Build, Test, Refine and Fix—Part 1: Ground Tests
At some point, a configuration of the airplane is frozen, a prototype is built and testing begins.
Wind Tunnel
How do the power-to-weight ratio, wing loading, drag effects and propeller choices affect an aircrafts climb rate and climb angle?
Design Process: Slots and Slats
Opening a properly shaped slot between the lower and upper surface of the wing near the leading edge can greatly increase the angle of...
Wind Tunnel
When the airflow separates from a surface, the result can be unsteady forces or turbulent wake shedding, neither of which is desirable.
Vortex Generators and STOL Performance
One way to solve the problem of flow separation—and stall—is by installing vortex generators on your kit aircraft.
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.
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...
H-tails and Triple Tails
The majority of airplanes use the conventional tail configuration with a single, centrally mounted vertical tail and rudder. Sometimes, however, the vertical tail is...
In Case You Missed It
What’s New
AeroLEDs introduces new landing/recognition lights, Wicks Aircraft offers a comprehensive assortment of O-rings. Edited
Maintenance Matters: Yearly Condition Inspections
Yearly condition inspections-the rest of the story.