maintain Straight and Level Flight, AoA will be reduced, due to the increased "Surface", this allows to fly at lower ...
Ted's user avatar
  • 647
0 votes
0 answers
51 views

Divergence and flutter

I am working on a project and we need to calculate the torsional stiffness of a wing in order to analyze flutter and divergence. However, the dimensions of the cross section vary along the semi-span, ...
Pedro Andrade's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
161 views

Why cut off the tips of a delta wing to form a cropped delta?

According to wikipedia, the reason to cut off the tips of a standard delta wing is maintain lift outboard and reduce wingtip flow separation (stalling) at high angles of attack This type of delta ...
Frank's user avatar
  • 305
1 vote
0 answers
52 views

What is the glide ratio of the Ozone Mojo Power 2?

The ozone mojo power 2 is a paramotor wing aimed towards beginners. I am interested in purchasing it, however I have not found any data on the lift to glide ratio. Does anybody know this info?
Lelotz's user avatar
  • 127
-1 votes
1 answer
88 views

Difference between the lift coefficient of the wing-profile and the wing

Let $ c_l $ the wing-profile lift coefficient and $ c_L $ the wing lift coefficient. For small values for the angle of attack $ \alpha $ both coefficients are linearly approximated: $$ c_l(\alpha)=C_{...
hallo97's user avatar
  • 101
2 votes
1 answer
213 views

How to determine the size and placement distance of vertical and horizontal stabilisers given the size of my wing? (it's a foamular250 glider)

If the wing has a Chord of 150 mm and a span of 800 mm, what about the distance to the tail? anf the size of horizontal and vertical stabilizer?
Liev Acal's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
226 views

What types of airfoils do fighters usually use for their horizontal and vertical stabilizer?

I'm looking for different types of airfoils that fighters have used for their tail, such as the F18 or F22. Or in general what airfoils do fighters typically have. For instance do they want low t/c, ...
Bill Shao's user avatar
  • 157
0 votes
1 answer
455 views

Did the Concorde have flat plate airfoil?

Did the Concorde have flat plate airfoil? this is because in all the images I have found it appears to be a flat plate
Guest's user avatar
  • 3
6 votes
1 answer
362 views

What are those pylon looking things on the rear of this DC-8 wing?

(image source: airliners.net) What are those humps on the rear of the wing? Are they external fuel tanks?
Boeing787's user avatar
  • 5,644
0 votes
1 answer
112 views

Wind turbine airfoil on low Reynolds number aircraft

I read that the criteria considered when designing a wind turbine airfoil are slightly different to the ones when designing an airfoil for an aircraft. I was wondering, for a low Reynolds number ...
rocket0314's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
621 views

How are canards designed to stall before the main wing?

I understand that aircraft with canards are designed so that they pitch down when at a high angle of attack. The canard is designed to stall before the main wing, thus the canard produces no lift ...
Matthew Mair's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is this Beechcraft bonanza A36 wing feature?

can someone explain what is this thing on leading edge of bonanza A36 aircraft. Thanks
Filip Adam's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
189 views

What were other possible solutions proposed to solve the problem of clean weapons separation for the F-18 Super Hornet?

I'm curious as to what other solutions were considered besides canting the pylons.
user65678's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
202 views

Do aircraft pitch down even at very low angles of attack (below 0°) in a strong sideslip?

I was doing an analysis of an aircraft (specifically the PZL Koliber 160 with the NACA 63A416) strong sideslip conditions (beta=30° for example) in OpenVSP at various angles of attack, and observed ...
TheEagle's user avatar
  • 1,344
1 vote
1 answer
247 views

Why do most canards have swept wings?

So most canards have swept back wings. Now I have been told that it is that way to ensure yaw stability (for example in a crosswind) - not sure though. But then I look at the new Lilium jet, which is ...
Vincent Cerowski's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How can I calculate the TOTAL drag of the ENTIRE airplane?

I have an aircraft similar to a Cessna 172 and am using a virtual wind tunnel software (flowdesign) to get a drag estimate. I import the airplanes 3D model and I get around 2240 lbs of drag with a ...
Vincent Cerowski's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
123 views

Can a Supersonic aerofoil have Max thickness near the middle?

I’m really unsure about this question: Can a supersonic aerofoil have maximum thickness near the middle? so by middle of the aerofoil I mean 50% along the chord Also, how would you actually calculate ...
Jonathan's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
240 views

How does camber affect on critical aoa?

i am pretty clear about why a higher camber would increase Clmax, but critical aoa. one of the resources i read the graphic shows a greater chamber near the leading edge will increase Cl at different ...
master olof's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
182 views

Can the flap on one wing be used to reduce a left turning tendency?

I fly a single engine Jabiru UL45 and it has a tendency to turn left during straight and level flight. Is it possible, in order to reduce a "Heavy Wing" to slightly increase the degree of ...
Kev's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
0 answers
99 views

How much thrust can a balloon generate with wings?

I have heard that some balloons have been made with wings, angled such that they generate some forward thrust during the ascent. Balloons can also theoretically generate thrust with wings during a ...
Nail's user avatar
  • 43
0 votes
0 answers
164 views

F1A COMPETITION GLIDER

I am working on a school project. I have looked up the airfoil database. There is a wide range of airfoils I have tried to optimize for my glider to no avail. How do i choose the best airfoil for a ...
Austin Okoth Omondi's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
660 views

Why increase chord length for supersonic aircraft (swept vs delta wings)?

TL/DR For supersonic transport and a given sweep angle, why are delta wings used instead of swept wings? If you write the drag equations, a sweep of $55^{\circ}$ seems sufficient with no modification ...
Nate Poon's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
67 views

Why are there no new major aircraft in ICAO Aerodrome catagory D?

So the 757, 767, A300 and A310 all were in ICAO cat D (mainly restricted by a wingspan between 36-less than 52m). Now though all these aircraft are discontinued, and there is no new designs looking to ...
AeroDude12's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
84 views

What are some features of a wing, which effects its lift coefficient other than its sectional view? [duplicate]

What geometrical features of a lifting surface apart from which airfoil it has, I mean the ones visible from the top and front view of a wing (for ex: its span, AR, sweep, dihedral etc.) effects its ...
Kozakov's user avatar
  • 457
3 votes
0 answers
99 views

What is the aerodynamic impact of the curved/crescenteric wing of the Boeing 787? [duplicate]

From certain angles (see pictures below), the wing of the Boeing 787 seems almost curved/crescenteric in shape, particularly closer to the wing-tip. While the Boeing 787 makes use of "raked ...
interested22's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
198 views

Does tip dihedral have lesser increase in lift over a full dihedral wing?

I have read some articles mentioning that a full dihedral reduces the lift produced by a wing. So what about a tip (or cranked) dihedral that has the angled part starting from the mid-wing rather than ...
rdmalex ong's user avatar

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