Wind Tunnel
One effect of a rotating propellor: It acts as a gyroscope. What does this mean for the pilot?
Cooling Inlets
The cooling air inlet serves two functions: First, and most important, the inlet must ingest enough air to properly cool the engine and accessories...
Wind Tunnel
When is an airplane in trim? At least to the pilot, the airplane is trimmed when no stick force is required to maintain equilibrium. So how do we achieve this? Barnaby Wainfan explains any number of ways to go about it, including the use of trimtabs, spring systems, sparrow strainers and variable incidence tails.
Wind Tunnel
This month columnist Barnaby Wainfan takes a look at how the airplane responds in roll when the pilot is maneuvering. Two key factors are roll acceleration and the steady-state roll rate.
Wind Tunnel
This month we use the accumulated flight-test data to determine what exactly is causing the unacceptable flying qualities of the airplane so that the best way to fix the problem can be identified;
Design Process: Roll Control
The primary function of the wing is to generate lift, but it must also incorporate control surfaces to control the airplane in roll.
Wind Tunnel
Columnist Barnaby Wainfan continues his flight-testing discussion by taking up the topic of longitudinal stability. By identifying the origin of the problem, whether it be a control-system issue, a too-small static margin, or a combination of the two, the flight tests he recommends will help to isolate the issue.