Understanding and Avoiding Spins
A pilots ability to recover from a spin depends just as much on the design characteristics of the airplane as on stick-and-rudder skills.
Interference Drag Adds Up
Barnaby Wainfan explains the role of properly designed wing-fuselage junctions in reducing interference drag.
Wind Tunnel
Barnaby Wainfan examines the design factors that can mitigate damage in an accident and increase the chances of survival.
Wind Tunnel
Its easy to get carried away with new systems and technology that promise to make your airplane faster, smarter and even safer. But sometimes more is just more.
Wind Tunnel
Involved in the flight testing of a friends aircraft, Barnaby Wainfan contemplates the consequences (and wisdom) of designing an aircraft around an engine that may prove unsatisfactory or, worse, unavailable.
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
When conducting aerodynamic testing related to airflow over an object, how do you ensure that you've matched the conditions from one test to another, and why does it matter?
In Case You Missed It
The Independence Project: We Start the Finish Kit
The Independence Project presses on, this time tackling the multiple tasks that make up the finish kit on the RV-12. By Dave Martin.
Mods and Ends
One of the most desirable and intrinsic benefits of building your own airplane under...
Traveling Machine
Van's two-seat RV-12 LSA proves itself as a surprisingly travel-friendly cross-country airplane. By Marc Cook.