Barnaby Wainfan
Barnaby is a Technical Fellow 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.
Wind Tunnel
Youd think a V-tail would have much to offer over a conventional tail in both reduced drag and lower weight. But how does it really pan out?
Wind Tunnel
How do the power-to-weight ratio, wing loading, drag effects and propeller choices affect an aircrafts climb rate and climb angle?
It Pays To Heed Convention
Barnaby Wainfan looks at unconventional flight-control configurations in the cockpit and why they can throw even a seasoned pilot.
Tail Surfaces and Aerodynamic Effects
Major aspects of tail design and how they affect the performance of an aircraft in flight.
Wind Tunnel
Pilots, especially those in low-powered aircraft, must always know how much energy they have available to maintain flight.
Wind Tunnel
Although we often consider maximizing airflow over the exterior of an aircraft, we sometimes neglect internal airflow design that can cause significant drag.
Mind the Gap
An ill-fitting joint where the wing joins the fuselage doesn't leap to mind as a foremost source of induced drag, but the effects can be significant.
Wind Tunnel
Increasing the weight of an aircraft will affect its performance in all phases of flight.
Wind Tunnel
Sometimes adding accoutrements, paint, interior embellishments and other must-haves can result in a weight penalty that is difficult to overcome.
Wind Tunnel
When the airflow separates from a surface, the result can be unsteady forces or turbulent wake shedding, neither of which is desirable.
In Case You Missed It
What’s New
Lancair is under new ownership, Dynon updates its SkyView software, design rights for the Murphy Renegade are for sale, and you can treat your pet to in-flight oxygen with Aeroxs system. Edited by Mary Bernard.
Ask the DAR
Mel Asberry answers readers’ questions on one-off engineering data requirements, how to fill out an AC 20-27G form, and how to test-fly an aircraft in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Wind Tunnel
Its an age-old duality: stability versus maneuverability. Many factors go into developing and building any aircraft, and the designers choices will affect a pilots workload, for good or ill. Among the topics discussed are trim, pitch stability and yaw stability;