Barnaby Wainfan
Barnaby Wainfan is a principal aerodynamics engineer for Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Design organization. A private pilot with single engine and glider ratings, Barnaby has been involved in the design of unconventional airplanes including canards, joined wings, flying wings and some too strange to fall into any known category.
Design Process: Wing Design
At this point in the design process, we have gotten the airplane sized, balanced, and after six months of consideration gotten the landing gear...
Design Process: Landing Gear, Part 6
Last month, I ran out of space before getting to the end of our discussion of landing gear. This month, we conclude the series...
Design Process: Landing Gear, Part 5
For the past few editions of Wind Tunnel, we’ve been exploring the factors that drive the configuration and placement of landing gear. Last month we took a look at the factors affecting the directional stability and lateral stability of the airplane when it is rolling on the ground. This month we switch axes to look […]
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Design Process: Landing Gear, Part 4
Last month we looked at how the static stability of the airplane when it is sitting at rest on its landing gear affects the position of the landing gear legs. Once the airplane is in motion, there are additional considerations that come into play. We will now turn our attention to how dynamic effects dictate […]
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KITPLANES – The Independent Voice for Homebuilt Aviation
KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
Subscribe Today
KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
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Design Process: Landing Gear, Part 3
Last month we took a look at the basic characteristics of the two most common landing gear configurations: tricycle and taildragger. We will now turn our attention to some critical factors in the proper integration of the gear into the overall airplane configuration. The configuration of the landing gear and its placement affect the static, […]
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KITPLANES – The Independent Voice for Homebuilt Aviation
KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
Subscribe Today
KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
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Design Process: Landing Gear, Part 2
As we started to discuss last month, the landing gear is a major component of the airplane that affects the design in significant ways. Delaying the layout and design of the gear until late in the design process will inevitably lead to problems. Accordingly, the designer should address the major factors associated with landing gear […]
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KITPLANES – The Independent Voice for Homebuilt Aviation
KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
Subscribe Today
KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
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Design Process: Landing Gear
It’s time to turn our attention to a major component of the airplane—the landing gear.
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